Health Care Communication Strategies
HCS 320
April 14, 2013
Communication and Crisis Today our community is presented with a problem that will require communication between several internal and external avenues to help resolve the water contamination in the Eugene-Springfield area. I am Shellie Cobbs, Director of the Regional Emergency Management Office, and I will be addressing the media on the procedures to be used in running the crisis communication efforts in response to the contaminated water. A water contamination event poses a unique opportunity to work with diverse populations to effectively convey important health messages ("Contamination," 2008, p. 1).
Individuals communicating during the crisis Investigating the current crisis of water contamination will involve multiple levels of communication. Individuals and groups will have information to share with the media. All communication will be cleared and authorized by myself before being released by different agencies or individuals. The term “crisis communication” is associated more with emergency management and the need to inform and alert the public about an event. In this case, crisis communication may refer to the community leaders’ efforts to inform the public (Reynolds, 2012, p. 28). The Department of Health and Environmental Control, Poison Control, and the Centers for Disease Control will be agencies involved in the investigating the water contamination. The information found is communicated to the President of The United States in the event that this is an act of terrorism.
Advantages and disadvantages with communicating with the community Advantages of communicating with the community are great for distribution of information for safety and awareness for the immediate affected citizens. The American Red Cross will help in the distribution of food, water, and shelter. The American Red Cross will also be a constant source of information for the
References: Communicating effectively with vulnerable populations during water contamination events. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18401130 Emergency Communications. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fcc.gov/guides/emergency-communications Reynolds, B. (2012). Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Manual (2012 ed.). : .