The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #39689

Sandra Crouse Quinn, PhD¹, Joan E. Haley, MEd², Alice Kindling, MSHyg³, Guillermo Cole³, and Gail S. Cairns, MPH². (1) Dept of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 230 Parran Hall, 130 DeSoto St, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, 412-624-3124, squinn@pitt.edu, (2) Pennsylvania & Ohio Public Health Training Center, University of Pittsburgh, 130 DeSoto Street, A726 Crabtree Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, (3) Allegheny County Health Department, 3333 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

At the end of this session, each participant will be able to: 1. Plan a campaign to communicate with the public about bioterrorism and other disaster threats; and 2. Identify successful components of a public campaign to raise awareness of public health.

APHA and other public health organizations are committed to raising public awareness and support for public health. In fact, goal 2 of APHA’s Strategic Plan: 1997-2000, was to stimulate public support for public health. The September 11 attack and the subsequent anthrax cases created a spontaneous public dialogue about the public health infrastructure, presenting new opportunities and challenges to communicate public health. Additionally, the literature on bioterrorism suggests that the public can be enlisted as a productive ally in the face of such threats if public health agencies communicate before an event, enlist partners amongst community groups, and provide empathetic communication with suggested action steps for the public. In response to the terrorism threat, the Graduate School of Public Health, the Allegheny County Health Department, local media, and community organizations in Pittsburgh joined together to develop and implement a campaign to raise public awareness about public health and assist local citizens in understanding and preparing for any bioterrorist threats. The coalition developed partnerships that contributed to multiple opportunities to market public health. These efforts utilized message concepts from a CDC study in 1994 on marketing public health as well as integrated the language of the essential public health services. This session will present products of the campaign, and offer lessons for others that wish to initiate a campaign.

Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, each participant will be able to

• Plan a campaign to communicate with the public about bioterrorism and other disaster threats; and
• Identify successful components of a public campaign to raise awareness of public health.

Keywords: Bioterrorism, Media Campaigns

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.