Chapter 7 - Maintenance Messages during a Health Emergency

Summary

After the first 24–48 hours of a health emergency, the health emergency enters the maintenance phase. During the maintenance phase health officials provide maintenance messages that contain deeper risk explanations, promote interventions, continue to make commitments to the community, and address rumors and misinformation. Health emergencies often spend a lot of time in the maintenance phase, so it is imperative that emergency risk communicators provide clear, coordinated, and consistent messages about the health risks. By communicating credible, accurate, and actionable health information, a health agency can demonstrate the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) principles of Be First, Be Right, Be Credible, Show Respect, Express Empathy, and Promote Action. The chapter provides practical steps on how to write maintenance messages and provides quick response communication planning and implementation steps such as identifying communication objectives, audiences, key messages, and channels and developing communication products/materials. This chapter also includes key tips related to spokespeople, partner agencies, and call centers to ensure message consistency is achieved during the response. The rumor management framework is highlighted. A student case study analyzes the Mpox outbreak in Louisiana using the CERC framework. Reflection questions are included at the end of the chapter.