Emergency Public Information and Warning/Risk Communication
- Emergency Public Information and Warning/Risk Communication Topic Collection (ASPR) – a comprehensive compilation of web-based communication resources including those addressing at-risk populations, and plans, tools and templates.
- Tools for Strengthening Communication with Individuals with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs (OPEM)
- Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CDC)
- Risk Communication in Action: The Tools of Message Mapping (United States Environmental Protection Agency)
- Online Emergency Risk Communication Training for Public Health Professionals (Northwest Center for Public Health Practice)
- Webinar: What Your PIO Wants You to Know (BPHC)
Health Literacy
Translations
There are a number of tools and resources that can help you plan for the translation of written materials for those people who prefer languages other than English. They include the following:
- Information collected by municipal Boards of Health
- Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI)
- MLA Language Map Data Center (Modern Language Association)
- Reaching People in Multiple Languages
- American Fact Finder (United States Census Bureau) - Table B16001 from the 2014 ACS 5-Year Estimates provides data for all language categories
- Click Advanced Search from the AFF Home Page.
- Type in "B16001" in the Topic or name search box. Only that table appears in the dropdown list. Click on the table title and click the Go button.
- Click on the Geographies tab on the left navigation bar. A Select Geographies overlay box opens. Click on the Name tab.
Example 1: You’re looking for data for Natick.- In the search box within the Geographies overlay, enter Natick, MA and click the Go button.
- From the Geography Results, make a selection, and this will get added to your selection criteria in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
- Close the Geographies overlay box, and the relevant tables for Natick will appear here (organized by year).
- Click on the table in which you’re interested and the table viewer opens.
- Click Advanced Search from the AFF Home Page. Make sure to clear the previous selections and start a new search.
- Type in "B16001" in the Topic or name search box. Only that table appears in the dropdown list. Click on the table title and click the Go button.
- Click on the Geographies tab on the left navigation bar. A Select Geographies overlay box opens. Click on the Name tab.
Example 2: You’re looking for data for those towns within Hampshire County.- Within the Geography Filters Options, select City or Town.
- Expand the Within State options and select Massachusetts.
- Expand the Within County options and select Hampshire.
- Under the Geography Name section, select All Places fully within/partially within Hampshire County, Massachusetts and this will get added to your selection criteria in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
- Close the Geographies overlay box and the relevant tables for Hampshire County will appear here (organized by year).
- Click on the table in which you’re interested and the table viewer opens. You’ll see data for each city or town within Hampshire County within this table.
- To download the table to your computer:
- Select the Modify Table button.
- Then select Transpose Rows/Columns.
- Then select the Download button.
- Select your preferred format and hit OK.
- Hit the Download option to complete the process.
- There also are options to bookmark/save your search and print your search results.
Social Media
- Social Media Message Library (Drexel School of Public Health) – this comprehensive, web-based library features message templates for Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and includes content relevant to the preparedness, response, and recovery phases of 13 different public health disaster scenarios
- Emergency Preparedness and Response Social Media Resources (CDC)
- Social Media Tools, Guidelines & Best Practices (CDC)
- OPEM tips for crafting general preparedness Tweets *:
- Accompany your tweets with an image - engagement rates get a significant boost every time images are included with a tweet. That’s because many Twitter followers access their tweets on a smartphone – and images really help tweets stand out there.
- Include a URL within a tweet that will provide more information about the content of the tweet – it’s helpful to provide a link to further info, in the hopes that your tweet has piqued the interest of your audience.
- Try to avoid tweeting links to PDF documents – smartphones don’t display PDF documents very easily or very well. This frustrates followers and can lead readers to disengage/unfollow you.
*Please note, during an emergency, the goal of using social media is to convey vital information. If a supporting image is essential, by all means include it. But if your message is better served by using your allotted characters for text, that should be your focus.