KEYWORDS:
hotline, anthrax, emergency response

BACKGROUND:
CDC's emergency response hotline was swamped with calls from the public, medical providers, state agencies, the media and the military after anthrax was discovered and caused morbidity and mortality in media offices, the Congress, and post offices.
At first, CDC staff volunteers staffed an additional hotline in Atlanta. In time, CDC created a second hotline, and hired and trained new staff to handle calls.

OBJECTIVE(S):
The objectives are: 1) to understand how a leading national public health organization can mobilize to respond to an emergency and answer a huge volume of calls during a national emergency; 2) to provide information about the number of callers and why they called; 3) based on risk communication principles, to provide tips for answering questions.

METHOD(S):
CDC collected information about the callers and their questions.

RESULT(S):
The results were analyzed both by CDC staff who looked at calls handled by volunteers in Atlanta and by the newly created hotline staff, who looked at gender, types of questions, resources, and referrals.

CONCLUSIONS(S):
Lessons learned will be presented, in terms of organizational response, types of information requested, and best ways to deliver information to callers in times of crisis when people's perceptions of risk are very high.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1.Describe two ways an organization can respond to hotline calls during a national emergency. 2. List five tips for effectively answering questions about anthrax prophylaxis, treatment, and prevention in daily life. 3. Know how to supplement phone information with appropriate referrals to websites that have accurate and updated information.