Step 4: Collaborate With Community Organizations

Your assessment provides the basis for understanding the cultural and linguistic characteristics of your community and the communication barriers faced by at-risk populations. Such findings will serve as the basis for developing communication strategies that overcome communication barriers and convey information that is understandable and relevant to members of the diverse populations.

Community collaborators who have become a part of your network will bring their experiences in implementing communication strategies to the process. Ask your collaborators to share their strategies. In an emergency, public information must meet the needs of at-risk populations to be effective. Some communication tactics include:

• Keep messages simple and concise by using short sentences and plain language to allow for easy translation of materials (consider using sixth grade reading level or lower).
• Provide written materials in bilingual or multi-lingual form.
• Include visual aids such as pictures and maps to reinforce key messages.
• Repeat key information.
• Include directions and phone numbers.
• Use large fonts.
• Identify preferred communication methods (face-to-face, door-to-door, word-of-mouth), and develop messages accordingly.
• Identify preferred media through which messages are delivered. Is it the local newspaper, ethnic radio station, or the church pastor?

As part of your ongoing efforts to strengthen your local community’s capacity to respond to a public health emergency, you can conduct workshops with representatives of at-risk populations and community leaders who are already committed to participating in your agency’s outreach work. The workshops:

• Help sustain relationships with members of your network.
• Provide an avenue for them to participate in decisions and actions that directly affect their communities and reinforce their sense of dignity.
• Increase their awareness of cultural and social diversity in your jurisdiction.
• Demonstrate your long-term commitment to the network.

Depending on the size of your jurisdiction, you might choose to have a series of workshops in different locations. Activities at these sessions might include:

• Viewing a basic “train-the-trainer” video on disaster-related communication, the leaders’ roles and responses, and techniques for conveying information quickly and accurately to members of the intended populations
• Reviewing materials produced specifically for at-risk population groups
• Gathering input on how existing materials can be adapted or new materials developed to better meet the needs of various populations

Collaborate with community organizations or bring COIN members to the planning table to address the needs of at-risk populations in your agency’s all-hazards emergency preparedness plan by:

• Asking them to identify the information needs of their community.
• Asking them for ideas about how best to reach them or address their needs in an emergency.
• Inviting them to review and make suggestions to the public health emergency preparedness plan that address specific strategies to use with at-risk populations.
• Working together to include this information in your preparedness plans and testing the plans in your preparedness exercises.
• Inviting them to participate in your exercises and including them in post-exercise evaluations and after-action reporting activities.
• Ensuring you complete the process by updating your preparedness plans based on what you learn from your exercises.