Risk Communications in Rural Settings

Background: Timely, clear, consistent, relevant and accurate information is integral to emergency preparedness and response. In many instances, information is the most effective strategy to minimize fear and ensure safe choices of action by the public during in an emergency.  Nationally, significant work is directed toward improving effective risk communication strategies among large federal and state agencies, resulting in recommendations for best practices. However, at the local level, especially in rural settings, the infrastructure and formal processes appear and operate much differently than at state and federal levels.  Rural communities face vastly different challenges than urban areas in managing risk communication. Yet during an event, the objective to quickly inform the entire population remains the same. One primary challenge for rural communities includes the scarcity or lack of traditional media outlets. Rural Public Health and other emergency response professionals must employ a barrage of unique strategies to ensure that a few people spread over a large area are efficiently and effectively reached with crucial risk information and thereby enabled to respond appropriately. The Southeast Health District, a 16-county Public Health district located in Southeast Georgia, saw the need to develop a "hub" where varied, essential resources could be accessed by local county health departments in the form of quick-reference materials with templates for easy modifications and tips to help rural Public Health staff decide which materials to use based on the incident and community involved in the emergency or disaster.

Program background:  The Risk Communications in Rural Settings website (www.RuralRCKit.org) was created with CDC-NACCHO grant funds in 2009 by the Southeast Health  Toolkit website District, a 16-county Public Health district located in Southeast Georgia.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  CDs containing the toolkit were sent to Public Health Public Information Officers and Risk Communicators across the nation for review. They were provided access to a survey on the toolkit website.

Conclusions:  The website has been received well, as evaluations of the CDs and website have been positive. Materials within the toolkit are being requested by agencies all over the US.

Implications for research and/or practice: The goal of this toolkit is to provide access to ready-to-use materials to rural health department staff during Public Health emergencies or disasters.