A public health hazard mitigation planning process

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Emergency Preparedness
• Health Policy

Background:

• Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health's Training and Education Collaborative System Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center (TECS-PERLC) partnered with two Texas Health Service Regions.
• Identified challenges included lack of formal structure in Metropolitan Statistical Areas and inadequate tools for assessing needs and linking mitigation strategies to Public Health Preparedness Capabilities.
• Existing processes did not meet requirements for the Risk-Based Funding Project.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a framework for public health mitigation planning.
• To address challenges in assessing public health, medical, and mental health needs.
• To link mitigation strategies to Public Health Preparedness Capabilities for effective incident response.

Main Methods:

• Developed the 3-phase community engagement-based TxPHRAT Mitigation Planning Process (Mitigation Planning Process).
• Created associated tools: profiles for interpreting risk assessment results, a catalog of intervention strategies, and a mitigation planning template.
• Facilitated the development of mitigation plans through a structured, collaborative approach.

Main Results:

• The Mitigation Planning Process successfully enabled Regions to meet all funding requirements.
• TECS-PERLC produced over 60 profiles, cataloged 195 intervention strategies, and developed a template.
• Twenty mitigation plans were submitted, demonstrating the process's effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• A public health-focused, community engagement-based mitigation planning process was successfully developed and implemented.
• The outcomes highlight the value of academic-practice partnerships and community engagement in mitigation planning.
• Additional funding secured to expand the process statewide to all Texas counties with local health departments.