Project Abstract Summary
Harris County Public Health (HCPH) intends to utilize the Public Health Crisis Response Cooperative Agreement in order to enhance, prepare, implement, and quickly respond to a public health emergency. The plan will utilize the six CDC domains to ensure that HCPH is well-equipped for any future public health crisis. Domain 1 focuses on equipping the available workforce with the adequate PPE and identifying vulnerable populations for strategic interventions. Domain 2 focuses on implementing community resilience programs, working with various communities, specifically immigrant communities, to increase disaster preparedness and strengthen their resilience to disasters. Domain 3 focuses on the development and evaluation of messages and communication strategies that will be used to inform the community. Domain 4 focuses on quickly establishing sites to provide communities with access to public health countermeasure resources. Domain 5 focuses on establishing a non-congregate medical shelters to mitigate demands on the healthcare system. Domain 6 is focused on enhancing surveillance systems to provide continuous support to epidemiological operations. For HCPH, equity is a cornerstone of all disaster preparedness planning, ensuring that communities with different language and reading abilities, communities from different financial backgrounds, and communities of individuals living with disabilities, among others, have access to public health resources before, during and after a disaster. HCPH is committed to use data to perform equity analyses and identify service and access barriers. As a system, the public health approach to a public health crisis is rooted in prevention, data surveillance, research, innovation, equity, and engagement. Focusing on capacity building and community resilience will allow HCPH to leverage trained staff, as well as a strong and diverse community partners, who will assist to meet the needs of the community during public health emergencies.