Step 4: Collaborate With Community Organizations

Group of people in a meeting room.Your assessment provides the basis for understanding the cultural and linguistic characteristics of your community and the communication barriers faced by at-risk populations. Such findings will serve as the basis for developing communication strategies that overcome communication barriers and convey information that is understandable and relevant to members of the diverse populations.

Community collaborators who have become a part of your network will bring their experiences in implementing communication strategies to the process. Ask your collaborators to share their strategies. In an emergency, public information must meet the needs of at-risk populations to be effective. Some communication tactics include:

Group of people discussing the next steps of a project.As part of your ongoing efforts to strengthen your local community’s capacity to respond to a public health emergency, you can conduct workshops with representatives of at-risk populations and community leaders who are already committed to participating in your agency’s outreach work. The workshops:

Depending on the size of your jurisdiction, you might choose to have a series of workshops in different locations. Activities at these sessions might include:

Group of people planning a meeting.Collaborate with community organizations or bring COIN members to the planning table to address the needs of at-risk populations in your agency’s all-hazards emergency preparedness plan by:

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Department of Health and Human Services · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response