Section VI: Public Information and Communication

PIRA_Section VI: Public Information and Communication_TEST - Final
Form Approved
OMB Number: 0920-0879
Expiration Date: 03/31/2018

Introduction
Background
The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic underscored the importance of communities
being prepared for potential threats to public health security. Because of its
unique abilities to respond to infectious, occupational, or environmental incidents,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plays a pivotal role in
ensuring that state and local public health systems are prepared for these and
other public health incidents.
The identification of the novel influenza A (H7N9) virus illnesses in China in 2013
highlights the importance of influenza pandemic preparedness. To date, the
reported case fatality ratio from human H7N9 infections is more than 30%.
Should the H7N9 virus mutate to allow for sustained human-to-human
transmission, it appears capable of causing severe disease in all ages. To better
prepare for such a scenario, it is important to understand the collective ability of
our nation to prepare for and respond to a pandemic of substantially different
epidemiology than the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
State and local public health departments are first responders for public health
incidents. To better prepare these agencies to respond, CDC provides funding
and technical assistance for state, local, and territorial public health departments
through the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative
agreement. CDC’s Public Health Preparedness Capabilities: National Standards
for State and Local Planning provide national standards that help state and local
public health departments strengthen their ability to respond to all hazards,
including influenza pandemics, and build more resilient communities. Consistent
with this approach, the following Pandemic Preparedness Readiness
Assessment for State and Local Public Health Planners specifically aligns with 11
public health preparedness capabilities and administrative preparedness
planning goals.
Overview
The Pandemic Preparedness Readiness Assessment for State and Local Public
Health Planners promotes state, local, and territorial public health preparedness
and immunization program collaboration through the administration of a self-

assessment designed to measure jurisdictional readiness to respond to an
influenza pandemic. Although the content of this assessment does not
encompass every contingency or element necessary to effectively respond to an
influenza pandemic, CDC technical experts in differing programs have helped to
arrange content within the following seven priority planning areas:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Vaccination Planning
Epidemiology and laboratory
Medical Care and Countermeasures
Healthcare Systems
Community Mitigation
Public Information and Communication
Public Health and Immunization Workforce

Information collected from the assessment will not be used to score or
competitively rank public health emergency preparedness or immunization
programs. Rather, this assessment is designed to identify preparedness gaps,
as well as promising state, local, and territorial preparedness practices.
Assessment results will be used by the CDC to inform technical assistance and
future program improvement initiatives.
Definitions
Allocation: Amount of pandemic influenza vaccine available for ordering.
Allocating: Process of dividing available vaccine among CDC’s PHEP awardees
or among registered pandemic influenza vaccine providers and facilities within an
awardee’s jurisdiction.
Critical infrastructure personnel (CIP): The full list of CIP is defined in Guidance
on Allocating and Targeting Pandemic Influenza Vaccine; U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS)/U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(DHS); 2008 Guidance on Allocating and Targeting Pandemic Influenza Vaccine
Distribution: The process of transporting pandemic influenza vaccine from one
location to another.
Enrollment: The process of enabling registered healthcare providers and facilities
to legally provide pandemic influenza vaccine.
Ordering: Process of requesting pandemic influenza vaccine from either the
federal, state, city, or local government. Orders can be placed against an
allocation or independent of allocation.
Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs): Those interventions that can mitigate
transmission of influenza and do not involve medical countermeasures. NPIs

include voluntary home isolation, school closures, respiratory etiquette, hand
hygiene, and routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces and objects.
Peak vaccine administration capacity: The highest rate at which a jurisdiction is
able to provide pandemic influenza vaccine to its population; CDC recommends a
peak vaccine administration capacity of at least 10% of the population per week.
Point of dispensing (POD) / mass vaccination clinic: Location for dispensing
medical countermeasures, specifically for vaccine, during an influenza pandemic
response. Located in a public or private space, this clinic is designed to
vaccinate a large group of persons over a short time period. The POD or clinic
might target the entire population or people in specific priority or high-risk groups.
Public and/or private entities can manage a POD or clinic.
Closed POD: Point of dispensing/vaccination clinic closed to the general public
and open only to a specific group (e.g., staff of a participating business or
healthcare personnel in a specific hospital).
Open POD: Point of dispensing/vaccination clinic open to the general public,
specifically to provide vaccine, during an influenza pandemic response.
Recruitment: The process of soliciting healthcare providers and facilities
interested in and willing to provide pandemic influenza vaccine.
Registration: The submission of required information, similar to an application, by
healthcare providers or facilities interested in providing pandemic influenza
vaccinations.
Retail-based clinics: Non-pharmacy businesses that sell retail products (e.g.,
Walmart, Target) and serve as PODs/mass vaccination clinics.
School-located vaccination clinics: Vaccination clinics that target students and
are typically held on school grounds.
Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per
response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering
and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing information. An agency may not
conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget control number. Send comments
regarding this burden estimate, or any other aspect of this information collection, including
suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry
Information Collection Review Office, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30333;
Attention: PRA (0920-0879).

(End of Page 1)

Section VI: Public Information and Communication
Goal: Effectively reach key and diverse audiences with timely, accurate, and
credible information about the public health threat; recommended health
protection actions; and inform audiences about government actions being taken
to respond to the influenza pandemic.
Assumptions:
• The first report of a suspected case of pandemic influenza in the United States
may come from news or social media channels.
• Incomplete information, misinformation, rumors, and misconceptions may
circulate among the public. People may take actions based on this
misinformation.
• Local partners, news media, policy makers, the general public, and other
audiences will have immediate and ongoing demands for information and
products. These demands will place significant pressure on CDC and the state(s)
to provide facts and messaging quickly.
• CDC’s guidance and recommendations will change as we learn more about the
evolving situation.
• CDC guidance and recommendations may differ from local guidance.
(End of Page 2)

Section VI: Public Information and Communication
Please select your jurisdiction:

mAlabama
mAlaska
mAmerican Samoa
mArizona
mArkansas
mCalifornia
mChicago
mColorado
mCommonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
mConnecticut
mDelaware
mFederated States of Micronesia
mFlorida
mGeorgia
mGuam
mHawaii
mIdaho
mIllinois
mIndiana
mIowa
mKansas

mKentucky
mLos Angeles County
mLouisiana
mMaine
mMaryland
mMassachusetts
mMichigan
mMinnesota
mMississippi
mMissouri
mMontana
mNebraska
mNevada
mNew Hampshire
mNew Jersey
mNew Mexico
mNew York
mNew York City
mNorth Carolina
mNorth Dakota
mOhio
mOklahoma
mOregon

mPennsylvania
mPuerto Rico
mRepublic of Palau
mRepublic of the Marshall Islands
mRhode Island
mSouth Carolina
mSouth Dakota
mTennessee
mTexas
mU.S. Virgin Islands
mUtah
mVermont
mVirginia
mWashington
mWashington, DC
mWest Virginia
mWisconsin
mWyoming

Please select your position:
mPHEP Director
mPublic Information Officer
mPublic Information Staff

mOther (please specify) ____________________

(End of Page 3)

Section VI: Public Information and Communication
1. Has your jurisdiction developed a comprehensive communications plan for
novel influenza outbreaks or a pandemic that includes any of the following
elements (please check all that apply)?
qTarget audience
qGoals and objectives
qStrategies
qTactics
qChannels of communication (e.g., mainstream media, social media, partners,
etc.)
qEvaluation
qNo comprehensive communications plan
qComprehensive communications plan in development
qOther (Please specify) ____________________

2. Does your communications plan include promotion of the following? Please
check all that apply:
qVaccine clinics
qAvailability of antiviral medications
qNon-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g., hand-washing, staying home when
sick, wearing face masks)
qOther mitigation activities (please specify) ____________________

3. Has your jurisdiction identified key staff to serve as spokespeople during a
novel influenza outbreak or pandemic?

mYes
mNo

4. Has staff been provided with media/spokespeople training so they can
effectively communicate important information to the news media and other
audiences?
mYes
mNo

5. Has your jurisdiction developed a process or protocol for clearing the release
of public information that is agreed upon by appropriate subject matter experts?
mYes
mNo

6. Has your jurisdiction tested a process or protocol for clearing the release of
public information that is agreed upon by appropriate subject matter experts?
mYes
mNo

7. Which of the following two-way communication channels has your jurisdiction
established for the purpose of communicating with staff, partner organizations,
the media, the general public, and other key audiences? Please check all that
apply:
qConference call lines
qWeb conferencing capability
qHotlines

qNone
qOther (please specify) ____________________

8. Which of the following has your jurisdiction included in a specific plan to reach
vulnerable and at-risk populations and those whose primary language is not
English (please check all that apply)?
qHave not developed a specific plan to reach vulnerable and at-risk
populations and those whose primary language is not English
qPartnerships with agencies serving these populations
qStrategies for reaching these populations
qIndentification of the most common non-English languages spoken in your
jurisdiction
qProcess for securing translation services for those non-English languages
qOther (please specify) ____________________

(End of Page 4)