Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Brenda Seals, PhD, MPH¹, Sarah B. Bass, PhD, MPH¹, Dominique G. Ruggieri, MA¹, Jay Segal Segal, PhD¹, and Amy Cunningham². (1) Department of Public Health, Temple University, 1700 N. Broad St., Room 304, Philadelphia, PA 19122, (215) 204-6780, brenda.seals@temple.edu, (2) Public Health, Temple University, 1700 N. Broad, #304, Philadelphia, PA 19122

The Katrina tragedy was fraught with communication strategies that sent mixed or negative images. Specifically, messages to the evacuating public, to those left behind and to those watching the event unfold were less than ideal. Surveys of public opinion pre- and post-Katrina document stark declines in public confidence by official emergency responses. This failure of effective communications convinced public health professionals involved in emergency preparedness to recognize the importance of communications and to prioritize building communication infrastructure and skills. Developed communication training programs like CDC Synergy provide for communications models within a framework for a comprehensive communications in emergency situations. However, these training programs lack skills building modules specific to message making and to building staff skills in communications. In order to fill this gap, an analysis was made of communication efforts from the Katrina tragedy and efforts to develop, pilot and refine a training program for increasing skills in message making, answering questions from the press, trouble shooting, media readiness, and working with crowds. Results from the initial pilot were incorporated into a train-the-trainer module appropriate for leaders of readiness plans including Points of Dispensure (PODs). This training program for public health emergency preparedness is relevant for the CDC Cities Initiative where a wide range of public health professionals, few with communications expertise, may be asked to communicate with the press in times of crisis. In tandem with more comprehensive communications models, trainings to build skills may be the key to avoiding problems like those in the Katrina tragedy.

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze how messages were delivered in the Katrina tragedy.
• Identify gaps to address to improve public health emergency preparedness efforts in communicating disaster information.
• Discuss public health infrastructure in the Cities Initiative and with other communications efforts for the wide range of officials involved in crisis response.
• Describe a training program developed to expand communications skills among emergency preparedness efforts.

Keywords: Disasters, Health Communications

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation