Recruting Email for Message Testing

Attachment Z. Recruitment Email for Message Testing

Recruiting Template – Message Testing and Validation (through Professional Practices)

Dear Colleague,

I am working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and colleagues at Drexel University on a research project to understand the disaster communication needs of families who have children with special health care needs (INSERT: children with autism spectrum disorders or ASD) and the capacity of agencies and professionals to meet those needs. Our research has involved interviewing affected families regarding how they prefer to receive information during emergencies, from whom (e.g., who is their trusted source), and what they most want to know in different specific situations or scenarios. We’ve also interviewed health care and other professional providers and representatives from emergency response agencies to understand how they communicate with these high-risk communities during disasters, and the challenges as well as facilitators to improving information exchange.

We have now have developed proposed communication frameworks and tools for use during disasters, as well as suggested content, that we plan to share with CDC, health departments and emergency management agencies, health care and other professional providers, to improve information sharing during disasters with families who have special health care challenges (INSERT: autism spectrum disorders).

OPTION FOR FAMILIES/CAREGIVERS:

I am emailing to ask your assistance in identifying and recruiting families with CYSCHN (ASD) who would be willing to meet with us to review our findings and provide feedback on our proposals for improving communication during emergencies and disasters. These meetings will be approximately 60 minutes and each family will receive a $25 gift card to Walmart or Target. They will be held at a location convenient for families, such as (NAME OF HOSPITAL or PRACTICE LOCATION or AUTISM INSTITUTE), conferences that parents/caregivers for children with special health care needs (or autism spectrum disorders) plan to attend, or via telephone or Skype. We are also able to conduct interviews in Spanish, when necessary.

We are particularly interested in speaking with families with children across the age spectrum, with a wide range of health care challenges, from medication dependence for a chronic illness to more severe challenges including reliance on assistive technology and medical equipment. We are also hoping to interview families with limited English proficiency, and families from a cross a wide spectrum of social and economic diversity. We are enclosing a fact sheet that you can share with staff and with your patients to assist with recruiting and explaining the study.

If you have a family that you believe would be interested in speaking with us, please share the accompanying fact sheet with them. To coordinate participation, or if you have questions, please contact:

Mr. Tom Hipper, Project Manager [email protected] Tel. XXX-XXX-XXXX

Dr. Esther Chernak [email protected] Tel. 267-359-6038

OPTION FOR PROVIDERS/PROFESSIONALS/EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCY REPS:

I am emailing to invite you to participate in a focus group to review our findings and provide feedback on our proposals for improving communication to families with CYSHCN and ASDs during emergencies and disasters. These meetings will be approximately 60 minutes. The focus group will be held at a time/location convenient for most participants, and a light meal will be served.

Thank you very much for your support. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

(INSERT: Esther Chernak, Renee Turchi; Jennifer Plumb)