CHW EM - Module 5 CERC and Addl Training

Summary

This video, led by Jennifer Harris, a public health doctorate student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, focuses on emergency preparedness and management, specifically for community health workers. Module 5 addresses crisis and emergency risk communication, emphasizing the importance of timely, credible, and empathetic messaging in disasters. The module outlines the six principles of effective communication and highlights the critical role community health workers play in supporting their patients during emergencies. Harris also introduces FEMA's free online courses for those interested in further training. The session concludes with a call to action for health workers to continue enhancing their emergency response skills.

Takeaways

• 📋 The module focuses on crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC) for community health workers, which is vital for public health.
• 🏃‍♀️ Being the first to communicate in an emergency is crucial to prevent misinformation and ensure accurate information dissemination.
• ✅ Accuracy and credibility are essential in emergency communication, avoiding assumptions and ensuring the information is correct.
• 💬 Expressing empathy in communications is critical, especially when people are in shock or experiencing loss during emergencies.
• 📝 It's important to provide actionable steps to the public during emergencies, ensuring they know how to protect themselves and their health.
• 🤝 Respectful communication is vital, particularly during times of crisis, as seen during events like COVID-19.
• 📊 The CERC model outlines four key stages: preparation, initial response, maintenance, and resolution, with emphasis on proactive messaging and addressing rumors.
• 🎯 The U.S. government’s 'Healthy People 2030' includes specific emergency preparedness communication goals, aiming to improve the accuracy and empathy in messaging.
• 📚 FEMA offers free online courses, such as IS-100.c and IS-700, which provide additional training for community health workers in emergency management systems.
• 👏 The role of community health workers in emergency preparedness is essential, as they often help both individuals and communities with effective communication and response planning.

Q & A

What was the focus of the fifth module presented by Jennifer Harris?

The fifth module focused on crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC), emphasizing the importance of communication during emergencies and disasters.

Why is communication considered the most important element in emergency management?

Communication is crucial because it often emerges as the area needing improvement in after-action reviews following disasters. Effective communication can help prevent misinformation and ensure timely, accurate information reaches the public.

What are the six principles of CERC as discussed in the module?

The six principles of CERC are: Be first, Be right, Be credible, Express empathy, Promote action, and Show respect.

Why is it important to be the first to communicate during a crisis?

Being the first to communicate helps prevent the spread of misinformation. Delayed communication often leads to incorrect information circulating, which can be detrimental during emergencies.

How does expressing empathy help in crisis communication?

Expressing empathy builds trust and understanding with the affected population, especially when they are in shock or experiencing grief. It helps convey messages in a compassionate and supportive way.

What does promoting action entail in the context of emergency communication?

Promoting action involves giving people tangible steps they can take to protect their health, prevent injuries, or stabilize their situation during a crisis.

What is the significance of showing respect during emergency communication?

Showing respect ensures that communication remains factual, professional, and considerate, fostering a more cooperative and receptive public response, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is the 'CERC rhythm,' and how does it apply to emergency communication?

The CERC rhythm outlines the phases of communication during an emergency: preparation, initial response, maintenance, and resolution. It emphasizes having pre-prepared messages, promoting actions during the crisis, and maintaining communication to address ongoing risks.

How does 'Healthy People 2030' incorporate emergency preparedness into its goals?

Healthy People 2030 includes specific goals related to emergency preparedness, such as increasing the proportion of emergency messages that provide complete information, reducing personal health threats, and promoting empathy, accountability, and commitment.

What are some of the training opportunities available for community health workers in emergency preparedness?

FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute offers free courses like IS-100.C (Introduction to the Incident Command System) and IS-700 (Introduction to the National Incident Management System), which provide certificates upon completion and help deepen knowledge in emergency management.

Outlines

00:00

👋 Introduction to Module 5: Emergency Preparedness & Communication

Jennifer Harris introduces herself as a doctorate and public health student, providing an overview of module 5 on emergency preparedness and crisis communication, targeted at community health workers. She recaps previous modules covering hazard vulnerability, social vulnerabilities, emergency management phases, and roles for community health workers. This module, although short, focuses on the critical importance of communication during disasters, emphasizing how it is a key area for improvement post-disaster.

05:01

⚠️ The Six Principles of Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC)

Harris introduces the concept of CERC (Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication), detailing six key principles: be first, be right, be credible, express empathy, promote action, and show respect. She emphasizes the importance of being the first to communicate accurate information to prevent misinformation, promoting credibility and empathy to foster trust during crises. The communication should also empower people with actionable steps, ensuring respect is shown throughout the process.

10:02

📊 CERC Rhythm and Preparation in Emergency Communication

This paragraph discusses the 'CERC Rhythm,' stressing the importance of preparing communication strategies before a crisis. Harris explains how community partnerships, pre-drafted messages, and plans should be ready for swift implementation. The phases of emergency response—initial response, maintenance, and resolution—are linked to communication strategies that address risks, combat misinformation, and evaluate post-crisis recovery efforts to improve future responses.

15:05

💬 Health Communication and Healthy People 2030

Harris transitions to health communication, highlighting its importance in public health. She references 'Healthy People 2030,' a U.S. government initiative setting health-related goals for the next decade. Specific to emergency preparedness, three goals are highlighted: providing complete information, giving actionable steps to reduce health threats, and incorporating empathy and accountability in emergency messages.

📰 Goals for Emergency Preparedness Communication

Continuing from the previous paragraph, Harris delves deeper into the three emergency preparedness goals under Healthy People 2030. These goals focus on improving the quality and completeness of emergency messages in news stories, ensuring they provide steps to reduce health threats and incorporate empathy, accountability, and commitment. She emphasizes the importance of personalized communication that addresses individual vulnerabilities.

🔄 Recap of Modules and Training Resources

Harris reviews the objectives of the entire training series, summarizing the modules that covered hazard identification, social vulnerability, phases of emergency management, and incident management structure. She stresses how community health workers can play a critical role in emergency preparedness and response. Lastly, she highlights FEMA's free online courses for additional training, such as those on the Incident Command System and the National Incident Management System.

🎓 Final Thoughts and Additional Training Opportunities

Harris concludes by encouraging community health workers to continue building their knowledge in emergency preparedness, emphasizing that even basic preparedness can make a difference. She shares resources for further training, including free FEMA courses. Harris expresses gratitude for the audience's participation and dedication to improving emergency preparedness and communication.

Keywords

💡Emergency Preparedness

Emergency preparedness refers to the planning and actions taken before a disaster occurs to ensure communities, organizations, and individuals can respond effectively. In the video, the speaker discusses how community health workers (CHWs) can contribute to emergency preparedness by helping patients and the community prepare for potential emergencies, such as natural disasters or public health crises.

💡Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC)

CERC is a framework used during emergencies to effectively communicate risks and provide clear, accurate information to the public. It helps mitigate panic, correct misinformation, and guide community actions. The video emphasizes the importance of this communication, especially in situations where public health is at risk, and outlines six principles for effective communication: be first, be right, be credible, express empathy, promote action, and show respect.

💡Community Health Workers (CHWs)

Community Health Workers are frontline public health workers who are trusted members of the communities they serve. Their close relationships with patients and communities make them essential for emergency preparedness and response. In the video, CHWs are seen as critical in delivering messages, showing empathy, and promoting actions during emergencies, helping to mitigate the impact of crises on vulnerable populations.

💡Mitigation

Mitigation involves actions taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risks from hazards. In the context of emergency management, mitigation efforts aim to prevent or minimize the impact of future disasters. The video discusses how CHWs can be involved in mitigation by educating communities on how to prepare for and reduce risks associated with potential emergencies.

💡Incident Command System (ICS)

ICS is a standardized management structure used during emergencies to coordinate the response. It ensures that different agencies and personnel work together effectively. The speaker briefly explains ICS as a tool that CHWs should understand, as it organizes the response from federal to local levels, helping manage resources and communication during an emergency.

💡Social Vulnerability

Social vulnerability refers to the susceptibility of certain populations to harm from disasters based on social, economic, and demographic factors. In the video, social vulnerabilities, such as poverty, limited English proficiency, or access to transportation, are highlighted as critical to consider in emergency preparedness and response efforts. CHWs play a role in addressing these vulnerabilities to ensure equitable emergency planning and recovery.

💡Hazard Vulnerability Analysis

A Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA) is an assessment that identifies potential hazards and evaluates their impact on a community. The video references HVA as an important tool used to prepare for emergencies by understanding the types of hazards (natural or man-made) that are most likely to affect a specific area, like Illinois, where the example is focused.

💡Preparedness

Preparedness refers to the planning and readiness activities undertaken to prepare for emergencies. This includes creating emergency plans, training, and communication strategies. The speaker underscores the importance of preparedness in ensuring that communities and health workers are ready to respond when disasters strike, with a focus on actionable steps individuals can take.

💡Healthy People 2030

Healthy People 2030 is a set of goals and objectives set by the U.S. government to improve public health over a decade. The video mentions how Healthy People 2030 includes specific goals related to emergency preparedness, such as improving the accuracy and completeness of emergency messages in news stories, which ties back to the overall theme of improving health communication in emergency situations.

💡Recovery

Recovery is the phase of emergency management focused on restoring normalcy after a disaster. This includes rebuilding infrastructure, restoring health services, and addressing the long-term needs of affected communities. The speaker mentions recovery as one of the four phases of emergency management and highlights the role of CHWs in supporting their communities through this phase by providing ongoing health services and resources.

Highlights

Introduction to Module 5 on emergency preparedness and management for community health workers.

Recap of previous modules, including hazard vulnerability, social vulnerability, and the four phases of emergency management.

Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) is crucial, with six principles guiding effective communication during emergencies.

The first principle of CERC is to be first with information, which helps prevent misinformation during crises.

The second principle is to be right by providing accurate information and avoiding guesses.

Being credible is the third principle, emphasizing the importance of trusting expert sources for accurate information.

Expressing empathy, particularly during times of grief and shock, is the fourth principle for effective communication.

Promoting action is the fifth principle, encouraging people to take tangible steps during emergencies.

The final principle is to show respect, especially during health crises, ensuring communication remains factual and respectful.

The CERC rhythm emphasizes the importance of delivering the right message at the right time by the right person to save lives.

Health communication plays a vital role in public health emergencies, with community health workers being key to conveying messages effectively.

Healthy People 2030 highlights the importance of health communication, including emergency preparedness objectives.

The goals of Healthy People 2030 include increasing complete emergency information in news stories and providing steps to reduce personal health threats.

FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute offers free online training for community health workers to enhance their emergency preparedness knowledge.

Two recommended FEMA courses are IS-100.C (Introduction to the Incident Command System) and IS-700 (Introduction to the National Incident Management System).

Transcripts

hello my name is Jennifer Harris and I

am a doctorate and public health student

at the University of Nebraska Medical

Center and this is module 5 on the topic

of emergency preparedness and management

intended for the audience of community

health workers

welcome back so this is the fifth module

in a series that we have gone through

the previous ones that we've talked

through number one was Hazard

vulnerability analysis from Illinois the

second module was around social

vulnerabilities in the state of Illinois

in addition to discussing the world

Institute on disabilities public health

emergency planning tool kit

um the third module was the lengthy one

and this is where we talked through the

four phases of Emergency Management

mitigation preparedness response and

Recovery we also talked through in each

of those phases the roles of community

health workers and ways that they can

help their patients and clients

we've talked through the organization

structure for emergency management at

the federal level as well as in Illinois

and this fifth one is a pretty short

module it's on crisis and emergency risk

communication although it's probably the

shortest module we're going to have it

may be the most important piece because

communication is always always the

opportunity for improvement that is

identified post a disaster when doing an

after action review and saying what

could have gone better what could we do

better next time communication always

comes up

so two quick slides on the topics of uh

crisis and emergency risk communication

the acronym again we're back to our

alphabet soup is called Cirque so if you

hear Circ referred to these are the six

principles of Circ and these are

distributed Nationwide across the United

States and they're pretty fundamental

and can be applied to any of the hazards

and risks that we looked at through

Hazard vulnerability social

vulnerability assessments

and the six principles are here on this

graphic so be first

um you don't want to be the last person

you don't want to even be the second

person if possible when it comes to a

disaster or crisis you want to be the

first one to get the information out

from a public health perspective

um so that the information is correct

this is partially what leads to

misinformation is the delay in getting

information out because somebody will

put something out there so in the public

health World in an emergency

preparedness it's always best to be

first and to be right that's number two

if you don't know the answers to

something we simply just acknowledge

that and we say there's not enough

information right now as soon as we get

more information we will communicate

immediately but you don't want to guess

or even make assumptions

um because if you're not giving correct

information then we're contributing to

the problem of misinformation

number three this kind of goes hand in

hand which is be credible you know

there's lots of experts and resources

out there so if we don't have the

information or we don't know we need to

go to the experts to get the actual

credible information

expressing empathy

um this is something for community

health workers you do all the time this

is kind of ingrained in what you do on a

daily basis but it's especially

important and we talked about that

earlier

um you know at times of an emergency or

a disaster situation

expressing empathy goes a long way and

most times people are in Shock they're

in they're experiencing grief loss

um and so empathy can go a long way in

getting a message across to them

you want to give actions or promote

action so again this goes back to that

preparedness and response phases of our

Emergency Management cycle that we

looked at which is you want to give

people something tangible that they can

do

um you know so again if it's pre a

disaster situation how can they be

prepared if it's the response to a

disaster situation what are the next

steps that they can take to preserve

their health prevent injuries become

stable maybe housing

so you want to give them some actionable

items and then finally show respect

um you know this was showcased a lot

throughout covid-19 as well

um things became disrespectful

um you know just Across the Nation you

know when we're talking about health we

want to stick to the facts be credible

and leave it right there while showing

respect and empathy

this next slide

is also called the Circ Rhythm before I

go into this though you will see all six

of those steps listed out here I think

this is a really important message at

the top of this slide and this was a

quote from the federal government who

said during an emergency the right

message from the right person at the

right time can save lives and that is

absolutely true when we look to our

leaders and whether it's at the national

level state level Regional even local

again you think about

um you know weather situations we need

to heed those warnings and watches

um so again during an emergency that

right message at the right time from the

right person can save lives so again

this is the model that the federal

government puts out and promotes but

anybody can use it even down to you know

health clinics Public Health offices but

it's engaging the community so that we

can Empower them to make decisions on

their own and then we can evaluate and

start the cycle again so for example we

just talked about showing empathy in

those six principles and what you'll see

here is Express empathy so these are the

four stages which are kind of familiar

um with the the stages of Emergency

Management that we talked about but

here's preparation so before there is a

crisis or an emergency have messages

been drafted and tested do we have

Partnerships in place whether it's with

other organizations in the community

counties that are next to your county

are plans created

um and has everybody agreed on those

plans so again from a communication

perspective

do they have material already out there

do they have it on the shelf so they can

pull it off the shelf if need be are is

it at the correct health literacy so

that everybody can understand it we

talked about that in module three as

well

if we're going to use print or radio

isn't a manner and physically the

Aesthetics are able for everybody to be

able to see it

so again that's the preparation phase

and then you go into that initial

responding to a crisis situation so the

response or the initial again explain

the risks promote action tell them what

they can do at that moment after after

the incident has happened what can they

do to move on towards recovery out of

that response situation

and then we get into maintenance and

resolution maintenance is when a

disaster is ongoing or it's a lengthy

period of time so again you want to

explain the ongoing risks take a look at

some of the background information

sometimes just a simple explanation

helps people understand the why better

why are we asking them to do a b or c

um very very simple and again addressing

rumors this is where the misinformation

comes from and finally they consider

this resolution here or what we would

call recovery in the other phase but

motivating that vigilance staying aware

of that of what happened what we can

change going forward Lessons Learned and

revising that plan so again it figures

it Cycles back into that mitigation

effort to try and reduce the next time

there is a disaster emergency the impact

of it the same principles here apply to

communication and so I really like this

diagram and that's why I wanted to go

over those six principles and how the

Circ Rhythm kind of works together

Switching gears just a little bit but

health communication and again community

health workers you know better

um that a lot of others out there how

important communication is when talking

with individuals or families the public

about their health and so much so that

the U.S government comes out every

decade with something called healthy

people and they it's 10 years in the

future so right now it's healthy people

20 30. and the goal is based on the

assessments that are being done and

what's going on in in our country what

are the goals of how we can become a

better and more healthy Nation by 2030

and they put up objectives and goals and

there's different entities and everybody

works towards those Health Equity for

example is a huge piece of the social

determinants of Health are all

interwoven in to the goals with healthy

people 2030. but what I thought was

unique and especially interesting to

point out here is that not only are

there health communication pieces

interwoven into healthy people 2030 but

specific to emergency preparedness so

again this whole field is becoming more

and more important as we identify the

continuing emergencies or disaster

situations that are occurring so these

are the three emergency preparedness

goals under healthy people 2030. the

first one is to increase the proportion

of emergency messages in news stories

that give complete information

I think that's very interesting and I

think we can see how this has played out

in recent years but we want complete and

accurate information

so much so that the government has made

this a goal that they want to work on

the second one is to increase the

proportion of emergency messages and

news stories that include steps for

reducing personal health threats

so this is very similar to where we

started with modules one and two what

are everybody's individual personal

health threats it's very individualized

when we do the hazard vulnerability

that's looking at our physical

environment that we live but when you

look at your social vulnerabilities

those are individualized to what my

lifestyle my personal circumstances may

be and how the two intertwine to take a

look at what emergency messages need to

get out into the news to help people

reduce those threats

and then number three increase the

proportion of emergency messages in news

stories that show empathy accountability

and commitment again those human

um the touches that makes that make us

human those emotions and um some people

may call soft skills extremely important

um and in the world of health services

and public health that community health

workers work in again I'm preaching to

the choir but you guys know better than

anybody the importance of empathy

accountability and being committed and

being there and giving people actionable

items to work on so again this just

dovetailed into the communication pieces

but I thought it was important to point

out how all of this is developing as we

move forward into the year 2030.

so in summary

um we have gone through five different

modules and we have gone over I wanted

to read to go back over all the

objectives from the beginning of our

training that we set out to achieve the

first was to identify hazards specific

to your geographical area specifically

in Illinois and I hope I was able to

provide that to you with the various

Hazard vulnerability assessments from

different regions in Illinois combined

with the hazard mitigation that we

received for maima and to take a look at

what all the different elements of it

are and how prepared or not prepared all

the different Counties have were

the second module we focused on was the

CDC social vulnerability index

interactive map that they have on their

website and specific again to Illinois

we kind of went through the four

different elements that make up Social

vulnerabilities and we even drilled down

to the county level so that you have

those tools to take a look at

module number three was all about the

four different phases in Emergency

Management so we took a look at

mitigation preparedness response and

recovery and I hope I was able to

provide examples of in each one of those

phases how community health workers can

help not only their individual clients

and patients but participate in

community awareness as well with

emergency preparedness

um again I hope uh module number five we

went over Incident Management structure

so we looked at

um you know the National Response

Framework we looked at Nims

um we looked at the incident command

structure or ICS and then how that

drills down from federal to state level

to Regional and to local levels

and then finally we just finished up

talking about crisis and emergency risk

communication and again community health

workers are excellent at communication

but I think everybody always has

opportunity to get even a little bit

better and so I hope the six principles

and that Circ Rhythm

um kind of help put it in perspective a

little bit when it comes to emergency or

disaster situations

additional training opportunities I did

want to share this with you in case you

are interested because there is a

plethora of information on the FEMA's

website they have something called the

Emergency Management Institute and they

have what they call

um you know is courses so what they're

looking at are incident system classes

these are all free you can go and just

sign up with an email and a user ID and

a password you get yourself set up and

you can go on here and take different

courses and you get a certificate at the

end of taking them they're all

self-paced so you do it on your own time

it's not proctored or anything like that

um but there are some really good

courses and there are on the next slide

I have listed two here that I thought

may be beneficial for community health

workers if you are interested in taking

more training or becoming certified the

first one is called is100.c

and this is called introduction to the

incident command system

ics100 and the course overview kind of

goes through here and just talks about

the purpose of it

um it is a couple hours long but you can

break it up you can stop pause and go

back whenever you would like the second

one is is-700 which is an introduction

to the National Incident Management

System or Nims we briefly touched on it

but again this course will take you

through a little bit more of that

structure and how it plays out across

the United States

with that I would like to thank you for

all of your time and attention and

taking the effort to learn more about

emergency preparedness and management it

is an incredibly difficult field to

become an expert in

um but everybody I think in the

community health worker World

exercises and Exhibits these

characteristics on a daily basis again I

said at the beginning it does not have

to be an elaborate complicated plan or

or elements that you incorporate with

your patients or clients there are a lot

of simple and basic things that you can

do and a lot of resources out there for

you so I applaud you I thank you for

taking the time and learning more about

emergency preparedness and management

thank you

I have provided the resources that were

utilized to make all five modules here

and the videos that played throughout

are listed here thank you again