1. Trevor Weigle
Health Officer
City of Paterson
Department of Health and Senior Services
Division of Health
176 Broadway
Paterson, New Jersey 07505
Public Health CRISIS EMERGENCY RISK
COMMUNICATION (CERC) PLAN

2. PDOH Crisis Emergency Risk Communication Plan
IntentionallyBlankPage

3. PDOH Crisis Emergency Risk Communication Plan
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1
1.1 Crisis Emergency and RiskCommunication (CERC)Plan Activation......1
1.1.1 Activation–Public.Health.Emergencies….….................................1
1.1.2 Activation–.Other Emergency Situations......................................1
1.2 Plan Goals and Purpose........................................................................1
1.3 Planning Assumptions.............................................................................2
1.4 Authorities and References....................................................................3
1.5 Plan Modifications...................................................................................3
1.6 PlanDistribution.......................................................................................3
1.7 Training...................................................................................................3
1.8 Exercises.................................................................................................3
2. LOCAL,STATE,AND FEDERAL PUBLIC INFORMATION...........................................4
2.1 Paterson Emergency Public Information System.........................................4
2.2 County Level Public Information...............................................................4
2.3 Regional Level Public Information...............................................................4
2.4 State Level Public Information..................................................................4
2.5 Federal Level Public Information..............................................................4
3. ROLESANDRESPONSIBILITIES................................................................................6
3.1 PDOHCountyHealthandHumanServicesAgency/PublicHealthDivision.......6
3.2 PDOH Public Information Officer……………………....................................6
3.2.1 County-WideEmergencies.............................................................7
3.2.2 Public Health Emergencies.............................................................7
4. PDOHPUBLIC INFORMATION ORGANIZATION.......................................................8
5. CRISIS COMMUNICATION POSITION DESCRIPTIONS............................................9
5.1 Health Officer..............................................................................................9
5.2 PDOH Public Information Officer…………………………………………........9
5.3 County Public Information Officer...............................................................10
5.4 HEALTHEDUCATOR.............................................................................. 10
5.4.1 Health Officer Orders and Public Information..................................10
5.4.2 Medical/HealthCare Provider Information........................................10
5.4.3 Public Information and Media Content Development......................10
5.5 Distribution Coordinator..............................................................................11
5.6 Subject Matter Experts...............................................................................12
5.7 PDOH PIO/Spokespersons.........................................................................13
5.8 Media Team...............................................................................................13

4. PDOH Crisis Emergency Risk Communication Plan
5.9 Logistics Team..............................................................................................13
5.10 Staffing the PDOH PIO Organization.............................................................14
6. PUBLICINFORMATION/ RISK COMMUNICATION POLICIES........................................17
6.1 Public Information Policies.............................................................................17
6.2 Joint Information Center................................................................................17
6.3 Communication Systems................................................................................17
7. HEALTH OFFICER ADVISORIES AND ALERTS.............................................................17
7.1 Issuing a Health Alert or Health Advisory........................................................22
7.2 Cancelling a Health Alert or Health Advisory...................................................23
7.3 Content of Health Advisories and Health Alerts...............................................23
8. MEDICAL/HEALTHCAREPROVIDERINFORMATION......................................................18
8.1 Hospital and Health Care Provider Communication……..................................18
8.2 Response Partner Communication………........................................................18
8.3 Information Sharing on Suspected Cases........................................................25
8.3.1 Case Finding, Public Health Alerts, and Case Reporting......................25
9. MEDIA COORDINATION..................................................................................................18
9.1 Public Health Division Spokespersons..............................................................27
9.2 Authorized Spokespersons..............................................................................27
9.3 Media Contact.................................................................................................28
9.4 Press Releases...............................................................................................28
9.5 Press Statements, Interviews and Briefings (Press Conference)......................28
9.6 Approval Process............................................................................................29
10. PUBLIC OUTREACH......................................................................................................23
10.1 PDOH Emergency Telephone Line–Crisis HotLine..........................................30
10.2 PDOH Emergency Web Site............................................................................31
10.3 Web Site Information.......................................................................................32
10.4 Web Site Deactivation......................................................................................34
10.5 Special Populations.......................................... ...............................................34
11. LOCAL MEDIA CONTACT LIST ………...........................................................................38

5. PDOH Crisis Emergency Risk Communication Plan
1. INTRODUCTION
In a public health emergency the Paterson Division of Health (PDOH) is responsible for
coordinating with appropriate partners to manage the crisis and communicate to the public about
the event. The purpose of this plan is to describe procedures to implement, coordinate and
manage risk communications.
1.1 CRISIS EMERGENCY AND RISK COMMUNICATION (CERC) PLAN
ACTIVATION
The risk communications function is activated by the Health Officer and the Director of Health
and Human Services to coordinate and manage risk communication associated with public
health emergencies or situations.
1.1.1 ACTIVATION- PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES
In public health emergencies with Op Area EOC activation, the Health Officer may assume
duties of the EOC Incident Commander. The PDOH Public Information Officer (PIO) becomes
the lead EOC PIO with support from and coordination with the County PIO.
1.1.2 ACTIVATION- OTHER EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
In situations other than public health emergencies, the risk communication function is activated
by the Op Area EOC Incident Commander and coordinated by the County Public Information
Officer (County PIO) at the Op Area EOC. The PDOH Public Information Officer (PDOHPIO)
may provide support to the County PIO in situations that may involve the PHD, but are not public
health emergencies.
1.2 PLAN GOALS AND PURPOSE
The goals of risk communication and public information are to:
 Facilitate coordination of public information activities among involved partners (e.g.
government officials, health experts, hospitals, physicians, healthcare providers and the
public).
 Persuade and direct the behavior of individuals or communities.
 Promote informed decision- making.

6. PDOH Crisis Emergency Risk Communication Plan
 Educate and correct false or misleading information (rumor control).
The objectives of the CERC Plan are to:
 Prepare the PDOH to serve as a single point of contact for risk communication and
medical/health information during public health emergencies.
 Define roles and responsibilities for risk communication in relation to partners at the
local, state and federal levels.
 Document current risk communication processes and protocols.
 Document procedures for reaching special populations in public health emergencies.
1.3 PLANNING ASSUMPTIONS
 In the case of an actual or suspected infectious disease outbreak, public health officials
act swiftly to educate or calm the public and/or to correct misinformation and rumors.
 Public health officials act quickly to provide outbreak information to physicians and
medical/health care providers.
 Risk communication messages and information coordinated across jurisdictions
may utilize scripts/content provided by the County PIO, State PIO and/or
CDC.
 The public's right to know about potential, but unverified, health risks and the need to
avoid undue alarm is carefully considered. Each situation is evaluated and the Health
Officer will determine the appropriate response.
 The outbreak of infectious disease will be identified by local, state or federal public health
agencies and response will be activated after medical/healthcare providers have
diagnosed a significant number of cases. It is likely that early reporting by the media will
attract the public’s attention.
 Likewise, an unannounced act of bioterrorism will be detected only after a significant
number of symptomatic conditions have been identified at the local, state, and/or federal
levels. Initially, there may belittle or no public information about the disease outbreak or
the release of a biological agent.
 Public health agencies may be called upon to make public statements and to quell
rumors and misinformation even in the absence of a verified health risk.

7. PDOH Crisis Emergency Risk Communication Plan
1.4 AUTHORITIES AND REFERENCES
The PDOH CERC Plan is based on CDCynergy Tools and Templates and The CDC Crisis
Emergency Risk Communication Manual.
1.5 PLAN MODIFICATIONS
This Plan is reviewed annually and revised, if necessary, by PDOH Emergency Response Team
(LINCs) .The Plan may be modified as a result of post-incident analyses and/or post-exercise
critiques (local, county and state), Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)
After Action Reports (AAR) and Improvement Plans(IP).It may be modified if responsibilities,
procedures, laws, rules or regulations pertaining to crisis communication change. A record of
modifications is maintained by the Health Officer. Every five years, the entire CERC Plan is
reviewed, updated, published and re-distributed.
1.6 PLAN DISTRIBUTION
Within public health, the CERC plan is distributed to the Director of Health and Human Services,
supervisors and LINCS.
1.7 TRAINING
Training is conducted on an annual basis in cooperation with Passaic County Department of
Health and the New Jersey State Department of Health.
1.8 EXERCISES
The CERC Plan is activated for response exercises conducted by the PDOH, Passaic County
Department of Health, Office of Emergency Management, New Jersey State Department of
Health & the Department of Homeland Security. The risk communications function is also
exercised when PDOH conducts tabletop drills and exercises.

8. PDOH Crisis Emergency Risk Communication Plan
2. LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL PUBLIC INFORMATION
2.1 EMERGENCY PUBLIC INFORMATION SYSTEM
The New Jersey Emergency Public Information System includes city, county, Office of
Emergency Management mutual aid region, State, and Federal public information officers, as well
as public information representatives from hospitals and private agencies. The scope of the
emergency determines how many levels of the system become actively involved in emergency
public information release.
2.2 LOCAL LEVEL PUBLIC INFORMATION
The Local Public Information Officer (PIO) releases information and instructions locally and
provides status information to PIOs at the New Jersey State Department of Health.
2.3 COUNTY LEVEL PUBLIC INFORMATION
PIO(s) at the County level reply to media calls and relay information from the state and federal
levels to local public information representatives. The County public information officer
summarizes the disaster situation for the media and reports on state agency response activities.
The state public information office coordinates news releases pertaining to a particular
jurisdiction with that jurisdiction public information officer prior to their dissemination.
2.4 STATE LEVEL PUBLIC INFORMATION
When the state emergency public information organization at the state head quarters in is
activated, PIOs are assigned to the affected mutual aid region to gather status information
from local jurisdictions.
2.5 FEDERAL LEVEL PUBLIC INFORMATION
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's public information office provides information
on federal response efforts and federal assistance programs and may provide staff support to
stateonrequest.

9. HHSAPIOatthe
HHSADOC,
CountyEOCorJIC
COUNTYPIOAt
EOCorJIC
(SupportsHHSA
PIO)
PDOH Crisis Emergency Risk Communication Plan
Figure1: Public HealthEmergency Information Flow-State-County-Local
Public Health Emergency Information Flow
State–County–Local
New Jersey
State
Department of
Health
PIO
EOP/PIO
Office of
Emergency
Management
(OEM)
Joint Information
Center (JIC)
PDOH PIO at the
local Operational
Area EOC or JIC
COUNTY PIO at EOC
or JIC (Supports
PDOH PIO)
LINCS
County
Public
Information
Officer(PIO)

10. 3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
3.1 NAPA COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY/PUBLIC
HEALTHDIVISION
TheHealthandHumanServicesAgencyDepartmentOperationsCenter(HHSADOC)Public
InformationOfficerpositionisstaffedbytheHHSAPublicInformationOfficer.
Responsibilitiesinclude:
ActivatetheCERCPlan.
Managepublic informationandriskcommunicationfunctionsattheHHSADOC.
 ManagemediacontactfromtheHHSADOCorfromtheEOCorJICinapublichealth
emergency.
 Providemedicalandhealthinformation(medicalprotocols,riskcommunication,
operationalprocedures)tohospitalsandotherhealthcareproviders.
Provideinformationtothepublicinapublichealthemergency.
 CoordinatethereleaseofinformationwiththeCountyPIOandJointInformationCenter
whentheOpAreaEOCisactivated.
 RefertotheCERCAttachments1-6for checklists,guidance,factsheets,order
templates,pressreleasetemplatesandothertoolsforpublicinformation.
 Prepareandmaintainriskcommunication,publicinformation,andmedicalinformation
materialsforuseinemergencyactivations.
 EstablishandconvenetheRiskCommunicationCommittee(establishedforpandemic
influenzaplanning).
3.2 NAPACOUNTYPUBLICINFORMATIONOFFICER(COUNTYPIO)
TheNapaCountyExecutiveOfficePublicInformationOfficerisresponsibleforongoingmedia
relationsandpublicinformationforthecounty. Inemergencies,theNapaCountyPublic
InformationOfficer(CountyPIO)isresponsiblefor:
 Therapiddisseminationofaccurateinstructionsandinformationto thepublicduring
periodsofemergency.

11. Respondingtomediainquiriesandcallsfromthepublic.
Establishingamediacenterforusebyrepresentativesoftheprintandelectronicmedia.
Establishingapublicinformationorganizationsupportingcountyemergencyoperations.
3.2.1 COUNTY-WIDEEMERGENCIES
TheCountyPublicInformationOfficerisassigneddutiesoftheincidentPIO whenthecounty
OperationsArea(OpAreaEOC)isactivated.TheCountyPIOisthecentralpointofcontactfor
publicinformationactivitiesinemergenciesotherthenpublichealthemergencies. TheCounty
PIOdirectsrumorcontrolandon-scenepublicinformationactivitiesandcoordinateswiththe
departmentalPIOsandjurisdictionPIOs.
3.2.2 PUBLICHEALTHEMERGENCIES
Inapublichealthemergency,theHHSAPIOisassigneddutiesoftheincidentPIOateitherthe
HHSADOCortheOpAreaEOC. TheCountyPIO supportstheactivitiesoftheHHSAPIO. In
publichealthemergencies,theHHSAPIO is thecentralpointofcontactforpublicinformation
andinformationprovidedtothe medicalcommunity.

12. RevisedJanuary2009
4.HHSA/PHDPUBLICINFORMATION
ORGANIZATION
The PHDcrisiscommunicationorganizationis organizedtoensurethatthePublicHealthOfficer
andHHSAPIOaccomplishfourprimaryactivities:
1. ManageMediaContact,
2. IssueHealthOfficerOrders,advisoriesandalerts,
3. Providemedical/healthprotocolsandinformationtohealthcareproviders,and
4. Providepublicoutreach,riskcommunicationandrumorcontrol.
FIGURE2: NAPACOUNTYHHSA/PHDRISKCOMMUNICATIONORGANIZATION

13. RevisedJanuary2009
5.CRISISCOMMUNICATIONPOSITION
DESCRIPTIONS
5.1 PUBLICHEALTHOFFICER
ThePublicHealthOfficerisresponsibleforsettingpolicyandforapprovingallinternaland
externalinformationreleases. ThePublicHealthOfficermayappointorserveasthe
spokesperson.
5.2 HHSA/PHDPUBLICINFORMATION OFFICER(HHSAPIO)
ThePublicInformationOfficermanagestheriskcommunication/publicinformationfunctionat
theHHSADOC/EOC. TheHHSAPIO:
Activatesthe CERCplanunderthedirectionofthePublicHealthOfficer.
Directspreparationofmaterialsandcoordinatesthereleaseofinformation.
 Coordinateswithstateandlocalcommunicationpartnerstoensurethatmessagesare
consistentandwithinthescopeof theorganization’sresponsibility.
 Providesupdatedinformationto thePublicHealthOfficer,countyOperationsArea
EmergencyOperationCenter(OpAreaEOC)commandandstaterespondersin
accordancewithStandardizedEmergencyManagementSystem(SEMS)protocols.
 Advisesthe PublicHealthOfficerandchainofcommandregardinginformationtobe
released,basedontheorganization’sroleintheresponse.
Identifiesandworksasliaisonwithspokespeople.
Reviewsmaterialsforreleasetomedia,publicandpartners.
Obtainsrequiredclearanceofmaterialsforrelease.
 WiththeHHSADOC/OpAreaEOCIncidentCommander,determinestheoperational
hours/daysforPIOfunction.
 Ensuresthatresources(staff,equipmentandsupplies)areavailabletoprovide
informationtothepublic.

14. 10
RevisedJanuary2009
 Maintainsacurrentlistof mediacontacts.Thislistshouldincludenewspapers,radio,
television,internetinformationsitesandothermediaoutletsthataredeterminedviablein
gettingthemessageouttothepublic.
5.3 COUNTYPUBLICINFORMATIONOFFICER
TheCountyPIOsupportstheHHSAPIObyassistingwith:
 Disseminationof informationtothepublicfromtheOpAreaEOCusinglocal,regional
andstatewidebroadcastingandmediacontacts.
UseoftheEmergencyAlertSystem(EAS),DigitalEmergencyAlertSystem(DEAS)and
WideAreaRapidNotification(WARN)System
Set-upandmanagementofamediacenter.
5.4 HEALTHEDUCATOR
TheHealthEducatormanagestheHHSAriskcommunication/publicinformationfunctionin
coordinationwiththeCountyPIOasfollows:
5.4.1 HEALTHOFFICERORDERSANDPUBLICINFORMATION
AssistthePublicHealthOfficerinpreparinghealthadvisoriesandalerts.
Assistthe PublicHealthOfficerinpreparingHealthOfficerOrders.
5.4.2 MEDICAL/HEALTHCAREPROVIDERINFORMATION
 Establishcommunicationwithhospitals,healthcareprovidersandotherresponse
partnersneedinginformationfromthePublicHealthOfficerandPHD.
Arrangebriefingsandupdatesforhospitalsandhealthcareproviders.
 Helporganizeandfacilitateofficialmeetingstoprovideinformationandreceiveinputfrom
hospitals,healthcareprovidersandotherresponsepartners.
5.4.3 PUBLICINFORMATIONANDMEDIACONTENTDEVELOPMENT
Preparemediabriefingcontent.
Preparecontentforpressreleases.
PreparecontentforEmergencyAlertSystem(EAS)broadcasts.

15. 11
RevisedJanuary2009
Preparecontentfor1-800phonelinemessages.
Preparescriptsandinformationforcallcenteroperators.
Solicitfeedbackandrespondtoinformationrequestsandinquiries.
 OverseemonitoringsystemsandreportsincludingthePHDandpartnerwebsitesto
ensuretheinformationpresentedisaccurate.
 Researchmedical/healthinformationanddataforuseincontent. Monitorsinformation
fromtheStateandtheCDCandcompiledisease-specific,incidentspecificinformation
fromthesesourcesintoalerts,advisoriesandriskcommunicationmaterials.
 ReceiveinformationfromtheHHSADOCandOpAreaEOCregardingthepublichealth
emergency.
 TranslateHHSADOCandOp AreaEOCsituationreportsandmeetingnotesinto
informationappropriateforpublicandpartnerneeds.
 Workwithsubjectmatterexpertstocreatesituation-specificfactsheets,Q&Asand
updates.
 Reviewadvisories,alertsandmaterialsforculturalandlanguagerequirementsofspecial
populations.
 Adaptmessagesbasedoninputfromothercommunicationteammembersandanalysis
frommedia,public,andpartnermonitoringsystems.
Identifyadditionalcontentandmaterialdevelopmentrequirements.
Respondto legislators,specialinterestgrouprequestsandinquiries.
5.5 DISTRIBUTIONCOORDINATOR
 Activateandparticipateinthetelephoneinformationline(emergencyhotline).Coordinate withthe
CountyPIOandOESiftheemergencytelephonelineissetupandoperatedby
OESattheOpAreaEOC.
 Distributepublicserviceannouncements(PSAs),flyers,noticesandotherinformationto
thepublic.
Organizeandmanageemergencyresponsewebsiteandwebpages.
Establishandmaintainlinkstootheremergencyresponsewebsites.

16. 12
RevisedJanuary2009
 Overseepublicinformationmonitoringsystemsandreports,includingtheInternet,tosee
whatinformationisavailableto thepublicandwhetherthatinformationis accurate(e.g.,
analyzestrends,concernsandmisinformation).
MonitorrumorsandadvisetheHealthEducatortodistributerumorcontrolmessages.
Activateorparticipateinpublicandelectedofficialbriefingsandcommunitymeetings.
Identifyspecialpopulationneedsrelatedtocommunication.
Monitorinternalandexternalcommunications.
Obtaininternalandexternalapprovalsforreleaseofinformation.
Providefeedbackto theHealthEducatorregardingeffectivenessofriskcommunications.
 Managedistributionofinformationtomedical/healthprovidersthroughestablished
networks.
 Coordinatedistributionofpublicinformationtoresponsesites(shelters,dispensingsites,
alternatecaresites),andthroughthemedia.
5.6 SUBJECTMATTEREXPERTS
Providehazard-specificandsituation-specificinformation,asneeded,toassistthePublic
HealthOfficerandHealthEducator.
 Researchandupdatehazard-specificandsituation-specificinformationforuseinrisk
communicationandpublicinformation.
 Researchandupdatemedicalandhealthcareproviderinformationregardingdisease-
specificprotocolsandprocedures.
 ServeasspokespersonsforHHSA/PHD,ifassignedbythePublicHealthOfficerto
participateinpublicinformationand/ormediabriefings.
Assistinprovidinghazard-specificandsituation-specificinformationatOpAreaEOCand
HHSADOCbriefings.

17. 13
RevisedJanuary2009
5.7 HHSAPIO/SPOKESPERSONS
In mostcases,the PublicInformationOfficer(PIO)willappointthespokesperson.TheHHSA
PIO/Spokespersonis responsibleforallcontactwiththe media,whichincludesnewbriefing,
newsconferences,townmeetings,mediainterviewsandotherrelatedmediaactivities.
5.8 MEDIATEAM
Ifneeded,theHHSAPIOandCountyPIOmayactivateaMediaTeamtoassistHealth
Educatorswithmessagedevelopmentandtheproductionofwrittennewsreleases,factsheets,
webpages,andspokespersontalkingpoints.
TheMediaTeamalsoassistsatnewsconferencesandtownmeetingsandhelpstoprepare
speakerspriortotheseeventsandforconductingcommunityoutreachprograms.
TheMediaTeamdocumentscrisiscommunicationsandmaintainscopiesofnewsreleases,fact
sheets,currentmessagesfromthePublicHealthOfficerand talkingpoints. TheMediaTeam
mayassistindevelopinginformationcontentforandthestaffingofphonebanks,asneeded,to
answercallsfromthemedia,thepublicandothersrequestinginformationconcerningtheevent.
5.9 LOGISTICSTEAM
Logisticalsupportrequiredtosetupandpreparefacilitiesfornewsconferencesandtown
meetingsandtosetuptelephonebanks(emergencyinformationline)aremanagedbythe
HHSADOCand/orOpAreaEOCLogisticsSection.

18. 14
RevisedJanuary2009
5.10STAFFINGTHEHHSAPIOORGANIZATION
The following PHD personnel areauthorizedtostafftheHHSAPIOorganization:
PHDPublicInformationOrganization PHDStaffAuthorizedforthePIOPosition
HHSA/PublicInformationOfficer
HHSAPublicInformationOfficer
HealthEducationSpecialist,StaffResourcesAnalyst
CountyPublicInformationOfficer
CountyPIO
CountyExecutive
HealthEducator HealthEducationSpecialist,StaffResourcesAnalyst
DistributionCoordinator (Tobedetermined)
SubjectMatterExperts (Tobedetermined)
PIOAssistant (Tobedetermined)
MediaTeam(ifneeded) (Tobedetermined)
LogisticsTeam(ifneeded) (Tobedetermined)

19. RevisedJanuary2009
6.PUBLICINFORMATION/RISKCOMMUNICATION
POLICIES
6.1 PUBLICINFORMATIONPOLICIES
 ThePublicHealthOfficerdetermineswhentoactivatetheHHSADOCandthePublic
InformationOfficertomanagemediainquiriesconcerningapublichealthsituationor
emergency.
TheCountyPIOmaybecontactedtoassistPHDmediacontactswhentheHHSADOCor
OpAreaEOCarenotactivated.Inanemergencyordisastersituation,coordination
occursbetweenPIOsfromparticipatingagencies.
 The HHSAPIOdisseminatesalerts,warningsandpublichealthinformationtothepublic andthe
mediaonaregularbasis.AlertsandadvisoriesareapprovedbythePublicHealth Officer.
 OnlyPHDdesignatedasofficialspokespersonsmayspeakforPHD. TheOperational
AreaEOCestablishesaJointInformationCenter(JIC)forallPIOs.PHDprovidesa
representativetotheJICwhenestablished.
 ThePublicHealthOfficerapprovesallhealthalerts,advisoriesandmediainformation
releases.
 ThePublicHealthOfficer/HHSAPIOnotifiestheBoardofSupervisorsandtheCounty
Administrator,andtheCaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealthPIOofpendinghealthalerts
andwarningstobeissuedthoughthemedia.
 TheHHSAPIO,incoordinationwiththeCountyPIO,arrangesforinterviewswiththe
mediaanddignitaries.
 The HHSAPIOnotifieslocalhospitalsandhealthcareorganizationsofpendinghealth
alertsandwarnings.
 EmergencyMedicalServices(EMS)assistsinprovidingupdatedinformationregarding
theactivationoffieldtreatmentsites.
 The HHSADOCHealthBranchDirectorandCommunicableDiseaseGroupSupervisor
assistinupdatinginformationonquarantine,isolation,prophylaxisandmassdispensing sites.
Informationalhandoutsareprovidedatthesesitesandatotherresponse sites/facilities.

20. RevisedJanuary2009
 Hospitals,clinicsandoutpatientfacilitiesdisseminateinformationandwarningstotheir
populations,consistentwithinformationprovidedbyPHD.
 TheCommunicationsUnit(attheOpAreaEOC)obtainsadditionalcommunications
capability,asneeded.
WhentheHHSADOCis activated:
ThePublicInformationfunctionisstaffed. TheHealthEducatorisassigneddutiesbythe
HHSAPIO.
AJointInformationCentermaybeestablishedattheHHSADOC.
 ThePublicHealthOfficerapprovesallpressreleases,healthalerts/advisories,andrisk
communicationmaterialssentoutfromtheHHSADOC.
TheCaliforniaHealthAlertNetwork(CAHAN)Planisactivated.
 ThePublicHealthOfficermayrequestactivationoftheOpAreaEOCtoassistuseof
publicinformationsystems,includingtheEmergencyAlertSystem.
WhentheEOCisactivated:
ThePublicInformationfunctionisstaffedattheHHSADOC.
ThePublicInformationfunctionisstaffedattheOpAreaEOC. TheCountyPublic
InformationOfficer(PIO)servesastheOperationalAreaEOCPIO.
 ThePublicHealthOfficerapprovesallpressreleases,healthalerts/advisoriesandsends
themtotheCountyPIOforcoordinationpriortorelease.
 AJointInformationCenter(JIC)maybesetupbyCountyOES. TheOESJICactivities
arecoordinatedwiththeregional,StateandFederalJICs.
The HHSAPIOmaybedeployedtotheOperationalAreaEOCJICtocoordinatewiththe
CountyPIO.
TheCaliforniaHealthAlertNetwork(CAHAN)planisactivated.

21. RevisedJanuary2009
6.2 JOINTINFORMATIONCENTER
AJICisatemporaryorganizationestablishedtopoolcrisiscommunicationamongemergency
responders.Inacrisis,rapidcommunicationwiththe mediaandwiththegeneralpublic
becomesatoppriority,andtheJICwillbeasourceofinformationonthecrisis. Inaddition,
runningcommunicationthroughaJICensuresthatavailableinformationisreleasedasquickly
aspossible,withconsistentandaccuratemessagesthattakeintoaccounttheoftendisparate
viewpointsofeachoftheresponseorganizations.
Inapublichealthemergency,suchasaninfectiousdiseaseoutbreakorbioterroristincident,
PHDmayassumealeadingroleandactivateandmanagetheJIC. Inacrisiswherelaw
enforcementorfiredepartmentshavealeadrole,PHDmanagesmediainterestasitpertainsto
understandingcontentandbackgroundonbioterroristagents,aswellasinformationoninjuries
andhospitalizations.
ParticipantsattheJICmayinclude:
Countyadministration
Lawenforcement
Firedepartment
EmergencyMedicalServices
CaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealth(CDPH)
Hospitaladministrators
FederalBureauofInvestigation(ifterrorismrelated)
Localelectedofficials
CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)
OfficeofEmergencyManagement
AmericanRedCross
NationalGuard(ifdeemednecessarybytheGovernor)
Physicians

22. RevisedJanuary2009
SubjectMatterExperts(SMEs)
AttheOpAreaEOCorJIC:
 TheCountyPublicInformationOfficerandstaffconductperiodicmediabriefingsas
appropriate.
 TheCountyPIOis responsibleforschedulingbriefings,determiningparticipants,and
notifyingthemedia.EOCbriefingsareconductedattheincidentcommandpost,EOC,
HHSADOC,orotherlocationdesignatedbytheCountyPIO.
 On-scenebriefingswillbeconductedaftercoordinationwiththeCountyPIO.These
briefingswilltakeplaceatanappropriatefieldsiteandwillonlycoverinformation
availabletotheon-sceneagencies.
 WrittenpressreleaseswillbepreparedbythePIOandreviewedbytheIncident
Commanderpriortorelease.Pressreleaseswillbeusedtodisseminatecomplex
information,widely.
6.3 COMMUNICATIONSYSTEMS
EmergencyAlertSystem(EAS)–TheEASmaybeactivatedbythePublicHealthOfficerto
broadcastpublichealthalertsandadvisories. Allhealthalert/advisorycontentmustbe
approvedbythePublicHealthOfficer. UseoftheEASisrestrictedtoemergencylife-saving
informationtothepublic. Broadcastsareovertelevisionandradiooverride. Thetimeframefor
releaseofamessage(afterapprovalforrelease)is5to30minutes.
WideAreaRapidNotification(WARN)System–WARNmaybeactivatedbythePublic
HealthOfficerCountyPublictocallland-linetelephonenumbersin NapaCountywitha
recordedemergencymessage. Thousandsofcallscanbeplacedinashortperiodoftimeto pre-
establishedlistsortospecificgeographicareas.
CaliforniaHealthAlertNetwork(CAHAN)-PHDhasoptedtousetheCAHANastheprimary
emergencyalertingsystemforthepublichealthandmedicalcommunity. CAHANexiststo
receive,manageanddisseminatealerts,protocols,proceduresandotherinformationforpublic
healthworkers,primarycareprovidersandpublichealthpartnersinemergencyresponse. It
includestheabilityto“push”informationviamessagesandallowparticipantsto“pull”
informationviathebrowsingofsecurewebsites. AstheITinfrastructurefor PHDallows,itwill
includethesupportofinteractivecommunicationsitesforthreadeddiscussioncapabilities.
CAHANisaweb-basedapplication,hostedbytheState,toprovideformulti-modemessage
broadcastingtoregisteredrecipientsandgroups. Messagesmaybesentbyemail,by alpha
pagerandby voicemessage(singly,orincombination). Iftherecipientauthorizesseveral

23. RevisedJanuary2009
modesofcommunication,respondingtooneterminatesattemptednotificationbytheother modes.
CAHANisoperational24/7withlow-levelexchangesofmessages,butmaybeactivatedintoa
highercommunicationstatusbytheDirectorofPHD,thePublicHealthOfficer,theOperational
AreaDutyOfficer(OES),orappropriatestateandfederalagencies. Akeycomponentofthis
higheralertfootingwouldbethedefinitionofthe targetaudienceformediumtohigh-priority
messagesandthemanagementofinformationconcerningtheeventthattriggeredthealert.
CAHANisnotauniversalnotificationtool,asnotallpublichealthemployeesorpartnersare
members.CAHANwillbecomplementedbyamixtureofFAXbroadcast,webpagealerts,auto-
dialvoicemessagesandradiocommunications.
ResponseInformationManagementSystem(RIMS)–RIMSisusedbytheOperationalArea
EOCtoinputstatusreportsandresourcerequeststotheREOCandSOC.
RadioAmateurCivilEmergencyServices(RACES)–RACESPHDcanrequestaRACES
operatorforthe HHSADOCorfieldsites. RACESvolunteerradiooperatorsarerequestedby
thePHDtoassistwithcommunicationsat theHHSADOC,hospitals,FTS,Dispensingsites, etc.
ElectronicDataInformationSystems(EDIS)–StateandCountyOESactivateEDISwhen large-
scaleeventsimpacthealthandsafety. EDIScanbyusedbyPHDtosharehospitaland
healthcareproviderinformation.
HospitalCommunicationSystems– Thehospital-to-hospitalcommunicationsysteminuseis
EMSystem. In 2007,theCoastalValleyEMSAuthoritiesinitiatedthepurchaseof EMSystems forarea-
widecommunicationsbetweenhospitals.
In theeventofapowershortage,emergencygeneratorswillenablefacilitiestocontinue
communicationsamongresponders.Duringapowershortagewhenresidentsareunabletouse
phonesandcomputers, thedistributionofriskcommunicationswillbedeterminedbytheEOC
CommunicationsTeam.

24. RevisedJanuary2009
7.HEALTH OFFICERADVISORIESANDALERTS
TheCentersforDiseaseControl(CDC)definesthecategoriesof HealthAlertmessagesas:
 HealthAlert–conveysthehighestlevelofimportantandwarrantsimmediateactionor attention.
 HealthAdvisory–providesimportantinformationforaspecificincidentorsituationand
mayormaynotrequireimmediateaction.
 HealthUpdate–providesupdatedinformationregardinganincidentorsituationandis
unlikelyto requireimmediateaction.
ThePublicHealthOfficerdetermineswhento issueaHealthAlertorAdvisorybasedon
informationreceivedonunsafepublichealthormedicalconditions. The PublicHealthOfficer
andHHSAPIOpreparethealert/advisorymessagesandcoordinatewiththeCountyPIOatthe Op
AreaEOCtoissuethemviatheEmergencyAlertSystem(EAS)andotherbroadcast modes.
7.1 ISSUINGAHEALTHALERTORHEALTHADVISORY
 ThePublicHealthOfficerdeterminestheappropriatepublichealthintervention
necessary.
 Or,thePublicHealthOfficerreceivesinstructionsfromtheCaliforniaDepartmentof
PublicHealth(CDPH)toissuea HealthAlertof HealthAdvisorythatisintendedfor
regionalorstatewidedistribution.
ThePublicHealthOfficerandHHSAPIOpreparetheHealthAlertorAdvisory.
 The HHSAPIOcontactstheCountyPIOattheEOC(iftheEOCisactivated)toassist
withthepreparationofthealertmessage,ifnecessary.
 The HHSAPIOcontactshospitals,themedicalcommunity,healthcareprovidersand
others,throughEMSystems,Blast-Fax,andconferencecallspriortobroadcast
distributiontothepublic.
 ThePublicHealthOfficerorPIOcontactstheRegionalEmergencyOperationsCenter
(REOC)PIOthe/EMSAJointOperationsCenter(JEOC)iftheseareactivated,tonotify
thataHealthAlertorHealthAdvisoryhasbeenissuedinthecounty.
ThePublicHealthOfficercontactsthe EASbroadcastingservice,andreadstheAlert.
TheCountyPIOandEOCDirectorensurethatthebroadcastisimplemented.

25. RevisedJanuary2009
 IftheEOCisactivatedandstaffed,HealthAlertsandHealthAdvisoriesareapprovedby
theHealthOfficerandalsobytheEOCDirectororCountyPIO.
PHDstaffstheHHSADOCandpreparestoprovidefollow-upinformationtothepublic.
Ifnecessary,thePHDHotline(informationphoneline)issetupandstaffed.
7.2 CANCELLINGAHEALTHALERTOFHEALTHADVISORY
TheCountyPublicHealthOfficerissuesacancellationorder.
TheCountyPublicHealthOfficerordesigneeverifiescancellationwiththeCalifornia
DepartmentofPublicHealth(CDPH),ifnecessary.
TheCountyPublicHealthOfficernotifiestheCountyPIOat theEOCthattheHealth
AlertorHealthAdvisoryiscancelled.
 TheCountyPIOdistributesthecancellationinformationviatheEASandothermedia outlets.
7.3 CONTENTOFHEALTHADVISORIESANDHEALTHALERTS
Healthalertsvarybythesituationanddiseaseagentorpublichealthconcern. However,in
general,HealthAlertsorHealthAdvisoriesshouldaddress:
Situationandstatusofthesituation,
Currentactions,
Meansofrecognizingsymptomsinanindividual,
Appropriatemedicalcareneeded,
Locations/sitestoobtainmedicalcare,ifneeded,
Useofpersonalprotectiveequipmentand/orhygieneinstructions,
Infectioncontrolinformation,
Instructionsforreportingto PHD,and
Instructionstoobtainadditionalinformation

26. RevisedJanuary2009
8.MEDICAL/HEALTH CARE PROVIDER INFORMATION
8.1 HOSPITALANDHEALTHCAREPROVIDERCOMMUNICATION
ThePublicHealthOfficerprovidesinformationtophysicians,hospitals,clinics,skillednursing
facilities,andotherhealthcareproviders. InformationmaybedistributedasHealthAlerts,
HealthAdvisories,HealthOrders,medicalcareprotocols,guidelinesandinstructions.
Informationmayaddresssurveillanceandreporting,diseaseoutbreakinvestigation,social
distancingmeasures,massdispensing,medicaltreatment,isolationandquarantine.
Systemsinplacetonotifythemedicalcommunityinclude:
CaliforniaHealthAlertNetwork(CAHAN).
EMSystems(HospitalEmergencyDepts.andEmergencyMedicalServices.
CountyOESand PHDWebsites.
BlastFax.
Telephoneinformationline.
Conferencecalls.
EmergencyAlertSystem(usedprimarilyforpublicalertandwarning).
PHDmaintainsemergencycontactswitheachareahospitalthroughtheDirectorofNursingat eachsite.
TheDirectorofNursingorShiftSupervisorpositionsarestaffed24/7. Inpublic
healthandotheremergencies,PHDestablishescontactwithhospitalsasfollows:
 ContacttheDirectorofNursingorShiftSupervisorbytelephone,blastfax,CAHANor
conferencecall.
Distribute/communicateemergencyinformation,healthalertsandadvisories.
Determineifthehospitalincidentcommand(HICS)isactivated.
EstablishcommunicationbetweenthehospitalandtheHHSADOC.

27. RevisedJanuary2009
8.2 RESPONSEPARTNERCOMMUNICATION
PHDestablishesemergencycontactwithFire/EMS,LawEnforcementandothercountyandcity
departmentsandagenciesthroughactivationofthe HHSADOCandEOC. Communicationwith
schoolsisthroughtheOfficeofEducationCoordinator.
Acompletecontactlistformedicalandhealthcareprovidersandresponseagencies/
departmentsinNapaCountyis maintainedat theHHSADOCandat theOperationalAreaEOC.
8.3 INFORMATIONSHARINGONSUSPECTEDCASES
Informationonsuspectedcasesandpublichealthresponseisobtainedfromoutbreak
investigationsandcommunicatedtohospitals,the medicalcommunity,othercityandcounty
agenciesanddepartmentsandresponsepartnersinNapaCountyandattheStatelevel.
Releaseofpublicinformationregardingtheoutbreakinvestigationandresponseismanagedby
thePublicHealthOfficerandtheHHSAPIOin coordinationwiththeCDPHOfficeofPublic
Affairs(OPA)toassureaccurateandconsistentpublichealthmessages.
Healthcareproviders,includinghospitalemergencydepartmentsandEmergencyMedical
Services(EMS),areprovidedwithacasedefinitionassoonasithasbeenestablished. They
arealsoprovidedwithtimelyupdatesduringthecourseoftheinvestigation.
Informationsharingmessagesmayincludeinformationaboutthediseaseanditsprevention,
treatmentandcontrol,andtheprogressoftheoutbreakinvestigation. Ifthediseaseisthought
tobetransmissiblefromperson-to-person,requestsforinformationtoassistlocationofcontacts
maybedistributedthroughthemedia.
Informationmayalsobedisseminatedto theOfficeofEmergencyServices(OES)andthe
EmergencyMedicalServicesAuthority(EMSA)tohelpguideplanningfordistributionofmedicalresource
s,andtolocallawenforcementortheFBIaspartofacriminalinvestigation.
Aworkingcasedefinitionisestablishedfrominitialinterviewdataandfromdiseasereports
receivedfromphysiciansand/orlaboratories. Auniformcasedefinitionisusedtoidentify
additionalcasesrequiringfollow-up. Asmoredataaredevelopedabouttheagentor
syndromesunderinvestigation,thecasedefinitionisupdatedand distributedtoappropriate
entitiesinatimelymanner.
8.3.1 CASEFINDING,PUBLICHEALTHALERTS,ANDCASEREPORTING
Casefinding isconducted,asneeded,throughalertsto multiplepotentialreportingsources,
including:

28. RevisedJanuary2009
Publichealthofficialsandpersonnel
Publichealthandclinicallaboratories
Hospitals,physicians,andinfectioncontrolpractitioners
Emergencymedicalservices
Media
Publichealthalerts areissuedtorecommendthatpersonswithsymptomspromptlyseekhealth care.
Ifthesourceof initialexposureis known,thealertsalsorecommendthatpersonswho
believetheyhavebeenexposedtelephonetheNapaCountyHHSA/PHDforfurtherinstructions.
PHDmaysetupahotlinetoreceivecallsfromcliniciansandthepublicaboutpotentialcases
andcontacts. Asinformationisdevelopedfromthesecases,theHHSADOCCommunicable
DiseaseGroupSupervisorandoutbreakinvestigationteamstrytopinpointthetime/placeof
exposureinordertoidentifyotherpersonswhomayhavebeenexposed.

29. RevisedJanuary2009
9.MEDIACOORDINATION
9.1 PUBLICHEALTHDIVISIONSPOKESPERSONS
OfficialspokespersonsaredesignatedtospeakforthePHD. SpokespersonsaretheonlyPHD
personnelauthorizedtospeaktothemediaduringapublichealthemergency. The
PHDspokespersoncommunicatesinformationto thepublicabout:
Thepublichealthemergencysituationandstatus.
Publichealthandsafetyrecommendations,advisories,andriskcommunication.
Publichealthresourcesanduseofresourcestoprotecthealthandsafety.
Earlyinanemergency,thespokespersonisexpectedtodescribethefollowing:
Thehealthandsafetyrisksforindividualsandcommunities—whatis therisk?
Theincidentanditsmagnitude(e.g.,who,what,where,when,why,how).
PHDSpokespersonsmust:
KnowPHDpoliciesaboutthereleaseofinformation.
SpeakonlyforPHDunlessauthorizedbythePublicHealthOfficerorIncident
Commandertospeakaboutotherelementsof theresponse.
Discussonlythefacts.
Tellthetruth.Beasopenaspossible.
Follow-uponissues.
Usevisualswhenpossible.
Notexpresspersonalopinions.
9.2 AUTHORIZEDSPOKESPERSONS
ThefollowingareauthorizedtoserveasPHDspokespersons:
PublicHealthOfficer

30. RevisedJanuary2009
HHSAPIO
DirectorofHHSA
AssistantDirectorofHHSA
DirectorofNursingofHHSA
9.3 MEDIACONTACT
The HHSAPIOwillcoordinatewiththeCountyPIOtoestablishandmaintaincontactwiththe
mediaduringpublichealthemergencies.Thefollowingmethodsareusedtocontactthemedia:
MediaLists
 Newswires–privateorganizationsthatdistributemediamaterialstosomeorallmedia
outletsinthemarket.
E-maillistserversandbroadcastfax.
9.4 PRESSRELEASES
PressreleasesarepreparedbytheHHSAPIOandmustbeapprovedbythePublicHealth
Officerpriortorelease.
WhentheOperationalAreaEOCisactivated,pressreleasesareapprovedbythePublicHealth
OfficerpriortoapprovalforreleasebytheCountyPIOattheEOCorataJIC.
9.5 PRESSSTATEMENTS,INTERVIEWSANDBRIEFINGS(PRESS
CONFERENCE)
PHDpressstatementsareissuedbytheHHSAPIOafterapprovalforreleasebythePublic HealthOfficer.
Thepurposeofthepressstatementis toreleaseinformationsopeoplefeel
informedandupdatedontheincident. Multiplepressstatementsmaybeneededtoupdate information.
Interviews,briefingsandpressconferencesareconductedat theHHSADOC,the
OperationalAreaEOCorJIC,oron-scene.
IftheHHSADOCisactivatedandtheOperationalAreaEOCisnotactivated,theHHSADOC
DirectorandHHSAPIO arrangeinterviewsandbriefingsattheHHSADOC. TheCountyPIO
mayassist.
WhentheOperationalAreaEOCisactivated,pressstatements,interviews,briefingsandpress
conferencesarearrangedbytheHHSAPIOinapublichealthemergency. TheCountyPIO

31. RevisedJanuary2009
mayassisttheHHSAPIOintheseactivities. Insituationsotherthanapublichealth
emergency,pressstatements,interviews,briefingsandpressconferencesarearrangedbythe
CountyPIO. TheHHSAPIOmayassist.
OnlyauthorizedPHDspokespersonsmayparticipateinpressstatements,interviews,briefings
andconferences. WrittenPHDmaterialsmustbeapprovedbythePublicHealthOfficer.
9.6 APPROVALPROCESS
ThePublicHealthOfficermustapproveallinformationreleases.
SubjectMatterExpertsmustverifytechnicaldataininformationreleases.
 IfaJointInformationCenter(JIC)isestablished,acopyofallinformationreleases
shouldbesentthere.

32. RevisedJanuary2009
10. PUBLIC OUTREACH
Publicoutreachisaccomplishedinseveralwaysaspartofon-goingpublichealthprogramsand services.
Inapublichealthemergency,thesemethodsareused:
 Face-to-face(e.g.,briefingswithkeystateandlocalofficials,mediaandcommunity
leaders)
 Generalandethnicmedia(e.g.,radio,televisionandnewspaperpublicservice
announcements)
Publicmeetings(e.g.,publicand/ortownhallmeetingsorpresentations)
Informationalresources(e.g.,InternetWebsitesortelephonehotlines)
 Community(e.g.,outreachtospecialpopulations,community-basedorganizationsand
communitymailings)
PHDwebsitewithupdatedinformationspecifictotheemergency.
Combinationofanyorallofthese(i.e.,mostlikelytoworkbest)
10.1 PHDEMERGENCYTELEPHONELINE:CRISISHOTLINE
PHDactivatesanemergencytelephonelineto:
Provideinformationtothepublic.
ProvideinformationtoemployeesandmakeitpossibleforemployeestocontactPHD
duringemergencyresponsetoreporttheirstatusandobtainassistance,ifnecessary.
Manageandcontrolrumors.
The PHDemergencytelephonelinecanbeactivatedat:
 TheOperationalAreaEOC,withassistancefromtheCountyPIOtosetupadditional
lines,asneeded.
The HHSADOCusingexistingphonelines.
 TheCityofNapaPoliceDepartmentbysettingupaPIOareawithsix(6)phonelines. In
asignificantemergency,additionalphonelinesmaybedesignatedatNapaCityFire
Administration.

33. RevisedJanuary2009
TheHHSAPIOmanagesinitialsetupandon-goinguseofthetoll-freeemergencytelephone line.
Thehotline:
 Servicemaybeexpandedintermsofthenumberofcallsmanagedperhourordayand
thehoursofoperation.Capacitymaybeexpandedbyestablishingandadvertising additionaltoll-
freenumbersoraddinglinestotheexistingtoll-freenumber.
MaybelinkedtotheCaliforniaStateGovernor’sOfficeofEmergencyServicesSafety
InformationandReferralLine(800-550-5234)ortheCDC’sPublicHotline(888-246-
2675/English,888-246-2857/Spanish,866-874-2646/TTY). Thesehotlinesareupdated
frequentlyandcanbeavaluableresourceforcallersneedingadditionalinformationonan incident.
 Answeredbytrainedstaffthatcanreassurecallers,providerequestedinformation,and/or
refercallersasneeded. Pre-scriptedinformationisused.Anoutsidevendorishired,if
necessarytoprovidephoneassistance.
Disseminatespreapprovedscriptedmaterialsonmultiplesubjects.Materialsare:
o Specifictotheemergencyandthecommunityimpact.
o Easytoreadandunderstandable.
o Availablein multiplelanguagesbasedoncommunityneeds.
o Arefieldtestedforculturalsensitivityandpreferences(ifpossibleinan
emergency).
Serviceisevaluatedforcustomersatisfaction,responsecapacity,accuracy,etc.
 Callmanagersaretrainedtoquicklyintegratenewinformationintotheiremergency
responses.
10.2 PHDEMERGENCYWEBSITE
PHDmaintainsalocalintranetaccessibletoemployees. Emergencyinformationcanbe
distributedtoemployeesusingthePHDintranet.
Emergencyinformationto thepublicmaybedistributedoverthecountywebsite. Currently,
HHSAcanpostemergencyinformationonthecountywebsitehomepage,withalinktoan
internalpage. ThecountywebsiteismanagedbytheCountyPIO.
PHDInformationTechnologyServices(ITS)personnelassignedtotheCommunications/ITUnit
oftheHHSADOCareresponsibleforthetechnicalsupporttopostPHDemergencyinformation

34. RevisedJanuary2009
onthecountywebsite. Currently,ITSpersonnelalsopostandupdateinformationtothe
website(s)forHHSA.
ThePublicHealthOfficerhasauthoritytoapproveinformationpostedtotheemployeeintranet
andtothecountywebsiteduringpublichealthemergencies. TheHHSAPIOandHealth
Educatorprepareinformation,messages,andalertspostedonwebsites.
Additionally,aCountyOfficeofEmergencyServices(OES)and/ortheCountyAdministrator’s
Office(CAO)governmentwebsitemaybeusedtopostemergencyinformation.
10.3 WEBSITEINFORMATION
Emergencyinformationisposted:
WithinonetotwohoursofactivatingtheHHSADOCorEOCfortheevent.
Updateasfrequentlyasinformationchanges.Thiscouldbehourly.
Theemergencywebsitecontainsthefollowinginformation:
 AletterfromthePublicHealthOfficerandHHSADirector-toacknowledgetheevent
anddescriberesponseplans.
Newsaboutthesituation.
Resources–informationaldocuments,whetheroriginalorreachedviaalink.
 Links–includinglinkstolists,informationpages,orhomepagesofemergencyproviders
includingtheCaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealthandtheEmergencyPreparedness Office.
 Emergencycontactinformation,includingemergencyhotlinenumbersforthefollowing,
asdictatedbythenatureoftheemergency:
oOES
oCDC
oRedCross
oImmunizationinformation
oCHP(inthecaseofevacuationsorquarantine/isolation)

35. RevisedJanuary2009
oOtherhotlinesasrelevant
GeneralInformation/Factsheets:
o Factsheetsonthenatureofthe Bioterrorismagentorthenatureofthe disaster
oAirsafety
oFood&watersafety
oOthersafetytipsspecifictothenatureofthecrisis
oHealthprecautions
oMedicalrepercussions
oPertinenthazmatinformation
oHelpingchildrentocope
oPetsandtheemergency
oRecovery:copingin theaftermathofthedisaster
oCleaningupin theaftermathofthedisaster
EmergencyResponse:
oAdditionalinformationonevacuation/quarantine/isolation
oInformationonmassvaccinationclinics
oTrafficandfreewaysincludingevacuationroutes
oStockpileinformation(includingvaccinationclinics)
oPertinentemergencyfirstaid/traumaresponse
AssistanceInformation:
oShelterarrangements
oWheretogoforassistance

36. RevisedJanuary2009
oFEMA
oDepartmentofInsurance
10.4 WEBSITEDEACTIVATION
Thecountywebsite withHHSAemergencyinformationremainsactivethroughouttherecovery
phaseoftheevent,whichmaybeaslongasayear. Continualupdatesaremaintainedbythe
HHSAPIOandITSpersonnel. TheHHSAPIOandITSpersonnelalsoprovidenewinformation
andupdatedinformationto theCountyAdministrator’sOffice(CAO)countywebsiteandthe
OESwebsite,asnecessaryduringresponseandrecovery.
10.5 SPECIALPOPULATIONS
1
Specialpopulationsarethosethataredifferentanduniquefromthegeneralpopulation.
Communicationsmustbeadaptedtophysicalormentalhandicaps,languagebarriers,income
gapsandotherfactors. Specificinformationonreachingspecialpopulationsin NapaCountyin listedin
AttachmentC.
Specialpopulationsthatmustbereachedduringemergenciesmayinclude:
LimitedLiteracy
NinetymillionAmericans,approximately45percentoftheadultpopulation,arefunctionally illiterate.
Thismeanstheyareunabletocomprehendprintedinformation. When
communicatingwithindividualswithlimitedliteracy,besureto:
Information(oralorwritten)mustbepresentedatalowliteracylevel(i.e.5th
gradelevel.)
 CommunicatewithTVnewsoutletstoensure importantphonenumbersarenotonly
postedontheTVscreen,butalsoannouncesslowlyandrepeated frequentlyforpeople
whocannotreadthescreen.
 Considerholdingpublicforumswhereinformationcanbepassedonthroughword-of-
mouth,ratherthaninawrittenform.
1
AdaptedfromtheCERCToolkit,CaliforniaDepartmentofHealthServices

37. RevisedJanuary2009
Homeless
Communicatingwiththehomelessinemergenciesrequiresthat:
Emergencyinformationflyersorpublicnoticesarepostedin publicareas.
 Homelesssheltersarenotifiedabouttheemergencyandwhatneedstobedoneto
ensuresafetytothegeneralpublic.
ImmigrantsandNon-EnglishSpeakers(LimitedEnglishProficiency)
Morethan25millionadultsintheUnitedStatesspeakaprimarylanguageotherthanEnglish.
Ofthose,morethanfivemillionindicatedthattheyspeakEnglish“notwell”or“notatall.”In
California,40percentofadultsspeakalanguageotherthanEnglishathome.In NapaCounty,
approximately25,675(or20percent)oftheresidentsspeakalanguageotherthanEnglishat
home(Spanish:22,590;Tagalog:1,255;French:965;andGerman:865)2
.Whencommunicating
withnon-Englishspeakers,besureto:
 Havetranslationservicesidentifiedinadvanceofanemergencysomaterialsand
informationcanquicklybetranslatedifanincidentoccurs.
Identifyspokespersonswhocanaddressnon-Englishspeakers.
Includenon-Englishmessagesonemergencyhotlinenumbers.
Includenon-Englishprint,televisionandradiomediaonyourmediadistributionlists.
 Besurethatmaterialstargetingnon-Englishspeakerstakeintoconsiderationcultural
sensitivity,includingtone,wordsorphrasesused.
VisuallyImpaired
Thereareanestimated10millionblindorvisuallyimpairedpeoplelivingintheUnitedStates.
Ofthisnumber,approximately1.3millionarelegallyblind,whichisdefinedashavingaclinically
measuredvisualacuityof20/200inthebettereyewithbestcorrection,oravisualfieldof20
degreesorless.Whencommunicatingwithvisuallyimpairedindividuals,besureto:
 AdvocatethatTVnewsnotonlypostimportantphonenumbersbutalsoannouncethem
slowlyandrepeatthemfrequentlyforpeoplewhocannotreadthescreen.
IdentifyaBrailletranslationservicesoemergencymaterialscanbepreparedin Braille.
2
Center forDiseaseControl,2008data

38. RevisedJanuary2009
HearingImpaired
OneintenAmericansisaffectedbyhearinglossordeafness. Therearevaryingdegreesof
hearingimpairmentrangingfrominabilitytohearspecificsoundstocompletedeafness.When
communicatingwiththehearingimpaired,besureto:
 EncouragelocalTVstationstobroadcastallnewsandemergencyinformationina
formatthatenableshearingimpairedindividualstoreadcaptions.
 Secureasign-languageinterpreterfornewsconferences,publicforumsorotherevents
whereemergencyinformationisbeingcommunicated.
Disabled
Adisabledpersonissomeonewhohasaphysicalormentalimpairmentthatsubstantiallylimits
oneormoremajorlifeactivities. Whencommunicatingwithindividualswhoaredisabled,be sureto:
 Collaboratewithlocalorganizationsandgovernmentofficesthatassistdisabledpersons suchas
assistedlivingfacilities,independentlivingcentersandyourlocalDepartmentof Rehabilitation.
 Prepareanddisseminatemessagesthatprovideinformationonresourcesavailableto
helppeoplewithmentalandphysicaldisabilitiesintermsofshelteraccess,
transportationandsupportservicesduringanemergencyorincident.
Elderly
Anelderlypersonisdefinedassomeonewhois60yearsofageorolder.Someelderlypersons
mighthavehearingorvisionproblemsandothersmightuseacaneorwheelchair. When
communicatingwiththeelderly,besureto:
 Collaboratewithlocalorganizationsandgovernmentofficesthatassistelderlypersons suchas
carehomes,assistedlivingfacilities,independentlivingcentersandyourlocal
DepartmentofAging.
 Prepareanddisseminatemessagesthatprovideinformationonresourcesavailableto
helptheelderlyintermsofshelteraccess,transportationandsupportservicesduring
theemergencyorincident.
 Encourageelderlypersonsto keepalistofemergencycontactsandmedicationssothis
informationiseasilyaccessiblein theeventofanemergency.
Children

39. WaysToReachTheGeneralPublic
Radio/Television Mail
Schools(flyer) VolunteerFireDept.
Newspaper Police/FireDispatch
MobileBroadcast/PA Airplaneflyover
Bullhorns(policecars) CellPhone(providertextmessage)
Highwaysigns(AmberAlert) C.E.R.T.(volunteernetworks&centers)
Alertmedicalassociations Airportsignage
EmergencyBroadcast Communityneighborhoodwatchgroups
ERBroadcast Churches/Synagogues/Mosques
CountyWebsite(non-profitcoalitions) Gas&busstations
Internettobusinesses Culturalclubs/networks/communitycenters
LargeEmployers Grocerystores/Wal-Mart
LocalJurisdictionsPIO's Hotels/motels
PhoneTrees(automatedcomm.alert) VolunteerCenters
PhoneTree(throughchurches) PublicTransportation
RevisedJanuary2009
Thereareanestimated290millionchildrenundertheageof18livingintheUnitedStates.More
than9millionliveinCalifornia.Childrenarehighlyinquisitiveandintuitiveandneedtobegiven
informationonaconsistentbasis. Whencommunicatingwithchildren,besureto:
 Recognizethatchildrenhaveinformationneedsjustlikeanyothersegmentofthe
population.Provideage-appropriate,child-friendlymaterialsineasy-to-understandterms
thatcanbeabsorbedbychildren.
 Identifyschools,childcareorganizationsandothersthatservechildrentodisseminate
information.

40. RevisedJanuary2009
11. LOCALMEDIACONTACT LIST
ForallothermediainformationcontacttheNapaCountyOfficeofEmergencyServices’
PublicInformationOfficer:
Phone-(707)253-4111
NAPACOUNTYRADIO FAX#s
KVON/KVYN 226-7544
KXTS(SpanishRadio) 258-8744
Radio96.7 588-0777
TELEVISION
Channel28 257-0581
Channel50KFTY(SantaRosa) 545-5040
NAPACOUNTYPRESS
NapaValleyRegister 224-3963
Sentinel 257-3035
YountvilleSun 944-5675
AngwinNews 965-6504
St.HelenaStar 963-8957
WeeklyCalistogan 942-4617
CalistogaTribune:Preferemails:
editor@calistogatribune.com
942-6508

41. RevisedJanuary2009
AmericanCanyonECHO:Emailsonly-
jdmsalas@aol.com
CitiesinNapaCounty
AmericanCanyon 642-1249
Calistoga 942-0732
Napa 257-9534
St.Helena 963-7748
Yountville 944-9619