Scenario

February $2015$ marked the start of the great HIV outbreak that culminated in $190$ reported cases in Scott$$ County, a rural community bordering Kentucky. Opioid drug use has become an epidemic in the$$ heartland, and government officials are still looking for answers.

The public health crisis spread rapidly from its epicenter in$$ Austin, where less than$10\%$ of residents hold a college$$ degree, and one in five live below the poverty line. HIV was viewed as a$$ big$-$city disease.$$ Then$-$governor Mike Pence opposed needle exchange as$$ anti$-$drug policy in spite of the evidence that needle exchanges do not result in increased drug use among participants or in higher recruitment of$$ first$-$time drug$$ users, but do substantially reduce the risk of infection of HIV and other diseases. As a result of$$ inaction, HIV ravaged the community until Pence declared a public health emergency for Scott County that allowed for a needle$$ exchange, slowing rates of infection almost immediately.

The state created a public awareness$$ campaign, called You Are Not$$ Alone, to educate those in the affected region about drug$$ abuse, safe$$ sex, needle$$ disposal, and HIV testing and treatment. Then reinforcements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arrived in$$ Austin, Scott$$ County, to aid state officials in containing the outbreak.

$$Today$,$ the needle exchange program is seen as playing a major role in halting the outbreak. From November $2014$ through August$2015,181$ people who lived in or used drugs in Scott County tested positive for$$ HIV, according to a study of the outbreak published last month in The New England Journal of Medicine. In September and$$ October, not a single person tested positive.

Question content area bottom

Part $1$

Which strategic approach was most likely implemented in Scott$$ County?

A$.$

Random strategy. Because the approach was not$$ unified, the strategy was random.

B$.$

Functional strategy. Because the approach was to determine the best way to meet a$$ short$-$term goal in a specific$$ area, the strategy was functional.

C$.$

Competitive strategy. Because the approach was to beat the rates of infection in other$$ states, the strategy was competitive.

D$.$

Corporate strategy. Because the approach was aligned with$$ Pence's religious$$ beliefs, the strategy was corporate.