Highlights of VDHs Pandemic Flu Risk Communications Tactics

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Highlights of VDHs Pandemic Flu Risk
Communications Tactics

• A presentation of select strategies and tactics
  for input from the statewide Pandemic Flu
  Committee

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2008 is a Landmark Year

• It marks the 90th anniversary of the 1918
• Influenza Pandemic.
• Here in Virginia we had a population of 2.3
  million, Richmond was our largest city with a
  population of 171,667.
• The public thought fresh air would kill them and
  two doctors in Alexandria were serving up whiskey
  as a treatment and failed to cure anyone.

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• Richmond banned public meetings including church
  services

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• Military troops in Newport News moving in and out
  of the state had the flu.

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Goal for today -

• Brief you and get your input on VDHs ongoing
  crisis and risk communications tools and tactics
  to-
• Reduce the impact of a potential flu pandemic in
  Virginia.
• Return to normal as quickly as we can after a
  potential pandemic.

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What Should You Know About Risk Communications?

• It is a tool to -
• Close the gap between lay people and experts.
• Help people make informed decisions.

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Concepts Youll Hear About Today

• Teamwork
• Collaboration with local, state and federal
  governmental agencies
• Partnership development with organizations and
  institutions that will expand our reach to the
  public during a pandemic

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Todays Update Includes Presentations From -

• 1.Macro view of how flu information will flow
  from the government to the public during a
  pandemic
• (Bob Spieldenner/Virginia Department of
  Emergency Management)
• 2.Review of VDH materials for public health
  community and partners (Michelle Peregoy/VDH
  Epidemiology PIO)
• 3.Demonstration of pan flu spokesperson training
  module
• (Cheryle Rodiguez/VDH Central Region PIO)

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gtgtgtMore on What you will hear today

• 4.Phone Inquiry Center and other VDH Technology
• (EpR Advisor to the Deputy Commissioner/ Kim
  Allan)
• VDH Health Alert Action Network (HAN)
• (Sue Rhodes, VDH OIM)
• 5.New technology and your input on how to
  leverage it
• (Bobby Parker/South Western Region PIO and our
  guest Jim Bacon/ baconsrebellion.com
• 6.Regional sample partnerships to further
  communications during a pandemic
• (Larry Hill/Eastern Region PIO)
• Collaboration with Virginian Pilot
• (Pam Miller/VDH Eastern Regional Planner)

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Seven Rules for Risk Communications

• Accept and involve the public as a legitimate
  partner.
• Plan carefully and evaluate your efforts.
• Listen to the public's specific concerns.
• Be honest, frank, and open.
• Coordinate and collaborate with other credible
  sources.
• Meet the needs of the media.
• Speak clearly and with compassion.
• Source Seven Cardinal Rules of Risk
  Communication. Pamphlet drafted by Vincent T.
  Covello and Frederick H. Allen. U.S.
  Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC,
  April 1988, OPA-87-020.

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Factors Influencing Risk Perception

• People's perceptions of the magnitude of risk
  are influenced by factors other than numerical
  data
• Be voluntary Be imposed
• Be under an individual's control Be controlled by
  others
• Have clear benefits Have little or no benefit
• Be fairly distributed Be unfairly distributed
• Be natural Be manmade
• Be statistical Be catastrophic
• Be generated by a trusted source Be generated by
  an untrusted source
• Be familiar Be exotic
• Affect adults Affect children
• Source A Primer on Health Risk Communication
  Principles and Practices. Prepared by Max R. Lum,
  Ed.D., M.P.A., and Tim L. Tinker, Dr.P.H., M.P.H.
  Washington, DC U.S. Department of Health and
  Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for
  Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. 1994.
  Adapted from Acceptable Risk by Baruch Fischoff,
  Sarah Lichtenstein, Paul Slovic, Stephen Derby,
  and Ralph Keeney. New York Cambridge University
  Press. 1981.

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Communicating With the Public 10 Questions To
Ask

• Why are we communicating?
• Who is our audience?
• What do our audiences want to know?
• What do we want to get across?
• How will we communicate?
• How will we listen?
• How will we respond?
• Who will carry out the plans? When?
• What problems or barriers have we planned for?
• Have we succeeded?
• Excerpted with permission from Communicating
  With the Public Ten Questions Environmental
  Managers Should Ask. Caron Chess, Billie Jo
  Hance, and the Center for Environmental
  Communication, Cook College, Rutgers The State
  University of New Jersey, P.O. Box 231, New
  Brunswick, NJ, 08903-0231, [phone].

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Channels Through Which Risk is Most Often
Communicated

• Press releases
• Print materials
• Public meetings
• Electronic materials
• Telephone hot lines
• Web sites
• Small group discussions
• Public exhibits
• Public Service Announcements

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Risk Communications Challenges

• How to communicate with stakeholders without
  increasing their anxiety.
• What are the top messages to deliver prior to,
  during and after a potential pandemic.
• Overcoming flu apathy.
• Questions anticipated that we can prepare for
  now.
• Newsroom appetite for pan flu information.

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Pandemic Flu Rumor Control

• Move quickly to respond.
• Keep responses in proportion to the problem
  (over/under reaction).
• Anticipate evolution of a rumor.
• Responses should not be open to interpretation.

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Sample Pandemic Flu Risk Communications Resources

• (Governmental)
• PandemicFlu.Gov
• AvianFlu.Gov
• Virginia.Ready.Gov
• VDH.Virginia.Gov
• (Non Governmental)
• CenterForRiskCommunications.Com