Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111151

C. Welter, MPH, Sara Levinson, MPH, CHES, and Kim Junius, MFA. Community Preparedness and Coordination, Cook County Department of Public Health, 1010 Lake Street Suite 300, Oak Park, IL 60301, 708-492-2659, kjunius@cookcountygov.com

Public Health Departments across the country have received four years of bioterrorism funding. While these funds have been used to address many crucial elements in the response infrastructure, little has been done to address the need for public information about public health. Local communities and their partners play an important role in responding to emergencies. Unfortunately, public health efforts have fallen short in providing clear instruction on how families, business, schools and other community groups can prepare and possibly help to respond to an emergency. Empower: Emergency Health Toolkit is a ‘branded' emergency preparedness campaign developed by the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) Community Preparedness and Coordination Unit to increase reported levels of self-efficacy and preparedness among CCDPH employees and 2.3 million suburban Cook County residents. This presentation will discuss health communication and promotion strategies used to enhance community knowledge of public health and its role in emergency response, including development of the Empower identity, media campaign and corresponding emergency preparedness outreach programs. Tools used, strategies implemented, partnerships made and lessons learned will be shared.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. List the steps taken to develop an emergency preparedness campaign
• 2. Describe principles of social marketing and constructs of health education theories of change used in program design and message development in order to influence targets’ perceptions, attitudes and behaviors about emergency preparedness.
• 3. Recognize the importance of health communications strategies, such as naming and ‘branding,’ that may be employed when developing a campaign identity and concept.
• 4. Identify and list five creative and practical action steps for educating the public on not only bioterrorism and emergency preparedness but also about public health.

Keywords: Health Communications, Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation