everyday racism

Trevor Weigle

Health Officer

City of Paterson Department of Health and Senior Services Division of Health 176 Broadway Paterson, New Jersey 07505

Public Health

CRISIS EMERGENCY RISK

COMMUNICATION (CERC) PLAN

PDOH Crisis Emergency Risk Communication Plan

IntentionallyBlankPage


CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1

1.1 Crisis Emergency and RiskCommunication (CERC)Plan Activation......1

1.1.1 Activation–Public.Health.Emergencies….….................................1

1.1.2 Activation–.Other Emergency Situations......................................1

1.2 Plan Goals and Purpose........................................................................1

1.3 Planning Assumptions.............................................................................2

1.4 Authorities and References....................................................................3

1.5 Plan Modifications...................................................................................3

1.6 PlanDistribution.......................................................................................3

1.7 Training...................................................................................................3

1.8 Exercises.................................................................................................3

2. LOCAL,STATE,AND FEDERAL PUBLIC INFORMATION...........................................4

2.1 Paterson Emergency Public Information System.........................................4

2.2 County Level Public Information...............................................................4

2.3 Regional Level Public Information...............................................................4

2.4 State Level Public Information..................................................................4

2.5 Federal Level Public Information..............................................................4

3. ROLESANDRESPONSIBILITIES................................................................................6

3.1 PDOH CountyHealthandHumanServicesAgency/PublicHealthDivision.......6

3.2 PDOH Public Information Officer……………………....................................6

3.2.1 County-WideEmergencies.............................................................7

3.2.2 Public Health Emergencies.............................................................7

4. PDOHPUBLIC INFORMATION ORGANIZATION.......................................................8

5. CRISIS COMMUNICATION POSITION DESCRIPTIONS............................................9

5.1 Health Officer..............................................................................................9

5.2 PDOH Public Information Officer…………………………………………........9

5.3 County Public Information Officer...............................................................10

5.4 HEALTHEDUCATOR.............................................................................. 10

5.4.1 Health Officer Orders and Public Information..................................10

5.4.2 Medical/HealthCare Provider Information........................................10

5.4.3 Public Information and Media Content Development......................10

5.5 Distribution Coordinator..............................................................................11

5.6 Subject Matter Experts...............................................................................12

5.7 PDOH PIO/Spokespersons.........................................................................13

5.8 Media Team...............................................................................................13


5.9 Logistics Team..............................................................................................13

5.10 Staffing the PDOH PIO Organization.............................................................14

6. PUBLICINFORMATION/ RISK COMMUNICATION POLICIES........................................17

6.1 Public Information Policies.............................................................................17

6.2 Joint Information Center................................................................................17

6.3 Communication Systems................................................................................17

7. HEALTH OFFICER ADVISORIES AND ALERTS.............................................................17

7.1 Issuing a Health Alert or Health Advisory........................................................22

7.2 Cancelling a Health Alert or Health Advisory...................................................23

7.3 Content of Health Advisories and Health Alerts...............................................23

8. MEDICAL/HEALTHCAREPROVIDERINFORMATION......................................................18

8.1 Hospital and Health Care Provider Communication……..................................18

8.2 Response Partner Communication………........................................................18

8.3 Information Sharing on Suspected Cases........................................................25

8.3.1 Case Finding, Public Health Alerts, and Case Reporting......................25

9. MEDIA COORDINATION..................................................................................................18

9.1 Public Health Division Spokespersons..............................................................27

9.2 Authorized Spokespersons..............................................................................27

9.3 Media Contact.................................................................................................28

9.4 Press Releases...............................................................................................28

9.5 Press Statements, Interviews and Briefings (Press Conference)......................28

9.6 Approval Process............................................................................................29

10. PUBLIC OUTREACH......................................................................................................23

10.1 PDOH Emergency Telephone Line–Crisis HotLine..........................................30

10.2 PDOH Emergency Web Site............................................................................31

10.3 Web Site Information.......................................................................................32

10.4 Web Site Deactivation......................................................................................34

10.5 Special Populations.......................................... ...............................................34

11. LOCAL MEDIA CONTACT LIST ………...........................................................................38


1. INTRODUCTION

In a public health emergency the Paterson Division of Health (PDOH) is responsible for

coordinating with appropriate partners to manage the crisis and communicate to the public about

the event. The purpose of this plan is to describe procedures to implement, coordinate and

manage risk communications.

1.1 CRISIS EMERGENCY AND RISK COMMUNICATION (CERC) PLAN

ACTIVATION The risk communications function is activated by the Health Officer and the Director of Health

and Human Services to coordinate and manage risk communication associated with public

health emergencies or situations.

1.1.1 ACTIVATION- PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES

In public health emergencies with Op Area EOC activation, the Health Officer may assume

duties of the EOC Incident Commander. The PDOH Public Information Officer (PIO) becomes

the lead EOC PIO with support from and coordination with the County PIO.

1.1.2 ACTIVATION- OTHER EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

In situations other than public health emergencies, the risk communication function is activated

by the Op Area EOC Incident Commander and coordinated by the County Public Information

Officer (County PIO) at the Op Area EOC. The PDOH Public Information Officer (PDOHPIO)

may provide support to the County PIO in situations that may involve the PHD, but are not public

health emergencies.

1.2 PLAN GOALS AND PURPOSE

The goals of risk communication and public information are to:

Facilitate coordination of public information activities among involved partners (e.g.

government officials, health experts, hospitals, physicians, healthcare providers and the

public).

Persuade and direct the behavior of individuals or communities.

Promote informed decision- making.


Educate and correct false or misleading information (rumor control).

The objectives of the CERC Plan are to:

Prepare the PDOH to serve as a single point of contact for risk communication and

medical/health information during public health emergencies.

Define roles and responsibilities for risk communication in relation to partners at the

local, state and federal levels.

Document current risk communication processes and protocols.

Document procedures for reaching special populations in public health emergencies.

1.3 PLANNING ASSUMPTIONS

In the case of an actual or suspected infectious disease outbreak, public health officials

act swiftly to educate or calm the public and/or to correct misinformation and rumors.

Public health officials act quickly to provide outbreak information to physicians and

medical/health care providers.

Risk communication messages and information coordinated across jurisdictions

may utilize scripts/content provided by the County PIO, State PIO and/or

CDC.

The public's right to know about potential, but unverified, health risks and the need to

avoid undue alarm is carefully considered. Each situation is evaluated and the Health

Officer will determine the appropriate response.

The outbreak of infectious disease will be identified by local, state or federal public health

agencies and response will be activated after medical/healthcare providers have

diagnosed a significant number of cases. It is likely that early reporting by the media will

attract the public’s attention.

Likewise, an unannounced act of bioterrorism will be detected only after a significant

number of symptomatic conditions have been identified at the local, state, and/or federal

levels. Initially, there may belittle or no public information about the disease outbreak or

the release of a biological agent.

Public health agencies may be called upon to make public statements and to quell

rumors and misinformation even in the absence of a verified health risk.


1.4 AUTHORITIES AND REFERENCES

The PDOH CERC Plan is based on CDCynergy Tools and Templates and The CDC Crisis Emergency Risk Communication Manual.

1.5 PLAN MODIFICATIONS

This Plan is reviewed annually and revised, if necessary, by PDOH Emergency Response Team

(LINCs) .The Plan may be modified as a result of post-incident analyses and/or post-exercise

critiques (local, county and state), Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)

After Action Reports (AAR) and Improvement Plans(IP).It may be modified if responsibilities,

procedures, laws, rules or regulations pertaining to crisis communication change. A record of

modifications is maintained by the Health Officer. Every five years, the entire CERC Plan is

reviewed, updated, published and re-distributed.

1.6 PLAN DISTRIBUTION

Within public health, the CERC plan is distributed to the Director of Health and Human Services,

supervisors and LINCS.

1.7 TRAINING

Training is conducted on an annual basis in cooperation with Passaic County Department of

Health and the New Jersey State Department of Health.

1.8 EXERCISES

The CERC Plan is activated for response exercises conducted by the PDOH, Passaic County

Department of Health, Office of Emergency Management, New Jersey State Department of

Health & the Department of Homeland Security. The risk communications function is also

exercised when PDOH conducts tabletop drills and exercises.


2. LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL PUBLIC INFORMATION

2.1 EMERGENCY PUBLIC INFORMATION SYSTEM

The New Jersey Emergency Public Information System includes city, county, Office of

Emergency Management mutual aid region, State, and Federal public information officers, as well

as public information representatives from hospitals and private agencies. The scope of the

emergency determines how many levels of the system become actively involved in emergency

public information release.

2.2 LOCAL LEVEL PUBLIC INFORMATION

The Local Public Information Officer (PIO) releases information and instructions locally and

provides status information to PIOs at the New Jersey State Department of Health.

2.3 COUNTY LEVEL PUBLIC INFORMATION

PIO(s) at the County level reply to media calls and relay information from the state and federal

levels to local public information representatives. The County public information officer

summarizes the disaster situation for the media and reports on state agency response activities.

The state public information office coordinates news releases pertaining to a particular

jurisdiction with that jurisdiction public information officer prior to their dissemination.

2.4 STATE LEVEL PUBLIC INFORMATION

When the state emergency public information organization at the state head quarters in is

activated, PIOs are assigned to the affected mutual aid region to gather status information

from local jurisdictions.

2.5 FEDERAL LEVEL PUBLIC INFORMATION The Federal Emergency Management Agency's public information office provides information

on federal response efforts and federal assistance programs and may provide staff support to

stateonrequest.

HHSAPIOatthe

HHSADOC,

CountyEOCorJIC

COUNTYPIOAt

EOCorJIC

(SupportsHHSA

PIO)


Figure1: Public HealthEmergency Information Flow-State-County-Local

Public Health Emergency Information Flow

State–County–Local

New Jersey

State

Department of

Health

PIO EOP/PIO

Office of

Emergency

Management

(OEM)

Joint Information

Center (JIC)

PDOH PIO at the

local Operational

Area EOC or JIC

COUNTY PIO at EOC

or JIC (Supports

PDOH PIO)

LINCS

County

Public

Information

Officer(PIO)

3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 NAPA COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY/PUBLIC

HEALTHDIVISION

TheHealthandHumanServicesAgencyDepartmentOperationsCenter(HHSADOC)Public

InformationOfficerpositionisstaffedbytheHHSAPublicInformationOfficer.

Responsibilitiesinclude:

ActivatetheCERCPlan.

Managepublic informationandriskcommunicationfunctionsattheHHSADOC.

ManagemediacontactfromtheHHSADOCorfromtheEOCorJICinapublichealth

emergency.

Providemedicalandhealthinformation(medicalprotocols,riskcommunication,

operationalprocedures)tohospitalsandotherhealthcareproviders.

Provideinformationtothepublicinapublichealthemergency.

CoordinatethereleaseofinformationwiththeCountyPIOandJointInformationCenter

whentheOpAreaEOCisactivated.

RefertotheCERCAttachments1-6for checklists,guidance,factsheets,order

templates,pressreleasetemplatesandothertoolsforpublicinformation.

Prepareandmaintainriskcommunication,publicinformation,andmedicalinformation

materialsforuseinemergencyactivations.

EstablishandconvenetheRiskCommunicationCommittee(establishedforpandemic

influenzaplanning).

3.2 NAPACOUNTYPUBLICINFORMATIONOFFICER(COUNTYPIO)

TheNapaCountyExecutiveOfficePublicInformationOfficerisresponsibleforongoingmedia

relationsandpublicinformationforthecounty. Inemergencies,theNapaCountyPublic

InformationOfficer(CountyPIO)isresponsiblefor:

Therapiddisseminationofaccurateinstructionsandinformationto thepublicduring

periodsofemergency.

Respondingtomediainquiriesandcallsfromthepublic.

Establishingamediacenterforusebyrepresentativesoftheprintandelectronicmedia.

Establishingapublicinformationorganizationsupportingcountyemergencyoperations.

3.2.1 COUNTY-WIDEEMERGENCIES

TheCountyPublicInformationOfficerisassigneddutiesoftheincidentPIO whenthecounty

OperationsArea(OpAreaEOC)isactivated.TheCountyPIOisthecentralpointofcontactfor

publicinformationactivitiesinemergenciesotherthenpublichealthemergencies. TheCounty

PIOdirectsrumorcontrolandon-scenepublicinformationactivitiesandcoordinateswiththe

departmentalPIOsandjurisdictionPIOs.

3.2.2 PUBLICHEALTHEMERGENCIES

Inapublichealthemergency,theHHSAPIOisassigneddutiesoftheincidentPIOateitherthe

HHSADOCortheOpAreaEOC. TheCountyPIO supportstheactivitiesoftheHHSAPIO. In

publichealthemergencies,theHHSAPIO is thecentralpointofcontactforpublicinformation

andinformationprovidedtothe medicalcommunity.

RevisedJanuary2009

4.HHSA/PHDPUBLICINFORMATION

ORGANIZATION The PHDcrisiscommunicationorganizationis organizedtoensurethatthePublicHealthOfficer

andHHSAPIOaccomplishfourprimaryactivities:

1. ManageMediaContact,

2. IssueHealthOfficerOrders,advisoriesandalerts,

3. Providemedical/healthprotocolsandinformationtohealthcareproviders,and

4. Providepublicoutreach,riskcommunicationandrumorcontrol.

FIGURE2: NAPACOUNTYHHSA/PHDRISKCOMMUNICATIONORGANIZATION

RevisedJanuary2009

5.CRISISCOMMUNICATIONPOSITION

DESCRIPTIONS

5.1 PUBLICHEALTHOFFICER

ThePublicHealthOfficerisresponsibleforsettingpolicyandforapprovingallinternaland

externalinformationreleases. ThePublicHealthOfficermayappointorserveasthe

spokesperson.

5.2 HHSA/PHDPUBLICINFORMATION OFFICER(HHSAPIO)

ThePublicInformationOfficermanagestheriskcommunication/publicinformationfunctionat

theHHSADOC/EOC. TheHHSAPIO:

Activatesthe CERCplanunderthedirectionofthePublicHealthOfficer.

Directspreparationofmaterialsandcoordinatesthereleaseofinformation.

Coordinateswithstateandlocalcommunicationpartnerstoensurethatmessagesare

consistentandwithinthescopeof theorganization’sresponsibility.

Providesupdatedinformationto thePublicHealthOfficer,countyOperationsArea

EmergencyOperationCenter(OpAreaEOC)commandandstaterespondersin

accordancewithStandardizedEmergencyManagementSystem(SEMS)protocols.

Advisesthe PublicHealthOfficerandchainofcommandregardinginformationtobe

released,basedontheorganization’sroleintheresponse.

Identifiesandworksasliaisonwithspokespeople.

Reviewsmaterialsforreleasetomedia,publicandpartners.

Obtainsrequiredclearanceofmaterialsforrelease.

WiththeHHSADOC/OpAreaEOCIncidentCommander,determinestheoperational

hours/daysforPIOfunction.

Ensuresthatresources(staff,equipmentandsupplies)areavailabletoprovide

informationtothepublic.

10

RevisedJanuary2009

Maintainsacurrentlistof mediacontacts.Thislistshouldincludenewspapers,radio,

television,internetinformationsitesandothermediaoutletsthataredeterminedviablein

gettingthemessageouttothepublic.

5.3 COUNTYPUBLICINFORMATIONOFFICER

TheCountyPIOsupportstheHHSAPIObyassistingwith:

Disseminationof informationtothepublicfromtheOpAreaEOCusinglocal,regional

andstatewidebroadcastingandmediacontacts.

UseoftheEmergencyAlertSystem(EAS),DigitalEmergencyAlertSystem(DEAS)and

WideAreaRapidNotification(WARN)System

Set-upandmanagementofamediacenter.

5.4 HEALTHEDUCATOR

TheHealthEducatormanagestheHHSAriskcommunication/publicinformationfunctionin

coordinationwiththeCountyPIOasfollows:

5.4.1 HEALTHOFFICERORDERSANDPUBLICINFORMATION

AssistthePublicHealthOfficerinpreparinghealthadvisoriesandalerts.

Assistthe PublicHealthOfficerinpreparingHealthOfficerOrders.

5.4.2 MEDICAL/HEALTHCAREPROVIDERINFORMATION

Establishcommunicationwithhospitals,healthcareprovidersandotherresponse

partnersneedinginformationfromthePublicHealthOfficerandPHD.

Arrangebriefingsandupdatesforhospitalsandhealthcareproviders.

Helporganizeandfacilitateofficialmeetingstoprovideinformationandreceiveinputfrom

hospitals,healthcareprovidersandotherresponsepartners.

5.4.3 PUBLICINFORMATIONANDMEDIACONTENTDEVELOPMENT

Preparemediabriefingcontent.

Preparecontentforpressreleases.

PreparecontentforEmergencyAlertSystem(EAS)broadcasts.

11

RevisedJanuary2009

Preparecontentfor1-800phonelinemessages.

Preparescriptsandinformationforcallcenteroperators.

Solicitfeedbackandrespondtoinformationrequestsandinquiries.

OverseemonitoringsystemsandreportsincludingthePHDandpartnerwebsitesto

ensuretheinformationpresentedisaccurate.

Researchmedical/healthinformationanddataforuseincontent. Monitorsinformation

fromtheStateandtheCDCandcompiledisease-specific,incidentspecificinformation

fromthesesourcesintoalerts,advisoriesandriskcommunicationmaterials.

ReceiveinformationfromtheHHSADOCandOpAreaEOCregardingthepublichealth

emergency.

TranslateHHSADOCandOp AreaEOCsituationreportsandmeetingnotesinto

informationappropriateforpublicandpartnerneeds.

Workwithsubjectmatterexpertstocreatesituation-specificfactsheets,Q&Asand

updates.

Reviewadvisories,alertsandmaterialsforculturalandlanguagerequirementsofspecial

populations.

Adaptmessagesbasedoninputfromothercommunicationteammembersandanalysis

frommedia,public,andpartnermonitoringsystems.

Identifyadditionalcontentandmaterialdevelopmentrequirements.

Respondto legislators,specialinterestgrouprequestsandinquiries.

5.5 DISTRIBUTIONCOORDINATOR

Activateandparticipateinthetelephoneinformationline(emergencyhotline).Coordinate withthe

CountyPIOandOESiftheemergencytelephonelineissetupandoperatedby

OESattheOpAreaEOC.

Distributepublicserviceannouncements(PSAs),flyers,noticesandotherinformationto

thepublic.

Organizeandmanageemergencyresponsewebsiteandwebpages.

Establishandmaintainlinkstootheremergencyresponsewebsites.

12

RevisedJanuary2009

Overseepublicinformationmonitoringsystemsandreports,includingtheInternet,tosee

whatinformationisavailableto thepublicandwhetherthatinformationis accurate(e.g.,

analyzestrends,concernsandmisinformation).

MonitorrumorsandadvisetheHealthEducatortodistributerumorcontrolmessages.

Activateorparticipateinpublicandelectedofficialbriefingsandcommunitymeetings.

Identifyspecialpopulationneedsrelatedtocommunication.

Monitorinternalandexternalcommunications.

Obtaininternalandexternalapprovalsforreleaseofinformation.

Providefeedbackto theHealthEducatorregardingeffectivenessofriskcommunications.

Managedistributionofinformationtomedical/healthprovidersthroughestablished

networks.

Coordinatedistributionofpublicinformationtoresponsesites(shelters,dispensingsites,

alternatecaresites),andthroughthemedia.

5.6 SUBJECTMATTEREXPERTS

Providehazard-specificandsituation-specificinformation,asneeded,toassistthePublic

HealthOfficerandHealthEducator.

Researchandupdatehazard-specificandsituation-specificinformationforuseinrisk

communicationandpublicinformation.

Researchandupdatemedicalandhealthcareproviderinformationregardingdisease-

specificprotocolsandprocedures.

ServeasspokespersonsforHHSA/PHD,ifassignedbythePublicHealthOfficerto

participateinpublicinformationand/ormediabriefings.

Assistinprovidinghazard-specificandsituation-specificinformationatOpAreaEOCand

HHSADOCbriefings.

13

RevisedJanuary2009

5.7 HHSAPIO/SPOKESPERSONS

In mostcases,the PublicInformationOfficer(PIO)willappointthespokesperson.TheHHSA

PIO/Spokespersonis responsibleforallcontactwiththe media,whichincludesnewbriefing,

newsconferences,townmeetings,mediainterviewsandotherrelatedmediaactivities.

5.8 MEDIATEAM

Ifneeded,theHHSAPIOandCountyPIOmayactivateaMediaTeamtoassistHealth

Educatorswithmessagedevelopmentandtheproductionofwrittennewsreleases,factsheets,

webpages,andspokespersontalkingpoints.

TheMediaTeamalsoassistsatnewsconferencesandtownmeetingsandhelpstoprepare

speakerspriortotheseeventsandforconductingcommunityoutreachprograms.

TheMediaTeamdocumentscrisiscommunicationsandmaintainscopiesofnewsreleases,fact

sheets,currentmessagesfromthePublicHealthOfficerand talkingpoints. TheMediaTeam

mayassistindevelopinginformationcontentforandthestaffingofphonebanks,asneeded,to

answercallsfromthemedia,thepublicandothersrequestinginformationconcerningtheevent.

5.9 LOGISTICSTEAM

Logisticalsupportrequiredtosetupandpreparefacilitiesfornewsconferencesandtown

meetingsandtosetuptelephonebanks(emergencyinformationline)aremanagedbythe

HHSADOCand/orOpAreaEOCLogisticsSection.

14

RevisedJanuary2009

5.10STAFFINGTHEHHSAPIOORGANIZATION

The following PHD personnel areauthorizedtostafftheHHSAPIOorganization:

PHDPublicInformationOrganization

PHDStaffAuthorizedforthePIOPosition

HHSA/PublicInformationOfficer

HHSAPublicInformationOfficer

HealthEducationSpecialist,StaffResourcesAnalyst

CountyPublicInformationOfficer

CountyPIO CountyExecutive

HealthEducator

HealthEducationSpecialist,StaffResourcesAnalyst

DistributionCoordinator

(Tobedetermined)

SubjectMatterExperts

(Tobedetermined)

PIOAssistant

(Tobedetermined)

MediaTeam(ifneeded)

(Tobedetermined)

LogisticsTeam(ifneeded)

(Tobedetermined)

RevisedJanuary2009

6.PUBLICINFORMATION/RISKCOMMUNICATION

POLICIES

6.1 PUBLICINFORMATIONPOLICIES

ThePublicHealthOfficerdetermineswhentoactivatetheHHSADOCandthePublic

InformationOfficertomanagemediainquiriesconcerningapublichealthsituationor

emergency.

TheCountyPIOmaybecontactedtoassistPHDmediacontactswhentheHHSADOCor

OpAreaEOCarenotactivated.Inanemergencyordisastersituation,coordination

occursbetweenPIOsfromparticipatingagencies.

The HHSAPIOdisseminatesalerts,warningsandpublichealthinformationtothepublic andthe

mediaonaregularbasis.AlertsandadvisoriesareapprovedbythePublicHealth Officer.

OnlyPHDdesignatedasofficialspokespersonsmayspeakforPHD. TheOperational

AreaEOCestablishesaJointInformationCenter(JIC)forallPIOs.PHDprovidesa

representativetotheJICwhenestablished.

ThePublicHealthOfficerapprovesallhealthalerts,advisoriesandmediainformation

releases.

ThePublicHealthOfficer/HHSAPIOnotifiestheBoardofSupervisorsandtheCounty

Administrator,andtheCaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealthPIOofpendinghealthalerts

andwarningstobeissuedthoughthemedia.

TheHHSAPIO,incoordinationwiththeCountyPIO,arrangesforinterviewswiththe

mediaanddignitaries.

The HHSAPIOnotifieslocalhospitalsandhealthcareorganizationsofpendinghealth

alertsandwarnings.

EmergencyMedicalServices(EMS)assistsinprovidingupdatedinformationregarding

theactivationoffieldtreatmentsites.

The HHSADOCHealthBranchDirectorandCommunicableDiseaseGroupSupervisor

assistinupdatinginformationonquarantine,isolation,prophylaxisandmassdispensing sites.

Informationalhandoutsareprovidedatthesesitesandatotherresponse sites/facilities.

RevisedJanuary2009

Hospitals,clinicsandoutpatientfacilitiesdisseminateinformationandwarningstotheir

populations,consistentwithinformationprovidedbyPHD.

TheCommunicationsUnit(attheOpAreaEOC)obtainsadditionalcommunications

capability,asneeded.

WhentheHHSADOCis activated:

ThePublicInformationfunctionisstaffed. TheHealthEducatorisassigneddutiesbythe

HHSAPIO.

AJointInformationCentermaybeestablishedattheHHSADOC.

ThePublicHealthOfficerapprovesallpressreleases,healthalerts/advisories,andrisk

communicationmaterialssentoutfromtheHHSADOC.

TheCaliforniaHealthAlertNetwork(CAHAN)Planisactivated.

ThePublicHealthOfficermayrequestactivationoftheOpAreaEOCtoassistuseof

publicinformationsystems,includingtheEmergencyAlertSystem.

WhentheEOCisactivated:

ThePublicInformationfunctionisstaffedattheHHSADOC.

ThePublicInformationfunctionisstaffedattheOpAreaEOC. TheCountyPublic

InformationOfficer(PIO)servesastheOperationalAreaEOCPIO.

ThePublicHealthOfficerapprovesallpressreleases,healthalerts/advisoriesandsends

themtotheCountyPIOforcoordinationpriortorelease.

AJointInformationCenter(JIC)maybesetupbyCountyOES. TheOESJICactivities

arecoordinatedwiththeregional,StateandFederalJICs.

The HHSAPIOmaybedeployedtotheOperationalAreaEOCJICtocoordinatewiththe

CountyPIO.

TheCaliforniaHealthAlertNetwork(CAHAN)planisactivated.

RevisedJanuary2009

6.2 JOINTINFORMATIONCENTER

AJICisatemporaryorganizationestablishedtopoolcrisiscommunicationamongemergency

responders.Inacrisis,rapidcommunicationwiththe mediaandwiththegeneralpublic

becomesatoppriority,andtheJICwillbeasourceofinformationonthecrisis. Inaddition,

runningcommunicationthroughaJICensuresthatavailableinformationisreleasedasquickly

aspossible,withconsistentandaccuratemessagesthattakeintoaccounttheoftendisparate

viewpointsofeachoftheresponseorganizations.

Inapublichealthemergency,suchasaninfectiousdiseaseoutbreakorbioterroristincident,

PHDmayassumealeadingroleandactivateandmanagetheJIC. Inacrisiswherelaw

enforcementorfiredepartmentshavealeadrole,PHDmanagesmediainterestasitpertainsto

understandingcontentandbackgroundonbioterroristagents,aswellasinformationoninjuries

andhospitalizations.

ParticipantsattheJICmayinclude:

Countyadministration

Lawenforcement

Firedepartment

EmergencyMedicalServices

CaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealth(CDPH)

Hospitaladministrators

FederalBureauofInvestigation(ifterrorismrelated)

Localelectedofficials

CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)

OfficeofEmergencyManagement

AmericanRedCross

NationalGuard(ifdeemednecessarybytheGovernor)

Physicians

RevisedJanuary2009

SubjectMatterExperts(SMEs)

AttheOpAreaEOCorJIC:

TheCountyPublicInformationOfficerandstaffconductperiodicmediabriefingsas

appropriate.

TheCountyPIOis responsibleforschedulingbriefings,determiningparticipants,and

notifyingthemedia.EOCbriefingsareconductedattheincidentcommandpost,EOC,

HHSADOC,orotherlocationdesignatedbytheCountyPIO.

On-scenebriefingswillbeconductedaftercoordinationwiththeCountyPIO.These

briefingswilltakeplaceatanappropriatefieldsiteandwillonlycoverinformation

availabletotheon-sceneagencies.

WrittenpressreleaseswillbepreparedbythePIOandreviewedbytheIncident

Commanderpriortorelease.Pressreleaseswillbeusedtodisseminatecomplex

information,widely.

6.3 COMMUNICATIONSYSTEMS

EmergencyAlertSystem(EAS)–TheEASmaybeactivatedbythePublicHealthOfficerto

broadcastpublichealthalertsandadvisories. Allhealthalert/advisorycontentmustbe

approvedbythePublicHealthOfficer. UseoftheEASisrestrictedtoemergencylife-saving

informationtothepublic. Broadcastsareovertelevisionandradiooverride. Thetimeframefor

releaseofamessage(afterapprovalforrelease)is5to30minutes.

WideAreaRapidNotification(WARN)System–WARNmaybeactivatedbythePublic

HealthOfficerCountyPublictocallland-linetelephonenumbersin NapaCountywitha

recordedemergencymessage. Thousandsofcallscanbeplacedinashortperiodoftimeto pre-

establishedlistsortospecificgeographicareas.

CaliforniaHealthAlertNetwork(CAHAN)-PHDhasoptedtousetheCAHANastheprimary

emergencyalertingsystemforthepublichealthandmedicalcommunity. CAHANexiststo

receive,manageanddisseminatealerts,protocols,proceduresandotherinformationforpublic

healthworkers,primarycareprovidersandpublichealthpartnersinemergencyresponse. It

includestheabilityto“push”informationviamessagesandallowparticipantsto“pull”

informationviathebrowsingofsecurewebsites. AstheITinfrastructurefor PHDallows,itwill

includethesupportofinteractivecommunicationsitesforthreadeddiscussioncapabilities.

CAHANisaweb-basedapplication,hostedbytheState,toprovideformulti-modemessage

broadcastingtoregisteredrecipientsandgroups. Messagesmaybesentbyemail,by alpha

pagerandby voicemessage(singly,orincombination). Iftherecipientauthorizesseveral

RevisedJanuary2009

modesofcommunication,respondingtooneterminatesattemptednotificationbytheother modes.

CAHANisoperational24/7withlow-levelexchangesofmessages,butmaybeactivatedintoa

highercommunicationstatusbytheDirectorofPHD,thePublicHealthOfficer,theOperational

AreaDutyOfficer(OES),orappropriatestateandfederalagencies. Akeycomponentofthis

higheralertfootingwouldbethedefinitionofthe targetaudienceformediumtohigh-priority

messagesandthemanagementofinformationconcerningtheeventthattriggeredthealert.

CAHANisnotauniversalnotificationtool,asnotallpublichealthemployeesorpartnersare

members.CAHANwillbecomplementedbyamixtureofFAXbroadcast,webpagealerts,auto-

dialvoicemessagesandradiocommunications.

ResponseInformationManagementSystem(RIMS)–RIMSisusedbytheOperationalArea

EOCtoinputstatusreportsandresourcerequeststotheREOCandSOC.

RadioAmateurCivilEmergencyServices(RACES)–RACESPHDcanrequestaRACES

operatorforthe HHSADOCorfieldsites. RACESvolunteerradiooperatorsarerequestedby

thePHDtoassistwithcommunicationsat theHHSADOC,hospitals,FTS,Dispensingsites, etc.

ElectronicDataInformationSystems(EDIS)–StateandCountyOESactivateEDISwhen large-

scaleeventsimpacthealthandsafety. EDIScanbyusedbyPHDtosharehospitaland

healthcareproviderinformation.

HospitalCommunicationSystems– Thehospital-to-hospitalcommunicationsysteminuseis

EMSystem. In 2007,theCoastalValleyEMSAuthoritiesinitiatedthepurchaseof EMSystems forarea-

widecommunicationsbetweenhospitals.

In theeventofapowershortage,emergencygeneratorswillenablefacilitiestocontinue

communicationsamongresponders.Duringapowershortagewhenresidentsareunabletouse

phonesandcomputers, thedistributionofriskcommunicationswillbedeterminedbytheEOC

CommunicationsTeam.

RevisedJanuary2009

7.HEALTH OFFICERADVISORIESANDALERTS

TheCentersforDiseaseControl(CDC)definesthecategoriesof HealthAlertmessagesas:

HealthAlert–conveysthehighestlevelofimportantandwarrantsimmediateactionor attention.

HealthAdvisory–providesimportantinformationforaspecificincidentorsituationand

mayormaynotrequireimmediateaction.

HealthUpdate–providesupdatedinformationregardinganincidentorsituationandis

unlikelyto requireimmediateaction.

ThePublicHealthOfficerdetermineswhento issueaHealthAlertorAdvisorybasedon

informationreceivedonunsafepublichealthormedicalconditions. The PublicHealthOfficer

andHHSAPIOpreparethealert/advisorymessagesandcoordinatewiththeCountyPIOatthe Op

AreaEOCtoissuethemviatheEmergencyAlertSystem(EAS)andotherbroadcast modes.

7.1 ISSUINGAHEALTHALERTORHEALTHADVISORY

ThePublicHealthOfficerdeterminestheappropriatepublichealthintervention

necessary.

Or,thePublicHealthOfficerreceivesinstructionsfromtheCaliforniaDepartmentof

PublicHealth(CDPH)toissuea HealthAlertof HealthAdvisorythatisintendedfor

regionalorstatewidedistribution.

ThePublicHealthOfficerandHHSAPIOpreparetheHealthAlertorAdvisory.

The HHSAPIOcontactstheCountyPIOattheEOC(iftheEOCisactivated)toassist

withthepreparationofthealertmessage,ifnecessary.

The HHSAPIOcontactshospitals,themedicalcommunity,healthcareprovidersand

others,throughEMSystems,Blast-Fax,andconferencecallspriortobroadcast

distributiontothepublic.

ThePublicHealthOfficerorPIOcontactstheRegionalEmergencyOperationsCenter

(REOC)PIOthe/EMSAJointOperationsCenter(JEOC)iftheseareactivated,tonotify

thataHealthAlertorHealthAdvisoryhasbeenissuedinthecounty.

ThePublicHealthOfficercontactsthe EASbroadcastingservice,andreadstheAlert.

TheCountyPIOandEOCDirectorensurethatthebroadcastisimplemented.

RevisedJanuary2009

IftheEOCisactivatedandstaffed,HealthAlertsandHealthAdvisoriesareapprovedby

theHealthOfficerandalsobytheEOCDirectororCountyPIO.

PHDstaffstheHHSADOCandpreparestoprovidefollow-upinformationtothepublic.

Ifnecessary,thePHDHotline(informationphoneline)issetupandstaffed.

7.2 CANCELLINGAHEALTHALERTOFHEALTHADVISORY

TheCountyPublicHealthOfficerissuesacancellationorder.

TheCountyPublicHealthOfficerordesigneeverifiescancellationwiththeCalifornia

DepartmentofPublicHealth(CDPH),ifnecessary.

TheCountyPublicHealthOfficernotifiestheCountyPIOat theEOCthattheHealth

AlertorHealthAdvisoryiscancelled.

TheCountyPIOdistributesthecancellationinformationviatheEASandothermedia outlets.

7.3 CONTENTOFHEALTHADVISORIESANDHEALTHALERTS

Healthalertsvarybythesituationanddiseaseagentorpublichealthconcern. However,in

general,HealthAlertsorHealthAdvisoriesshouldaddress:

Situationandstatusofthesituation,

Currentactions,

Meansofrecognizingsymptomsinanindividual,

Appropriatemedicalcareneeded,

Locations/sitestoobtainmedicalcare,ifneeded,

Useofpersonalprotectiveequipmentand/orhygieneinstructions,

Infectioncontrolinformation,

Instructionsforreportingto PHD,and

Instructionstoobtainadditionalinformation

RevisedJanuary2009

8.MEDICAL/HEALTH CARE PROVIDER INFORMATION

8.1 HOSPITALANDHEALTHCAREPROVIDERCOMMUNICATION

ThePublicHealthOfficerprovidesinformationtophysicians,hospitals,clinics,skillednursing

facilities,andotherhealthcareproviders. InformationmaybedistributedasHealthAlerts,

HealthAdvisories,HealthOrders,medicalcareprotocols,guidelinesandinstructions.

Informationmayaddresssurveillanceandreporting,diseaseoutbreakinvestigation,social

distancingmeasures,massdispensing,medicaltreatment,isolationandquarantine.

Systemsinplacetonotifythemedicalcommunityinclude:

CaliforniaHealthAlertNetwork(CAHAN).

EMSystems(HospitalEmergencyDepts.andEmergencyMedicalServices.

CountyOESand PHDWebsites.

BlastFax.

Telephoneinformationline.

Conferencecalls.

EmergencyAlertSystem(usedprimarilyforpublicalertandwarning).

PHDmaintainsemergencycontactswitheachareahospitalthroughtheDirectorofNursingat eachsite.

TheDirectorofNursingorShiftSupervisorpositionsarestaffed24/7. Inpublic

healthandotheremergencies,PHDestablishescontactwithhospitalsasfollows:

ContacttheDirectorofNursingorShiftSupervisorbytelephone,blastfax,CAHANor

conferencecall.

Distribute/communicateemergencyinformation,healthalertsandadvisories.

Determineifthehospitalincidentcommand(HICS)isactivated.

EstablishcommunicationbetweenthehospitalandtheHHSADOC.

RevisedJanuary2009

8.2 RESPONSEPARTNERCOMMUNICATION

PHDestablishesemergencycontactwithFire/EMS,LawEnforcementandothercountyandcity

departmentsandagenciesthroughactivationofthe HHSADOCandEOC. Communicationwith

schoolsisthroughtheOfficeofEducationCoordinator.

Acompletecontactlistformedicalandhealthcareprovidersandresponseagencies/

departmentsinNapaCountyis maintainedat theHHSADOCandat theOperationalAreaEOC.

8.3 INFORMATIONSHARINGONSUSPECTEDCASES

Informationonsuspectedcasesandpublichealthresponseisobtainedfromoutbreak

investigationsandcommunicatedtohospitals,the medicalcommunity,othercityandcounty

agenciesanddepartmentsandresponsepartnersinNapaCountyandattheStatelevel.

Releaseofpublicinformationregardingtheoutbreakinvestigationandresponseismanagedby

thePublicHealthOfficerandtheHHSAPIOin coordinationwiththeCDPHOfficeofPublic

Affairs(OPA)toassureaccurateandconsistentpublichealthmessages.

Healthcareproviders,includinghospitalemergencydepartmentsandEmergencyMedical

Services(EMS),areprovidedwithacasedefinitionassoonasithasbeenestablished. They

arealsoprovidedwithtimelyupdatesduringthecourseoftheinvestigation.

Informationsharingmessagesmayincludeinformationaboutthediseaseanditsprevention,

treatmentandcontrol,andtheprogressoftheoutbreakinvestigation. Ifthediseaseisthought

tobetransmissiblefromperson-to-person,requestsforinformationtoassistlocationofcontacts

maybedistributedthroughthemedia.

Informationmayalsobedisseminatedto theOfficeofEmergencyServices(OES)andthe

EmergencyMedicalServicesAuthority(EMSA)tohelpguideplanningfordistributionofmedicalresource

s,andtolocallawenforcementortheFBIaspartofacriminalinvestigation.

Aworkingcasedefinitionisestablishedfrominitialinterviewdataandfromdiseasereports

receivedfromphysiciansand/orlaboratories. Auniformcasedefinitionisusedtoidentify

additionalcasesrequiringfollow-up. Asmoredataaredevelopedabouttheagentor

syndromesunderinvestigation,thecasedefinitionisupdatedand distributedtoappropriate

entitiesinatimelymanner.

8.3.1 CASEFINDING,PUBLICHEALTHALERTS,ANDCASEREPORTING

Casefinding isconducted,asneeded,throughalertsto multiplepotentialreportingsources,

including:

RevisedJanuary2009

Publichealthofficialsandpersonnel

Publichealthandclinicallaboratories

Hospitals,physicians,andinfectioncontrolpractitioners

Emergencymedicalservices

Media

Publichealthalerts areissuedtorecommendthatpersonswithsymptomspromptlyseekhealth care.

Ifthesourceof initialexposureis known,thealertsalsorecommendthatpersonswho

believetheyhavebeenexposedtelephonetheNapaCountyHHSA/PHDforfurtherinstructions.

PHDmaysetupahotlinetoreceivecallsfromcliniciansandthepublicaboutpotentialcases

andcontacts. Asinformationisdevelopedfromthesecases,theHHSADOCCommunicable

DiseaseGroupSupervisorandoutbreakinvestigationteamstrytopinpointthetime/placeof

exposureinordertoidentifyotherpersonswhomayhavebeenexposed.

RevisedJanuary2009

9.MEDIACOORDINATION

9.1 PUBLICHEALTHDIVISIONSPOKESPERSONS

OfficialspokespersonsaredesignatedtospeakforthePHD. SpokespersonsaretheonlyPHD

personnelauthorizedtospeaktothemediaduringapublichealthemergency. The

PHDspokespersoncommunicatesinformationto thepublicabout:

Thepublichealthemergencysituationandstatus.

Publichealthandsafetyrecommendations,advisories,andriskcommunication.

Publichealthresourcesanduseofresourcestoprotecthealthandsafety.

Earlyinanemergency,thespokespersonisexpectedtodescribethefollowing:

Thehealthandsafetyrisksforindividualsandcommunities—whatis therisk?

Theincidentanditsmagnitude(e.g.,who,what,where,when,why,how).

PHDSpokespersonsmust:

KnowPHDpoliciesaboutthereleaseofinformation.

SpeakonlyforPHDunlessauthorizedbythePublicHealthOfficerorIncident

Commandertospeakaboutotherelementsof theresponse.

Discussonlythefacts.

Tellthetruth.Beasopenaspossible.

Follow-uponissues.

Usevisualswhenpossible.

Notexpresspersonalopinions.

9.2 AUTHORIZEDSPOKESPERSONS

ThefollowingareauthorizedtoserveasPHDspokespersons:

PublicHealthOfficer

RevisedJanuary2009

HHSAPIO

DirectorofHHSA

AssistantDirectorofHHSA

DirectorofNursingofHHSA

9.3 MEDIACONTACT

The HHSAPIOwillcoordinatewiththeCountyPIOtoestablishandmaintaincontactwiththe

mediaduringpublichealthemergencies.Thefollowingmethodsareusedtocontactthemedia:

MediaLists

Newswires–privateorganizationsthatdistributemediamaterialstosomeorallmedia

outletsinthemarket.

E-maillistserversandbroadcastfax.

9.4 PRESSRELEASES

PressreleasesarepreparedbytheHHSAPIOandmustbeapprovedbythePublicHealth

Officerpriortorelease.

WhentheOperationalAreaEOCisactivated,pressreleasesareapprovedbythePublicHealth

OfficerpriortoapprovalforreleasebytheCountyPIOattheEOCorataJIC.

9.5 PRESSSTATEMENTS,INTERVIEWSANDBRIEFINGS(PRESS

CONFERENCE)

PHDpressstatementsareissuedbytheHHSAPIOafterapprovalforreleasebythePublic HealthOfficer.

Thepurposeofthepressstatementis toreleaseinformationsopeoplefeel

informedandupdatedontheincident. Multiplepressstatementsmaybeneededtoupdate information.

Interviews,briefingsandpressconferencesareconductedat theHHSADOC,the

OperationalAreaEOCorJIC,oron-scene.

IftheHHSADOCisactivatedandtheOperationalAreaEOCisnotactivated,theHHSADOC

DirectorandHHSAPIO arrangeinterviewsandbriefingsattheHHSADOC. TheCountyPIO

mayassist.

WhentheOperationalAreaEOCisactivated,pressstatements,interviews,briefingsandpress

conferencesarearrangedbytheHHSAPIOinapublichealthemergency. TheCountyPIO

RevisedJanuary2009

mayassisttheHHSAPIOintheseactivities. Insituationsotherthanapublichealth

emergency,pressstatements,interviews,briefingsandpressconferencesarearrangedbythe

CountyPIO. TheHHSAPIOmayassist.

OnlyauthorizedPHDspokespersonsmayparticipateinpressstatements,interviews,briefings

andconferences. WrittenPHDmaterialsmustbeapprovedbythePublicHealthOfficer.

9.6 APPROVALPROCESS

ThePublicHealthOfficermustapproveallinformationreleases.

SubjectMatterExpertsmustverifytechnicaldataininformationreleases.

IfaJointInformationCenter(JIC)isestablished,acopyofallinformationreleases

shouldbesentthere.

RevisedJanuary2009

10. PUBLIC OUTREACH

Publicoutreachisaccomplishedinseveralwaysaspartofon-goingpublichealthprogramsand services.

Inapublichealthemergency,thesemethodsareused:

Face-to-face(e.g.,briefingswithkeystateandlocalofficials,mediaandcommunity

leaders)

Generalandethnicmedia(e.g.,radio,televisionandnewspaperpublicservice

announcements)

Publicmeetings(e.g.,publicand/ortownhallmeetingsorpresentations)

Informationalresources(e.g.,InternetWebsitesortelephonehotlines)

Community(e.g.,outreachtospecialpopulations,community-basedorganizationsand

communitymailings)

PHDwebsitewithupdatedinformationspecifictotheemergency.

Combinationofanyorallofthese(i.e.,mostlikelytoworkbest)

10.1 PHDEMERGENCYTELEPHONELINE:CRISISHOTLINE

PHDactivatesanemergencytelephonelineto:

Provideinformationtothepublic.

ProvideinformationtoemployeesandmakeitpossibleforemployeestocontactPHD

duringemergencyresponsetoreporttheirstatusandobtainassistance,ifnecessary.

Manageandcontrolrumors.

The PHDemergencytelephonelinecanbeactivatedat:

TheOperationalAreaEOC,withassistancefromtheCountyPIOtosetupadditional

lines,asneeded.

The HHSADOCusingexistingphonelines.

TheCityofNapaPoliceDepartmentbysettingupaPIOareawithsix(6)phonelines. In

asignificantemergency,additionalphonelinesmaybedesignatedatNapaCityFire

Administration.

RevisedJanuary2009

TheHHSAPIOmanagesinitialsetupandon-goinguseofthetoll-freeemergencytelephone line.

Thehotline:

Servicemaybeexpandedintermsofthenumberofcallsmanagedperhourordayand

thehoursofoperation.Capacitymaybeexpandedbyestablishingandadvertising additionaltoll-

freenumbersoraddinglinestotheexistingtoll-freenumber.

MaybelinkedtotheCaliforniaStateGovernor’sOfficeofEmergencyServicesSafety

InformationandReferralLine(800-550-5234)ortheCDC’sPublicHotline(888-246-

2675/English,888-246-2857/Spanish,866-874-2646/TTY). Thesehotlinesareupdated

frequentlyandcanbeavaluableresourceforcallersneedingadditionalinformationonan incident.

Answeredbytrainedstaffthatcanreassurecallers,providerequestedinformation,and/or

refercallersasneeded. Pre-scriptedinformationisused.Anoutsidevendorishired,if

necessarytoprovidephoneassistance.

Disseminatespreapprovedscriptedmaterialsonmultiplesubjects.Materialsare:

o Specifictotheemergencyandthecommunityimpact.

o Easytoreadandunderstandable.

o Availablein multiplelanguagesbasedoncommunityneeds.

o Arefieldtestedforculturalsensitivityandpreferences(ifpossibleinan

emergency).

Serviceisevaluatedforcustomersatisfaction,responsecapacity,accuracy,etc.

Callmanagersaretrainedtoquicklyintegratenewinformationintotheiremergency

responses.

10.2 PHDEMERGENCYWEBSITE

PHDmaintainsalocalintranetaccessibletoemployees. Emergencyinformationcanbe

distributedtoemployeesusingthePHDintranet.

Emergencyinformationto thepublicmaybedistributedoverthecountywebsite. Currently,

HHSAcanpostemergencyinformationonthecountywebsitehomepage,withalinktoan

internalpage. ThecountywebsiteismanagedbytheCountyPIO.

PHDInformationTechnologyServices(ITS)personnelassignedtotheCommunications/ITUnit

oftheHHSADOCareresponsibleforthetechnicalsupporttopostPHDemergencyinformation

RevisedJanuary2009

onthecountywebsite. Currently,ITSpersonnelalsopostandupdateinformationtothe

website(s)forHHSA.

ThePublicHealthOfficerhasauthoritytoapproveinformationpostedtotheemployeeintranet

andtothecountywebsiteduringpublichealthemergencies. TheHHSAPIOandHealth

Educatorprepareinformation,messages,andalertspostedonwebsites.

Additionally,aCountyOfficeofEmergencyServices(OES)and/ortheCountyAdministrator’s

Office(CAO)governmentwebsitemaybeusedtopostemergencyinformation.

10.3 WEBS ITEINFORMATION

Emergencyinformationisposted:

WithinonetotwohoursofactivatingtheHHSADOCorEOCfortheevent.

Updateasfrequentlyasinformationchanges.Thiscouldbehourly.

Theemergencywebsitecontainsthefollowinginformation:

AletterfromthePublicHealthOfficerandHHSADirector-toacknowledgetheevent

anddescriberesponseplans.

Newsaboutthesituation.

Resources–informationaldocuments,whetheroriginalorreachedviaalink.

Links–includinglinkstolists,informationpages,orhomepagesofemergencyproviders

includingtheCaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealthandtheEmergencyPreparedness Office.

Emergencycontactinformation,includingemergencyhotlinenumbersforthefollowing,

asdictatedbythenatureoftheemergency:

oOES

oCDC

oRedCross

oImmunizationinformation

oCHP(inthecaseofevacuationsorquarantine/isolation)

RevisedJanuary2009

oOtherhotlinesasrelevant

GeneralInformation/Factsheets:

o Factsheetsonthenatureofthe Bioterrorismagentorthenatureofthe disaster

oAirsafety

oFood&watersafety

oOthersafetytipsspecifictothenatureofthecrisis

oHealthprecautions

oMedicalrepercussions

oPertinenthazmatinformation

oHelpingchildrentocope

oPetsandtheemergency

oRecovery:copingin theaftermathofthedisaster

oCleaningupin theaftermathofthedisaster

EmergencyResponse:

oAdditionalinformationonevacuation/quarantine/isolation

oInformationonmassvaccinationclinics

oTrafficandfreewaysincludingevacuationroutes

oStockpileinformation(includingvaccinationclinics)

oPertinentemergencyfirstaid/traumaresponse

AssistanceInformation:

oShelterarrangements

oWheretogoforassistance

RevisedJanuary2009

oFEMA

oDepartmentofInsurance

10.4 WEBSITEDEACTIVATION

Thecountywebsite withHHSAemergencyinformationremainsactivethroughouttherecovery

phaseoftheevent,whichmaybeaslongasayear. Continualupdatesaremaintainedbythe

HHSAPIOandITSpersonnel. TheHHSAPIOandITSpersonnelalsoprovidenewinformation

andupdatedinformationto theCountyAdministrator’sOffice(CAO)countywebsiteandthe

OESwebsite,asnecessaryduringresponseandrecovery.

10.5 SPECIALPOPULATIONS1

Specialpopulationsarethosethataredifferentanduniquefromthegeneralpopulation.

Communicationsmustbeadaptedtophysicalormentalhandicaps,languagebarriers,income

gapsandotherfactors. Specificinformationonreachingspecialpopulationsin NapaCountyin listedin

AttachmentC.

Specialpopulationsthatmustbereachedduringemergenciesmayinclude:

LimitedLiteracy

NinetymillionAmericans,approximately45percentoftheadultpopulation,arefunctionally illiterate.

Thismeanstheyareunabletocomprehendprintedinformation. When

communicatingwithindividualswithlimitedliteracy,besureto:

Information(oralorwritten)mustbepresentedatalowliteracylevel(i.e.5

thgradelevel.)

CommunicatewithTVnewsoutletstoensure importantphonenumbersarenotonly

postedontheTVscreen,butalsoannouncesslowlyandrepeated frequentlyforpeople

whocannotreadthescreen.

Considerholdingpublicforumswhereinformationcanbepassedonthroughword-of-

mouth,ratherthaninawrittenform.

1AdaptedfromtheCERCToolkit,CaliforniaDepartmentofHealthServices

RevisedJanuary2009

Homeless

Communicatingwiththehomelessinemergenciesrequiresthat:

Emergencyinformationflyersorpublicnoticesarepostedin publicareas.

Homelesssheltersarenotifiedabouttheemergencyandwhatneedstobedoneto ensuresafetytothegeneralpublic.

ImmigrantsandNon-EnglishSpeakers(LimitedEnglishProficiency)

Morethan25millionadultsintheUnitedStatesspeakaprimarylanguageotherthanEnglish. Ofthose,morethanfivemillionindicatedthattheyspeakEnglish“notwell”or“notatall.”In California,40percentofadultsspeakalanguageotherthanEnglishathome.In NapaCounty, approximately25,675(or20percent)oftheresidentsspeakalanguageotherthanEnglishat

home(Spanish:22,590;Tagalog:1,255;French:965;andGerman:865)2.Whencommunicating

withnon-Englishspeakers,besureto:

Havetranslationservicesidentifiedinadvanceofanemergencysomaterialsand

informationcanquicklybetranslatedifanincidentoccurs.

Identifyspokespersonswhocanaddressnon-Englishspeakers.

Includenon-Englishmessagesonemergencyhotlinenumbers.

Includenon-Englishprint,televisionandradiomediaonyourmediadistributionlists.

Besurethatmaterialstargetingnon-Englishspeakerstakeintoconsiderationcultural

sensitivity,includingtone,wordsorphrasesused.

VisuallyImpaired

Thereareanestimated10millionblindorvisuallyimpairedpeoplelivingintheUnitedStates. Ofthisnumber,approximately1.3millionarelegallyblind,whichisdefinedashavingaclinically measuredvisualacuityof20/200inthebettereyewithbestcorrection,oravisualfieldof20

degreesorless.Whencommunicatingwithvisuallyimpairedindividuals,besureto:

AdvocatethatTVnewsnotonlypostimportantphonenumbersbutalsoannouncethem

slowlyandrepeatthemfrequentlyforpeoplewhocannotreadthescreen.

IdentifyaBrailletranslationservicesoemergencymaterialscanbepreparedin Braille.

2Center forDiseaseControl,2008data

RevisedJanuary2009

HearingImpaired

OneintenAmericansisaffectedbyhearinglossordeafness. Therearevaryingdegreesof hearingimpairmentrangingfrominabilitytohearspecificsoundstocompletedeafness.When

communicatingwiththehearingimpaired,besureto:

EncouragelocalTVstationstobroadcastallnewsandemergencyinformationina

formatthatenableshearingimpairedindividualstoreadcaptions.

Secureasign-languageinterpreterfornewsconferences,publicforumsorotherevents

whereemergencyinformationisbeingcommunicated.

Disabled

Adisabledpersonissomeonewhohasaphysicalormentalimpairmentthatsubstantiallylimits

oneormoremajorlifeactivities. Whencommunicatingwithindividualswhoaredisabled,be sureto:

Collaboratewithlocalorganizationsandgovernmentofficesthatassistdisabledpersons suchas

assistedlivingfacilities,independentlivingcentersandyourlocalDepartmentof Rehabilitation.

Prepareanddisseminatemessagesthatprovideinformationonresourcesavailableto

helppeoplewithmentalandphysicaldisabilitiesintermsofshelteraccess, transportationandsupportservicesduringanemergencyorincident.

Elderly

Anelderlypersonisdefinedassomeonewhois60yearsofageorolder.Someelderlypersons

mighthavehearingorvisionproblemsandothersmightuseacaneorwheelchair. When

communicatingwiththeelderly,besureto:

Collaboratewithlocalorganizationsandgovernmentofficesthatassistelderlypersons suchas

carehomes,assistedlivingfacilities,independentlivingcentersandyourlocal DepartmentofAging.

Prepareanddisseminatemessagesthatprovideinformationonresourcesavailableto helptheelderlyintermsofshelteraccess,transportationandsupportservicesduring theemergencyorincident.

Encourageelderlypersonsto keepalistofemergencycontactsandmedicationssothis

informationiseasilyaccessiblein theeventofanemergency.

Children

WaysToReachTheGeneralPublic

Radio/Television

Mail

Schools(flyer)

VolunteerFireDept.

Newspaper

Police/FireDispatch

MobileBroadcast/PA

Airplaneflyover

Bullhorns(policecars)

CellPhone(providertextmessage)

Highwaysigns(AmberAlert)

C.E.R.T.(volunteernetworks&centers)

Alertmedicalassociations

Airportsignage

EmergencyBroadcast

Communityneighborhoodwatchgroups

ERBroadcast

Churches/Synagogues/Mosques

CountyWebsite(non-profitcoalitions)

Gas&busstations

Internettobusinesses

Culturalclubs/networks/communitycenters

LargeEmployers

Grocerystores/Wal-Mart

LocalJurisdictionsPIO's

Hotels/motels

PhoneTrees(automatedcomm.alert)

VolunteerCenters

PhoneTree(throughchurches)

PublicTransportation

RevisedJanuary2009

Thereareanestimated290millionchildrenundertheageof18livingintheUnitedStates.More

than9millionliveinCalifornia.Childrenarehighlyinquisitiveandintuitiveandneedtobegiven

informationonaconsistentbasis. Whencommunicatingwithchildren,besureto:

Recognizethatchildrenhaveinformationneedsjustlikeanyothersegmentofthe

population.Provideage-appropriate,child-friendlymaterialsineasy-to-understandterms thatcanbeabsorbedbychildren.

Identifyschools,childcareorganizationsandothersthatservechildrentodisseminate

information.

RevisedJanuary2009

11. LOCALMEDIACONTACT LIST

ForallothermediainformationcontacttheNapaCountyOfficeofEmergencyServices’

PublicInformationOfficer:

Phone-(707)253-4111

NAPACOUNTYRADIO

FAX#s

KVON/KVYN

226-7544

KXTS(SpanishRadio)

258-8744

Radio96.7

588-0777

TELEVISION

Channel28

257-0581

Channel50KFTY(SantaRosa)

545-5040

NAPACOUNTYPRESS

NapaValleyRegister

224-3963

Sentinel

257-3035

YountvilleSun

944-5675

AngwinNews

965-6504

St.HelenaStar

963-8957

WeeklyCalistogan

942-4617

CalistogaTribune:Preferemails: [email protected]

942-6508

mailto:[email protected]


RevisedJanuary2009

AmericanCanyonECHO:Emailsonly-

[email protected]

CitiesinNapaCounty

AmericanCanyon

642-1249

Calistoga

942-0732

Napa

257-9534

St.Helena

963-7748

Yountville

944-9619



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