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"PROTECTING THE PROTECTORS"
Medical, psychological & environmental surveillance needs for workers involved in incident response under the National Response Plan. Click on the links below to learn more about the 2-day conference that was held on September 27th and 28th. More Details Conference Summary Response Worker Health and Safety in a Post-Katrina World : Protecting the Protectors A Webcast Presentation by Dr. Glenn Paulson, Director, NJCPHP (Original broadcast date - 10.25.05) |
Risk
Communication Corner
July 27th 2005
Dear Visitor:
Welcome to the Risk Communication Corner of the website for the New Jersey Center for Public Health Preparedness (NJCPHP) at UMDNJ. We may not always realize it, but risk communication is a vital component of every day life, framed in the context of many of today's most pressing debates. From childhood vaccination and autism risk to bioterrorism to Mad Cow Disease in American cattle to biotechnology/genetically-modified (GM) foods, risk communication is everywhere. This website will provide an overview of this diverse discipline, explaining what it is, what it aims to accomplish and where it can be found in today's news. Furthermore, a list of all the risk communication articles related to public health that the NJCPHP has come across is also provided, in the form of a bibliography and searchable database. Thus, you will be able to search for (and in some cases, download) articles from our collection. Finally, under our "Resources" page, you can view the latest education materials on risk communication and witness how current and future public health professionals will be trained in this key area.
Risk communication is about information and informed decision-making. To that end, it is one of the "bottom lines" in public health - providing health information to help individuals make the best possible choice about the many risks we face today.
Enjoy this valuable resource and feel free to contact me with any questions. It has truly been a pleasure putting this website together.
Sincerely,
Chris Clarke
New Jersey Center for Public Health Preparedness
UMDNJ - School of Public Health
Ph: (732) 235-9096
Fx: (732) 235-2051
E-mail: cclarke@aesop.rutgers.edu
“The
post-9/11 era is
characterized by the experience of large-scale, coordinated terrorism
with
massive loss of life, continuous media discussion of potential threats,
frequent alerts…more or less constant news about Al-Qaeda activities,
and
regular discussion of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear
agents. Terrorism, in short, is more a
part of American life and American consciousness that ever before…in
such a
context, communication…becomes a life or death matter.”
- Henderson, J.N.,
Henderson, J.C.,
Raskob, G.E., Boatright, D.T.
2004. Chemical (VX) Terrorist
Threat: Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Responses.
Biosecurity and Bioterrorism:
Biodefense Strategy, Practice and
Science,
2(3): 1-5.
We face numerous risk communication issues today.....
* photos courtesy of CNN - http://www.cnn.com*
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The threat of terrorism |
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Vaccines and autism risk |
Mad Cow Disease |
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Bioterrorism |
Biotechnology |
July 27th 2005
Dear Visitor:
Welcome to the Risk Communication Corner of the website for the New Jersey Center for Public Health Preparedness (NJCPHP) at UMDNJ. We may not always realize it, but risk communication is a vital component of every day life, framed in the context of many of today's most pressing debates. From childhood vaccination and autism risk to bioterrorism to Mad Cow Disease in American cattle to biotechnology/genetically-modified (GM) foods, risk communication is everywhere. This website will provide an overview of this diverse discipline, explaining what it is, what it aims to accomplish and where it can be found in today's news. Furthermore, a list of all the risk communication articles related to public health that the NJCPHP has come across is also provided, in the form of a bibliography and searchable database. Thus, you will be able to search for (and in some cases, download) articles from our collection. Finally, under our "Resources" page, you can view the latest education materials on risk communication and witness how current and future public health professionals will be trained in this key area.
Risk communication is about information and informed decision-making. To that end, it is one of the "bottom lines" in public health - providing health information to help individuals make the best possible choice about the many risks we face today.
Enjoy this valuable resource and feel free to contact me with any questions. It has truly been a pleasure putting this website together.
Sincerely,
Chris Clarke
New Jersey Center for Public Health Preparedness
UMDNJ - School of Public Health
Ph: (732) 235-9096
Fx: (732) 235-2051
E-mail: cclarke@aesop.rutgers.edu
What
Is Risk Communication?
Just as there are many definitions, so too are there many goals of risk communication, including:
"Enable individuals to "make informed…decisions for themselves and their community."
"Dispel myths…reduce fears, and, in times of crisis, to alert the pubic and provide directions for urgent action."
To learn more about risk communication definitions....
Covello, V. 2003, April. Risk Communication: Effectively Communicating with the Media During a Public Health Crisis. Saint Louis University Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness. http://www.slu.edu/centers/heartland. (CD-ROM presentation).
Trautman, T.D. 2001. Risk Communication – The Perceptions and Realities. Food Additives and Contaminants, 18(12), 1130-1134.
McCally, M., Garg. (2001). The Challenges of Emerging Illness in Urban Environments: An Overview. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 78(2), 350-358.
Rudd, R., Comings. 2003. Leave No One Behind: Improving Health and Risk Communication Through Attention to Literacy. Journal of Health Communication, 8, 101-115.
Trautman, T.D. 2001. Risk Communication – The Perceptions and Realities. Food Additives and Contaminants, 18(12), 1130-1134.
Risk communication has many
definitions. Two basic ones are:
1) “An
interactive process of exchange
of information and opinion among individuals, groups and
institutions. It involves…messages about the nature of risk and
other messages not strictly about risk…that expresses concerns,
opinions or reactions to risk messages…..”
2) "The exchange of information among interested parties about the nature, magnitude, significance or control of risk .”
2) "The exchange of information among interested parties about the nature, magnitude, significance or control of risk .”
Just as there are many definitions, so too are there many goals of risk communication, including:
"Enable individuals to "make informed…decisions for themselves and their community."
"Dispel myths…reduce fears, and, in times of crisis, to alert the pubic and provide directions for urgent action."
To learn more about risk communication definitions....
Covello, V. 2003, April. Risk Communication: Effectively Communicating with the Media During a Public Health Crisis. Saint Louis University Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness. http://www.slu.edu/centers/heartland. (CD-ROM presentation).
Trautman, T.D. 2001. Risk Communication – The Perceptions and Realities. Food Additives and Contaminants, 18(12), 1130-1134.
McCally, M., Garg. (2001). The Challenges of Emerging Illness in Urban Environments: An Overview. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 78(2), 350-358.
Rudd, R., Comings. 2003. Leave No One Behind: Improving Health and Risk Communication Through Attention to Literacy. Journal of Health Communication, 8, 101-115.
Trautman, T.D. 2001. Risk Communication – The Perceptions and Realities. Food Additives and Contaminants, 18(12), 1130-1134.
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HIGHLIGHTS |
| "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza: Ecology, Pathology, and Public Health" A presentation by Dr. Jeanne Fair PFLASH: Practical Front-Line Assistance for Support and Healing Training event on June 8, 2006 Local Needs and Preparedness for WMD Incidents: The Current – and Sobering - US Picture A Presentation by Dr. Glenn Paulson, Director, NJCPHP |
