Goal of the Public Policy
Goal of the Public Policy
This policy seeks to enhance the quality of services provided by the FDA and USDA in order to ensure food safety in the United States. Although the United States is an industrialized economy, millions of people do not have adequate access to food. This has negative implications upon health standards in the population (Mays, 2006). The policy seeks to improve the standards of food safety in the country by addressing the personnel challenge that faces key agencies like USDA, FDA and CDC. In essence, the personnel will help in streamlining the delivery of food services in the country.
Supporting Evidence
Shortage of skilled personnel is evident in the key government agencies responsible for ensuring food safety in the country. According to the annual findings from the FDA, the organization’s capacity to meet its goals is affected by the shortage of personnel. Such scenarios are also evident in USDA and CDC. These agencies are the focal point for food safety in the United States. The challenge of inadequate personnel in these agencies undermines the standards of food safety in the country (CDC, 2010). In 2010, fourteen percent of all households had food insecurity. This is an alarming indicator of the poor standards of food security in the country.
Achieving the Policy
In order to achieve this policy, a comprehensive roadmap for implementation will be developed. The implementation blueprint will encompass several stages. The first stage encompasses the formulation phase during which the details of the entire policy will be streamlined. The second stage encompasses the identification of key stakeholders for the policy. This is essential in order to ensure a quality process of decision making (Brownson, 2009).The third stage will encompass the harmonization of resources necessary for the policy. Consequently, this will form the basis of seeking support for the policy. The penultimate stage is the actual implementation phase. Collaboration from the government and the three agencies is essential towards enhancing the policy outcome. The last stage encompasses a review of the implications of the policy.
Policy Beneficiaries
Americans stand to benefit the most from this policy. This is because it will enhance the standards of food security in the country. This has direct implications on health care standards in the country. When the population is food secure, incidences of illnesses are minimal. The three public agencies will also benefit immensely from this policy. This is because they will have adequate human resources. The policy will also benefit health care practitioners as well as the federal government (Herdman, 2006). This shows the benefits of the policy evenly spread across the board.
Agencies for Policy Implementation
Three agencies will have the responsibility of implementing this policy. The USDA is instrumental in the maintenance of food security in the country. Consequently, this agency will form an integral component of the implementation framework for the policy. CDC is another essential agency of inclusion in the policy implementation framework (Mays, 2006). The CDC examines and controls the spread of diseases in the country. Food security is thus a core function of this agency. The FDA is the third agency of inclusion in the policy implementation framework
Cost-Effectiveness of the Policy
There are several projections with regard to cost-effectiveness of the policy. Firstly, the policy will help in alleviating the costs incurred by the federal government while trying to streamline the standards of food security in the country. In essence, the government might reallocate these funds to other ventures. The policy is also beneficial in terms of promoting the efficiency of operations in the three agencies. This is because it will help in minimizing operational costs (Brownson, 2009).
Reception of the Policy
As with any public policy, it is expected that this policy will elicit different kinds of reactions from the various stakeholders. For instance, the federal government might perceive the law as a potential stumbling block to its annual budget plans. Sufficient resources are needed in order to cater for the recruitment of additional personnel. However, it is anticipated that members of the public will offer support for the policy (Mays, 2006). This is because it enhances food security in the country. Health care practitioners might also rally behind the new policy. This is because it enhances health standards in the population.
Strategies to Overcome Barriers
In order to deal with the various barriers of the policy, it is important to seek strong support from all stakeholders. Consequently, they will be enlightened about the beneficial implications of the policy. Currently, millions of people in United States are suffering from hunger because of food insecurity. The key agencies are also in dire need of additional personnel (CDC, 2010). These perspectives will help in justifying the need for the new policy. It is also vital to document the different shortcomings if the policy is not implemented. For instance, the three agencies will continue to struggle with inadequate staff and this comprises their output. More importantly, this undermines the quality of health in the population.
References
Brownson, R. & Stamatakis, K. (2009). Understanding Evidence-Based Public Health Policy. American Journal of Public Health, 99(9), 1576-83.
CDC (2010). Public Health Law Program, Artificial Trans-Fat, Retrieved 2ndNovember 2012, from http://www2.cdc.gov/phlp/winnable/transfat.asp
Herdman, R., & Simone, J. (2006). Influencing Cancer Policy, Health Affairs 25 (3); pg. 800.
Mays, G. P. &Shim, K. (2006). Institutional and Economic Determinants of Public Health System Performance, American Journal of Public Health 96 (3); pg. 523
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