The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit of the United States

[Jonesie]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

I read an awful lot of complaints regarding 'the media' not doing this and not doing that about the looming pandemic. Why wait for 'the media'...or 'the goverment'?
Radio and TV stations have been doing Public Service Announcements for quite a number of years now..
These young people in NYC are pushing for more awareness regarding the AIDS pandemic through Public Service Announcements, Can concerned older folks in flu forums follow their example, make up their own PSA, and get their ball rolling too?..

NYC High School Students Get Put to the Challenge
NetAid and Cable Positive launch competition for students to produce public service announcements highlighting solutions to the AIDS crisis
NEW YORK, NY — November 27, 2006

NetAid, the nonprofit that empowers young people to fight global poverty and Cable Positive, the cable and telecommunication industry’s AIDS action organization, announced today that they have joined forces to launch a public service announcement (PSA) competition on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2006, for all New York City public high schools students. The competition will challenge young New Yorkers to engage in critical dialogue about how their generation is being affected by HIV/AIDS on a local level and make connections to the global pandemic.

With the support from the New York Community Trust and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the challenge is being launched at a time when young people are demonstrating they can play a critical role in responding to the epidemic. Of the 40 million people around the world living with HIV/AIDS, 95 percent live in the developing world; and according to the New York City Department of Health, New York City remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. UN reports on HIV/AIDS have found that where HIV transmission was reduced, the greatest reductions often occurred among young people.

“Whether it is happening in their own backyards or halfway across the globe, young people are beginning to make the connection between the devastating impact AIDS has up close and personal to the impact it has on entire countries worldwide,” explained Dr. Kimberly Hamilton, president of NetAid. “We are prompting students to find common solutions that address the shared issues that exist locally and around the globe and allow the virus to wreak havoc,” Dr. Hamilton stated.

On World AIDS Day, NetAid will open registration, providing students with educational materials about global HIV/AIDS and training around communication and messaging techniques (visit www.netaid.org for details). Teams of one to ten students will then have six weeks to explore the issue of HIV/AIDS in both a local and global context, discover solutions for addressing the problems, and express them creatively and powerfully in a short video, and upload it to a designated YouTube site that will be provided to students when they register for the competition.

After reviewing videos online, a panel of expert judges from the public health, media, culture, and education fields will select a winning team. The team will spend a day with Cable Positive, and learn techniques of shooting, directing and film production to transform their video into a professional PSA. The final PSA will be aired on both NetAid and Cable Positive’s websites, with pending plans for a television airing on June 27th, National HIV Testing Day.

“Television broadcast is arguably the most compelling means of communication. By leveraging this with digital media, we can unleash the potential of young people to be catalysts of change by educating one another,” commented Thomas Henning, vice president of programs and services at Cable Positive.

Since 1992, Cable Positive has used PSA’s as a tool to communicate education and prevention messages around HIV/AIDS. The most recent series of award-winning PSA’s featured celebrities such as Naomi Watts, Calvin Klein, Tony Kushner, Bernard Hopkins, Rosie Perez, Eric McCormack, and Wilmer Valderama.

NetAid will build upon the work of its network of students, who are already engaged in awareness-raising activities around global issues in their schools and communities, to mobilize their peers. Last World AIDS Day, NetAid high school student leaders reached over 150,000 of their peers nationally with AIDS-awareness messages. “We want to turn the brilliant ideas of these students into an effective PSA to help meet the pressing need to educate young people in New York City for informed and responsible action in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” Len McNally, title of New Your Community Trust, concluded.

About NetAid

NetAid works nationally to educate, inspire, and empower young people to take action against global poverty throughout their lives. Using technological innovation, peer-to-peer education, and leadership training, NetAid provides the knowledge, perspectives, and skills to create new generations of informed global leaders. NetAid is an independent non-profit organization based in New York City.

ABOUT CABLE POSITIVE

Cable Positive is a national non-profit organization founded February 1992 by three concerned cable executives with the mission of organizing cable’s resources in the fight against AIDS. Cable Positive will mobilize the talents, resources, access and influence of the cable and telecommunications industry to raise HIV/AIDS awareness; support HIV/AIDS education, prevention and care; and strive to end stigma by creating a more compassionate climate for people whose lives have been affected by HIV or AIDS. Cable Positive has grown to include supporters from every major cable network, multiple system operator, cable system, hardware manufacturer, trade association, media publication, and affiliated industry vendors and suppliers. Since 1992, Cable Positive has raised more than $16 million in the fight against AIDS. For more information about Cable Positive, call 212.459.1502 or www.cablepositive.org

http://www.cablepositive.org/news/11-27-06.html

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Public service announcement
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A public service announcement (PSA) or community service announcement (CSA) is a non-commercial advertisement typically on radio or television, ostensibly broadcast for the public good.

The main concept is to modify public attitudes by raising awareness about specific issues.


The most common topics of PSAs are health and safety, although any message considered to be "helpful" to the public can be a PSA. A typical PSA will be part of a public awareness campaign to inform or educate the public against smoking or compulsive gambling. Often, a celebrity may promote a foundation and ask for support from viewers or listeners, an example being Michael J. Fox's PSAs in the U.S. supporting research into Parkinson's Disease, or featuring "scaring straight" Crips street gang leader Stanley "Tookie" Williams from prison, urging the young not to join gangs. Some religious groups produce PSAs about non-religious themes such as family values as a means of increasing awareness of their church, and to show the role the church has in serving the community. Examples include a long-running campaign from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and more recently the United Methodist Church. Also, the military produces PSAs to recruit enlistees, alongside paid advertising and sponsorship efforts.

In the U.S, the role of PSAs was affected by deregulation of the broadcasting industry in the 1980's. Previously, a broadcast license was assigned to a television or radio station that was expected to serve as a "public trustee" by airing, among other requirements, frequent PSAs. Continued licensure no longer depends strictly on programming content, and the number of PSAs that are deliberately scheduled has declined, yet new PSAs continue to be produced and aired.

Today TV or radio stations typically use PSAs as a way to fill unsold commercial time, or to demonstrate their commitment to a particular cause. Some non-profit organizations such as the American Cancer Society and Red Cross choose to ensure usage by purchasing commercial airtime. Smaller organizations like the American Indian College Fund rely solely on donated media space to get their message out.

The Ad Council, while the largest producer of PSAs in the United States, requires substantial funding from the organizations that qualify for their work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_...e_announcement

[JJackson]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

I am with Shannon.

The lack of traction is largely due to the public not seeing this as a real danger that they - as opposed to the government - need to do something about. I know the swine flu scare of 1977 is often seen as disaster, due to some adverse reaction to the vaccine and the fact a pandemic never came, but strong CDC leadership and the President having flu shots for the press was an unambiguous message that this should be taken seriously. Whether the pandemic failed to materialise for its own reasons or because of the vaccination campaign we will never know but there was a clear message from the top that the public could understand which we are not getting now.

[Shannon Bennett]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

I went to bed last night frustrated and agitated. After reading the article about faith-based leaders being advised to alert their parishioners about preparing for a possible pandemic, I was reminded of Exodus. Jews were told to mark their doors so the angel of death would pass over them and instead reap the souls of the Egyptian firstborn sons. My mind was struggling with the idea of pity the poor agnostics, as well as those belonging to churches not seen as important enough to save. It isn't enough to tell a chosen few. We are all citizens and we should all have the same opportunity to be among those with the tools to survive. I could easily accept an additional message specifically targeted at churches, but I don't see the message happening anywhere else. And we as flubie bloggers cannot accept the burden of being the clarion call to action. I feel like a hermit living alone in the wilderness who sees the danger and is ignored by the people she is trying to save. We are called crackbrains and scare-mongerers. While attempting to get our neighborhoods to band together we are told, 'I don't need to prepare, if anything happens I will go to your house because I know you have food'! I hear repeatedly that if there was anything to worry about the government would tell us or, we would hear it on the news. Well the government isn't getting the message out to any but a select few. And, the media is too busy with other more immediate stories.

The virus isn't going away, pandemics occur regularly, and there is no vaccine available for everyone. H5N1 could very well be the next pandemic killer. We, all of us, need to be made aware of the very real threat and all the repercussions that a pandemic would bring. Hiding under the covers because the horrors of a virus run amok is an untenable position. It's getting pretty lonely in the wilderness, and I am getting hoarse. I, we, need a bigger voice. A voice that leads us out of the wilderness and into the homes of every American. A voice that can also be heard in other nations. We flu bloggers are more than willing to share what we have learned, we only need a catalyst. We need a leader and we need one now.

[sharon sanders]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

The Agenda


7:30 - 8:45 a.m.
Welcome by Harold Shapiro, PhD, President Emeritus, Princeton University
Speaker: The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

8:45 - 9:30 a.m.
When Pandemic Influenza Occurs:Setting the Stage for Individual Preparedness
Speaker: Rajeev Venkayya, MD, Special Assistant to the President for Biodefense
Homeland Security Council

9:30 - 10:15 a.m.
Pandemic Influenza Preparedness
Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
A Vision for a Preparedness Movement
Speaker: Stephanie A. Marshall, Director of Pandemic Communications, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Panel Discussion
Moderated by Harold Shapiro, PhD, President Emeritus, Princeton University
Speakers: Russell M. Nelson, MD, PhD, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Dennis Roche, FedEx; Greg Dworkin, MD, Flu Wiki & Flu Wiki Forum; Joseph Bocchini, MD, American Academy of Pediatrics; Susan Crosson-Knutson, The International Association of Lions Clubs

12:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Facilitated Sector-Specific Breakout Sessions

3:15 - 4:00 p.m.
Full Group Report-Out Session

4:00 - 4:15 p.m.
Thank You and Closing
Speaker: John O. Agwunobi, MD, Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The detailed agenda can be accessed here.
Posted June 13, 2007 at 8:36 am in Leadership Forum

http://blog.pandemicflu.gov/?p=57

[Thornton]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

Thornton / M.D. Says: [Your comment is awaiting moderation.]

Admiral Agwunobi,
Let me suggest that as we consider stockpiling supplies, that we give greater consideration to stockpiling relationships and problem solving strategies.

The HHS as lead agency for the Federal Government can push harder for one of the largest employers in the country (the US Government ) to actively engage its local communities. The pandemicflu.gov web site is fantastic, but even more powerful would be for the local Veterans Hospital or Social Security Agency or even the regional IRS site to a lead when necessary to mobilize the local community in dual use strategy for pandemic preparedness. How many federal employees are medical reserve corps volunteers?

For my part as a strictly local but an informed health provider, I promise to more aggressively pursue the teachable moment. In addition to my family preparedness with a dual use strategy, I will comment on local TB cases, measles, chickenpox, seasonal influenza and draw analogies on how preparedness for any communicable public health threat will strengthen us when we have to engage a pandemic. I will also challenge health officials at all levels to engage the public as partners and not as threats. Better to deal with some discomfort and anxiety now rather than a lack of trust and chaos later.

I commend Secretary Leavitt on his tireless action to inform the US and the world on the threat of a pandemic and the plan to combat it. Admiral Agwunobi, you have many who have answered the call. Please, push the federal agencies and federal employees to join us at the local level for a dual use strategy to improve the public’s health and protect the world’s future. And yes, stockpiling will be one part of the strategy. The harder part will be sharing the stockpiles.

http://blog.pandemicflu.gov/?p=43#comment-2789

[Shannon Bennett]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

Shannon Says:
A synergy of both top to bottom and bottom to top is apropos. The rationale for this approach is the message needs to be consistent and it needs to be correct. The feet on the street should be locals but the message needs to come from above. There is too much misinformation out there even from those who should know better. A case in point is what happened in Oregon last fall. Our state’s Director of Public Health was asked to give a presentation on H5N1 by the organization of city and county governments along with the Oregon Mayors. The Director sent a PR person who admitted to having no knowledge of bird flu. He repeatedly stated the officials needn’t worry about H5N1 and should concentrate on a real killer such as the West Nile virus. The officials left with the assurance no preparations or at best minimal preparations would be necessary for pandemic flu. If anything needed to be improved, it was mosquito abatement. If the message had been clearly presented during Secretary Levitt’s visit to Oregon medical personnel, it didn’t make it through the mental filters of our state’s health leaders.
The example above isn’t unique to Oregon. Most states have made it a low priority for several reasons: lack of a clear threat, too many other immediate needs, lack of funding, and the intangible feeling that the problems we face with the virus are too enormous for any one organization to fix. We are overwhelmed and our feeling of malaise turns to helplessness . The idea of a pandemic flu is too horrible to contemplate so we decide it can’t happen.
So what should be done? First, the message needs to be clear, concise and correct, and it needs to come from the top down without deviation. A statement should be issued by the White House clearly stating that should a pandemic start Americans can expect to be quarantined at home for a minimum of 6 weeks. This would alert the populace to the seriousness of the threat and make preparing a much higher priority. Because of the seriousness of the threat, the President then declares this the Year of the Flu. Now we have to follow through with the specifics and this needs to include all segments of society.
A multi-pronged PR approach would garner the largest response. One prong would be geared for the public in general; the second would be focused on business; the third on officials in the public sector; and finally, the medical sector. Subsets would include institutions such as public and private schools, both the criminal and mental incarcerated, those living in assisted living facilities, hospices, etc. and those too poor to prepare.
Idaho’s model and the Year of the Flu are good examples of preparing the public. Government working in tandem with local individuals or local churches and organizations would be responsible for getting the message out to neighborhoods. Brochures should be handed out with lists of what to buy, how to care for the sick, simple recipes using bulk foods, etc. Businesses should be encouraged to participate. Grocery stores could have a coupon day for bulk foods or sporting goods store have demos on how to cook food using cast iron Dutch ovens. The possibilities are myriad.
Business should be brought up to speed. Most are going to be skeptical that interruptions will be inevitable. The need for open dialogue between government and business is imperative. Solutions may come from unexpected sources if all are encouraged to participate. A dialog started before pandemic between suppliers, transportation and business would lessen the impact later after the virus arrives.
Local and state governments need to be made aware of what their responsibilities will be, what the chain of command will be, and thus the time needed to prepare for backlogs in services. During a disaster, they will be on the front lines not the federal government. Local government needs to be made aware of the likelihood of interruptions and resulting failure of services.
Lastly, as they are probably already the most aware, the medical sector should be instructed in what can and should be done. Again, focusing on open communication between city leaders and the local hospitals prior to pandemic is key to lessening the impact.
<small class="commentmetadata">Posted June 12th, 2007 at 3:28 pm

http://blog.pandemicflu.gov/?p=45#comments

</small>

[Laidback Al]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

I think that pandemicflu.gov, the HHS blog, and our flu forums are all "if we build it, they will come" enterprises. The HHS blog is an excellent demonstration of the limitations of that approach. Yes, people have come, and there is a vibrant but small panflu-aware community, but those of us who have discovered and joined that community are a small subset of the population. The challenge is to convey the message to the rest of the world. It's our challenge and the federal government's.

The problem is that the federal government has yet to firmly decided what is the message that they want to send to the masses. The lack of a coherent government message is clearly evident in the posts from the blogs by the government representatives. Unless the federal government seriously considers the many thought provoking comments and develops a government-wide consensus message, it will up to FluTrackers and other forums and participants in flublogia to carry on the grass roots efforts and carry the pandemic message to the peoples of the world.

[sharon sanders]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

Thank you Jonathan for all of the years of service to the education and preparation issues regarding pandemic influenza.

"...With the exception of Richard Mitchell I know every one of the posters before me from their writings and this is a problem. They are not the public we need to reach, I would lay good money all of them could take the podium and lecture for several hours giving a full background on pandemics through history, 20th century flu pandemics, the flu viruses structure & genetics, H5N1 mutation history, vaccine production, antivirals & resistance and clinical symptoms without needing to look at a note."

Yes - I feel the same way. Most of the posters are the most educated persons today in all aspects of pandemic influenza.

A news release by the HHS to some of the regular news channels would increase interest by others.

A service often used by the CDC is Medical News Today.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/

[sharon sanders]

JJackson - Senior Moderator

1. <cite>JJackson</cite> Says: Getting the job done
   If ?the job? is preparation of the population for an H5N1 pandemic then we certainly have a long way to go.
   With the exception of Richard Mitchell I know every one of the posters before me from their writings and this is a problem. They are not the public we need to reach, I would lay good money all of them could take the podium and lecture for several hours giving a full background on pandemics through history, 20th century flu pandemics, the flu viruses structure & genetics, H5N1 mutation history, vaccine production, antivirals & resistance and clinical symptoms without needing to look at a note.
   All the above information is readily available on the major flu sites. We know how to multiply CAR x CFR x population and we know what the figures for population and CAR are reasonably accurately. What frightens the life out of us is the knowledge there is no good reason ? from a genetics standpoint ? to assume a change in receptor binding affinity will lead to a dramatic reduction in virulence. We do not want to frighten the population unduly but we want more people to understand ? and be prepared for ? the possibility that a pandemic of 1347 rather than 1918 proportions is not out of the question and that a 1918 type pandemic (at least) should be the starting point for preparations.
   What do the public know? Very little. In my conversations even well educated members of the public have a number of common misconceptions which need to be remedied.
   It is only Influenza: this is a big problem if it had a different name they might better understand how variable a disease this is clinically. Trying to find disease with a higher CFR I could only come up with Ebola and that has no asymptomatic infectious period.
   Medical science has come along way since 1918: True but unfortunately not that much help here. Vaccine capacity is far too small and the lead time to first dose is months with a shot per person capacity in years (compare with 2 weeks prep recommendation). Antivirals - in reality read Tamiflu ? we don?t know how effective this will be and we do know resistance is not uncommon. Modelling papers are not very optimistic but no one has every tried to deploy 100s of millions of doses of a single antiviral in a few months before. Primary health care is admittedly much more advanced but we all know that if it is anything even vaguely like current H5N1 you stand a better chance of winning the lottery than getting a staffed ICU bed with respirator in the middle of a pandemic wave.
   The bird flu threat is over now: ?Man dies of bird flu? has as much chance of getting past the editors desk as ?Man dies in Iraq?. Unless something major happens individual cases no longer receive media attention and so fade from the public?s attention.
   If it was that serious the government would have warned us/have a plan: Hmm.
   The message should be
   This might not occur but if it did, and we are worried enough to warn you, the government will be so overwhelmed you will need to look after yourselves for a while. To do this please learn all you can about pandemic flu. We have provided these websites and other sources of information and entered into a partnership with various flu websites who have agreed to help newcomers with help and advice on how to prepare. We are also setting up local meetings where you can ask any questions you may have. Don?t Panic but make sure you understand the threat and what you as individuals can do to protect yourself, your family, your community and your country.
   This needs to be issued on TV and in the MSM it should be backed up by senior politicians, business leaders, media and celebrities explaining what they are doing to prepare.
   <small class="commentmetadata">Posted June 11th, 2007 at 12:52 pm</small>

http://blog.pandemicflu.gov/?p=50#comment-2685

[hawkeye]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

I'd like to add, not only to tell the PUBLIC about prepping, but give them specifics and true time line scenarios, at least 30 days preps.

The Number One thing that needs to be done is to TELL the PUBLIC to prepare their friends, their family, and their own community---without any help from Federal or State officials.

[sharon sanders]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit



Posted by
Irwin Redlener
Director, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University






Preparing for Pandemics: What Do We Need To Do Now?

Since September 2001, there has been a crescendo of concerns raised about the nation’s ability to prevent, plan for, respond to or recover from large-scale disasters. In addition to the 9/11 terror attacks and Katrina’s devastation of the gulf nearly two years ago, we have been confronting the possibility of other catastrophic events which could have similar or even greater potential to wreak havoc among our citizens. We’ve amped-up our focus on the potential for a variety of disaster scenarios, including massive earthquakes, more failed levees that could result in disastrous flooding of populated regions and the ever-present spectre of a biological catastrophe.
Beyond the unsettling periods in our history when the world stood on the brink of nuclear war, few “potential crises” have received as much attention in the media, in government and within the public health community as has pandemic flu. And the more we’ve read about infected birds and domestic fowl in many parts of the world, and about the rare, though lethal human infections, the more we’ve paid attention. Rightly so.


The response to growing pandemic concerns has been, if nothing else, fascinating. Most, though certainly not all, scientists validate the concerns. Most, but not all, of the public health community feel the concerns are justified. If not H5N1, many say, some other virus with the potential for rapidly spreading lethal infection across the planet is a statistically - and biologically - likely event. So, with all of this in mind, where do we stand now - and what’ s next as we plan for the appropriate response and potential mitigation of a pandemic, whenever it occurs?
Clearly, the reposnse by government at all levels has been intense, especially so on the federal level. The plans put forward by HHS, for instance, are essentially unprecendented in their complexity and scope. And resources have been made available by the Administration and the Congress (where there has been a surprising degree of cooperation on this issue.)



And that’s clearly a good thing.


Yet, I remain very concerned. here’s why:


First, as I have saying for nearly two years, the resources appropriated remain insufficent to meet the challenges and guidance provided by HHS. Let’s assume that by the end of FY ‘08, nearly $9 billion will have been made available from all sources for pandemic planning. The fact is that most of the money will be used for vaccine development, stock-piling of approriate medical counter-measures and some bolstering of public health infrastructure. And those are certainly important priorities.



But the problem is that we will need the response and treatment capacity of our hospitals and health care facilities to be in optimal condition if and when we actually experience a serious pandemic. And, if we continue along the track we’re currently on, the hospitals will not, in the foreseeable future, be ready. Money to support disaster readiness in our 5,000 hospitals across the nation has been dropping and currently appears to be in the range of $419 million for the next fiscal year. But an independent study of the issue by a national expert panel said that the hospitals would need a one-time investment of more than $5 billion to start the process and another billion a year to sustain an appropriate level of “pandemic readiness”. Can that money “apppear” outside of federal support? The answer is “no”. There is no option for our hospitals - so many of which are, to say the least, economically fragile. And few states will have the resources to provide funds at the level that would be needed to compensate for extreme inadequancy of federal support.


My second concern has to do with a much broader agenda of setting overall national priorites. What precisely should we be most concerned about? Is it the growing “epidemic” of obesity and the health threats posed by this reality - or should we be most focused on making sure that all Americans get basic health care? Should we be worried about individuals without access to the health care system being undetected and untreated in the event of a major pandemic? What about the rapidly aging population in the U.S. and the soaring impact of Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic illnesses that will require enormous investments in research and appropriate health care access?


On some level the idea of having to make such choices is an anathema to Americans. We have a large agenda, all of which can be seen as critically important. And should not have to choose between pandemic preparedness and our ability to care for the nation’s senior citizens. Health and preparedness should not be a zero-sum game.


What then is the answer?


There is plenty to talk about, but I have two specifics in mind. First, in the absence of an effective, ubiquitous capacity to rapidly produce a protective vaccine, the need to ensure a robust health system response is critical. The money to make this possible must be made available.
Secondly, every investment in health and public health preparedness should be analyzed in terms of dual- or multi-use potential. Pandemics are far from the only disaster we might be facing in the future. And improving laboratory diagnosis capabilities, for instance, across the nation could have untold benefits, and so forth.


The bottom-line is that we are not close to being ready to respond to a serious pandemic threat in the U.S. - or, for that matter, in the world, generally. And if we are serious about our concerns, then the plans, the prioriteis and the resources have to be much more in line with the rhetoric.

Irwin Redlener
Posted June 11, 2007 at 12:54 am in Message from the Secretary

[sharon sanders]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit



Posted by
Nedra Weinreich
President and Founder, Weinreich Communications; Founder, Spare Change







Top Down, Bottom Up, Side to Side

Should the emphasis of a campaign to raise awareness of pandemic flu be on top-down government-led information dissemination, or should we rely on grass-roots efforts to spread the word from person to person? The answer is: absolutely!
Much of the limited awareness-building that has happened to date has come from individual concerned citizens who hear about pandemic flu, realize that this is a real threat and take it upon themselves to educate others in their community. But because of the lack of pervasive communications by the government and other high-level credible sources, their exhortations to take action may be dismissed as alarmism.
An effective initiative must use a dual-pronged approach. The institutions and people whom various audiences look up to as credible sources of information about public health issues have to speak out loudly and often about pandemic flu. Right now, the information is available, but only if people go looking for it. These credible spokespeople need to reach people where they are, whether that means having the Surgeon General mailing a postcard to every American household, HHS creating television and radio ads, working with Oprah to do a ?community preparedness makeover,? featuring a pandemic flu storyline on 24, or distributing millions of grocery bags with preparedness tips through participating stores.
This blog has been a good attempt at a start to reach out online, though most of the people participating are already knowledgeable about the issue. The PandemicFlu.gov website is an excellent source of information, even if not everybody agrees with the recommendations for stockpiling. However, the site, which looks like it was created by a committee of 20, is crying out for a redesign from a user-centered design standpoint. Anyone who comes to the website without knowing exactly what they are looking for would be overwhelmed by the information overload on the home page. Different audiences need start pages customized to their specific needs, and they should be usability tested with people who are new to the issue of pandemic flu.
A centrally coordinated education campaign that reaches as many individuals and community leaders as possible will go a long way toward creating awareness. But people will be much more likely to take action when they see that other people like themselves are taking the information seriously and getting prepared for the possibility of a pandemic. And speaking with a real person who can answer questions and concerns can break down many of the barriers that keep someone from taking action.
That?s where the grassroots approach comes in. A vibrant and engaged community of concerned citizens has developed over time in various places online, such as the Flu Wiki and the Pandemic Flu Information Forum. On their own, they have come together to share news and preparedness tips, and many participants have tasked themselves with educating their community leaders and neighbors.
Any effective effort should see this group of self-appointed community leaders as the core of a social networking strategy to spread the word from person to person. They are passionate about the subject, and can get the ball rolling through word of mouth if they are empowered through the social marketing equivalent of a ?brand ambassador? or ?customer evangelist? program. Give them resources (e.g., an online social network site, downloadable handouts and presentations, etc.) and official support to help get the word out, and they will be key to reaching local parents, city government officials, service groups, businesses and religious institutions. As other people are convinced through their efforts, they too may become supporters and share the information with their own social networks. I hope that HHS engages rather than ignores their best natural resource.
Although not everyone is online, social media will be a key to reaching large numbers of people and having the message spread. Many people have created and posted videos about pandemic flu on YouTube, which have been viewed thousands of times. There are many pandemic and disaster planning podcasts (no link because I found them on iTunes), blogs and the wiki and forum I mentioned above. A MySpace page could be created with a badge that supporters could put on their own pages that says something like ?I?m prepared, are you?? The Florida Department of Health created a humorous campaign to promote hygienic habits geared toward reducing the spread of flu, which includes TV spots uploaded on YouTube and a MySpace profile page for the main character. Outreach to bloggers who reach key constituencies like moms, people interested in health issues, or policy-minded citizens may also result in more awareness.
When credible and urgent messages about pandemic flu are coming from ?on high? that have been designed based on input from they people they are intended to reach, and people are empowered to talk to their friends, family and community members about the issue, awareness and preparedness will blossom. But take the grassroots out of the equation and we may be left with lots of words and no action.
Posted June 10, 2007 at 7:16 am in Week 3: Getting the Job

http://blog.pandemicflu.gov/?p=45

[Thornton]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

Agree. I commend the FT community for the quality of comments on the blog. Special kudos for F1 and SO.

[sharon sanders]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

Shrill is Overkill -

Apparently some posters at the HHS blog prefer the communication style of "rant and rave" to gentle persuasion.

A few of the comments on the blog of Admiral Agwunobi are so emotional as to dilute the message.

The message is a good one. More than 2 weeks of essential supplies has been recommended by FluTrackers since May 27, 2006 here.

In fact, we have been recommending a 90 supply since that date.

Apparently the HHS is recommending 2 weeks. Well, I simply do not agree. We will not change our policy here to match what the government is recommending.

There are many reasons to gather a 90 day supply. There is only one reason to recommend a two week supply. The reason is that it is a start.

By now most of us know that convincing our neighbors, friends, families and others that "bird flu" is a real threat can be a challenge - even with all the scientific and historical evidence to support such a possibility.

A two week recommendation is a sound one if it is recommended as a start which I believe is in the admiral's message:

"...can get all American families thinking about their own needs."

It is intended, I believe, to get Americans to begin to accumulate a disaster stockpile when they do not have any kind of disaster preparedness mindset at this time.

What is the most effective method to reach the officials in the United States government? Ranting? Emotional outbursts?

No. Thoughtful discussion is.

They want to listen to us. Let's give them a message as effectively as we can.

Speak in clear, unambiguous, concise, and compassionate words.

This is our chance to influence policy.

To demand humanity is to show it.

[sharon sanders]

Re: The National Pandemic Preparedness Blog Summit

Blue, RN, Senior Moderator, Flutrackers

Dear Mr. Secretary,

Thank you for taking this on. It is no easy task to address the members of the flu community, sir.
As you can see, we all have many concerns, and it is our great hope that this dialogue will help in a positive way to lead to solutions to the many problems that our nation will face should pandemic occur as a Category 5 event. I am so grateful that
you have opened this space to address you. In my heart, I have to believe that some good must come of this.
I wanted to point out specifically post 89 from Florida1, President of Flutrackers.com

[snip]
It is imperative to assist those individuals and institutions who support and maintain society’s safety net. Individual and family imperatives, psychological support, financial considerations, physical safety, and legal ramifications must be implemented for each person and institution who serves during an emergency situation.

The requirements of a civil society demand that we protect those who protect us: Nurses, Doctors, Police, Firepersons, EMTs, Military, Public Health Care Workers, and all others who sacrifice must have the tools and support necessary to be efficient and safe.

[snip]

I am an older nurse with 25 years experience. My concern is about my younger colleagues with children. I worry about families where both parents are part of that group of people mentioned in Florida1’s post. You know, nurses married to firefighters, EMTs, or cops.

So many of us are in that category. We have mortgages like everyone else, and other financial obligations. We will be putting ourselves at risk in the line of fire in order for the public to be safe or to have someone to care for them if they are too sick to remain at home. Many of us will come in and do what we are able to do. But it will be harder for some of us.

I hope that as FlaMedic has suggested that someone out there will adopt our families. I hope that as Florida1 suggests that there will be some provision made to help such as moratoriums on
mortagage payments, that these people who serve will be paid, that there will be loan forgiveness for the student loans of the new nurse graduates that volunteer to serve etc.

Our society needs these people to be there for all of us. What else can we do to assist them to serve?

I hope that you will find a way to continue to communicate with the public. It is important for them to hear you. We need you, Mr. Secretary, and you need us also.

Blue, RN, Senior Moderator, Flutrackers.com

Posted June 9th, 2007 at 4:06 pm

http://blog.pandemicflu.gov/?p=33#comments