Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary Heart Disease

            Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in Osceola County. The recent data from CDC shows that the county’s heart disease mortality rate for persons aged 35 years and above is 262 per 100,000 persons. This rate is considerably high in comparison to both the state (188 per 100,000) and national (195 per 100,000) averages. The county ranks among the top 10 counties with the highest coronary heart disease mortality rates in Florida. Blacks are disproportionately affected by the disease. They have the second highest mortality rate (220 per 100,000) despite the fact that they make up only about 14 percent of Osceola’s population (CDC, 2015). Non-Hispanic whites, who make up about 34 percent of the county’s population, have the highest mortality rate (304 per 100,000). Addressing the high heart disease mortality rate in Osceola is paramount. The persons aged between 35 and 64 make up more than 50 percent of the county’s population (U.S Census Bureau, 2016). Therefore, the current trend threatens the county’s social and economic stability considerably.

            I consider the stage-sequential model as the best approach to my policy concern. The model describes systematic steps that cover the key aspects of the policy development process. These steps are policy agenda setting, policy formulation, program implementation and policy evaluation (Porche, 2017). The first step in agenda setting is the identification and description of the healthcare issue and its impact on the county’s population. Secondly, the identified problem is framed into a policy agenda. The agenda setting prepares the ground for an appropriate advocacy campaign to create awareness of the policy issue and influence the policymakers’ stance. The policy formulation stage will allow the participation of the relevant stakeholders in providing information to influence the legislative process.