Gretchen Michael, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, presented these slides at a Federal Communicators Network event on February 6, 2014.

1. United States Department of
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
Using Risk Communications
in a Crisis
Federal Communicators Network
February 6, 2014
Gretchen Michael, JD
Director of Communications
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
U.S. Department of Health and Human Service
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2. ASPR brings together policy, science, and
emergency operations
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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3. Events are unpredictable, and each is a chance
to improve for the next
Bioterrorism
Act
2001 2002
National
Health
Security
Strategy
PAHPA
Project BioShield
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
H1N1
Pandemic
MCM
Enterprise
Review
2010
2011
Deepwater
Horizon
2012
2011
Tornadoes
2013
H7N9
Boston
bombings
9/11 and
Anthrax
Katrina, Rita,
Wilma
Re-emerging
H5N1
Japan Earthquake
Nuclear Event
Ike, Gustav
Haiti
earthquake
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
Hurricanes
Isaac and
Sandy
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4. Being a resilient nation takes all of us
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.

5. Anatomy of a Crisis
• Uncertainty
• Heightened public emotions
•
•
(fear, anxiety, denial, outrage)
Limited access to facts
Rumor, gossip, speculation,
assumption, and inference
• = Unstable information
environment
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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6. Risk
• Risk – a threat to that which we value
─
─
─
─
─
─
─
Individual health and well-being
Loved ones
Property
Job
Reputation
Credit rating
Personal information
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7. Risk Perception
• Scientists, risk managers, businesses, etc:
─ Evidence-based
• General public:
─
─
─
─
─
─
Personal
Social
Cultural
Moral
Psychological
Emotional
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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8. Influences on the Acceptability of Risk
Less Acceptable:
Low trust
Benefits not clear
Not controllable
Involuntary exposure
No alternatives
Unfair distribution
Dreaded consequence
Affects children
Human origin
High media concern
High symbolism
More Acceptable:
High trust
Benefits understood
Individual control
Voluntary exposure
Alternatives available
Fair distribution
Common consequence
Affects everyone
Natural origin
Low media concern
Low symbolism
• Source: Slovic, Fischhoff et al
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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9. Risk Perception
Lifetime risk of dying from…
Heart Disease
1 in 5
Cancer
1 in 7
Stroke
1 in 24
Car Accident
1 in 84
Fall
1 in 200
Drowning
1 in 1,100
Commercial Aircraft
1 in 5,000
Lighting
1 in 80,000
Shark Attack
1 in 3,750,000
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10. What is Crisis Communications?
• Communications activities of an organization or agency
facing a crisis
• Typically, a crisis
─
─
─
─
Occurs unexpectedly
May not be in the organization’s control
Requires an immediate response
May cause harm to the organization’s reputation, image or
viability
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.

11. Risk Communications
• Exchange of information about real or perceived threats
• Provides information on expected positive/negative
outcomes and their probability
• Empowers decision making
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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12. What is Risk Communications?
• Through risk communications, the communicator hopes to provide
the audience with information about the expected type (good or bad)
and magnitude (weak or strong) of an outcome from a behavior or
exposure.
• Typically, through risk communications, the communicator hopes to
provide the audience with information about adverse
outcomes, including probabilities of those outcomes occurring.
─ Should I undergo a medical treatment?
─ What are the risks of living next to a nuclear power plant?
─ Do I elect to vaccinate a healthy baby against whooping cough
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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13. Today’s Media Environment
• Global, instant ―breaking news‖ environment
• In United States alone, 70,000 media outlets
• News cycle is 24/7 no news cycle;
• deadlines are immediate.
• Social media
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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14. Social Media
Uses
• Messaging
• Monitoring
• Surveillance
• Instantaneous and
unfiltered
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15. Putting Principles into Practice
• Express empathy and caring
• Acknowledge people’s fear
• Explain what you know AND
•
•
•
•
what you don’t know
Don’t over reassure
Be honest, frank and open
Give people actions they can
take
Make a public commitment to
gather and share information
as it becomes available
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16. 2009 H1N1 Flu Communications
Strategy
• The HHS response to 2009 H1N1 pandemic
was led by science and continually evolved to
meet the nation’s needs as events unfolded
and more information became available
•
HHS’ mission to protect public health was
supported by a communication strategy that is
based on the emergency risk communications
principles of quickly, proactively and
transparently communicating accurate
information to the public and partners.
•
We decided that, as the most trusted source
for public health information, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention would be the
day-to-day face of information about the 2009
H1N1 Pandemic
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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17. 2009 H1N1 Principles
• As the most trusted source for public health information,
•
•
•
we decided that the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention would be the day-to-day face of information
about the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic
This strategy included stating clearly goals and actions in
response to the evolving situation and acknowledging
what was NOT known.
We also tried to set expectations that information and
advice would change quickly as the situation evolved.
Developed Flu.gov, a one-stop-shop across for the
federal government for all information on H1N1 influenza
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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18. Risk Communications is used in the
public sector and the private sector
Dear Target Guest,
As you may have heard or read, Target learned in midWhat you
December that criminals forced their way into our
know and
systems and took guest information, including debit and what you
credit card data. Late last week, as part of our ongoing don’t know
investigation, we learned that additional information,
including name, mailing address, phone number or
email address, was also taken. I am writing to make
Honesty
you aware that your name, mailing address, phone
number or email address may have been taken during
the intrusion.
Empathy
I am truly sorry this incident occurred and sincerely
regret any inconvenience it may cause you. Because
we value you as a guest and your trust is important to
us, Target is offering one year of free credit monitoring
How to protect
to all Target guests who shopped in U.S. stores,
yourself
through Experian’s® ProtectMyID® product which
includes identity theft insurance where available. …
Thank you for your patience and loyalty to Target. You
can find additional information and FAQs about this
Where to go
incident at our Target.com/databreach website. If you
for more
have further questions, you may call us at ….
information
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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19. Resources
• Crisis and Emergency Risk
•
•
•
Communications
CDC training program—in
person or on-demand online
Draws from lessons learned
during public health
emergencies and incorporates
best practices from the fields
of risk and crisis
communication
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/cerc/
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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20. ASPR on the Web
PHE.gov:
www.phe.gov
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/phegov
PHE.gov Newsroom:
www.phe.gov/newsroom
YouTube:
www.youtube.com/phegov
Flickr:
www.flickr.com/phegov
Twitter:
twitter.com/phegov
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