Crisis communication: Community first

The Times-Standard recently raised a concern about the way reporters are receiving COVID-19 information from the county’s Joint Information Center (JIC). The specific complaint relates to a plan implemented by JIC staff to provide five-daysa-week access to top emergency officials by soliciting questions from media outlets, answering those questions on video, and then distributing that video response publicly, to reporters and other residents alike. The stated limit on questions is two per outlet per day, but reporters almost always ask more than two, and we make every effort to answer them all.

We at the JIC were the first to note that this system is not ideal. Ideally we could hold news conferences every day, but the Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich’s shelter-in-place order and social distancing requirements prevent that. Ideally incident managers would participate in phone interviews with every reporter who has a question to ask, but the reality is we don’t have the time. This is a small county, and for most of us, emergency management is not our primary occupation. We often still have our regular jobs to do, and setting aside additional time every day for one-off interviews is simply not possible. So instead, we decided to innovate.

The first thing we did was discontinue participation in media inquiries from outside our operational area. Our first obligation is to the residents of Humboldt County, and that’s where we choose to focus.

Second, we set up the daily video Q&A with reporters referenced above, the results of which are distributed countywide. We do this five days a week — three with Dr. Frankovich and two with Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal.

I can’t emphasize enough that we make all of our materials available not just to reporters but to every member of the public through our website, humboldtgov.org. The county’s Emergency Operations Plan states that the goal of the JIC is “to provide accurate, timely, and coordinated information to the public and the media,” and those are our priorities, in that order. We appreciate the media’s assistance in amplifying lifesaving information and respect their role as watchdogs, but we don’t work for them. We work for the residents of Humboldt County, and our fundamental goal is to communicate to every individual in our community as directly as possible. The operational actions we’ve taken reflect this priority:

• The JIC is staffing a sevenperson call center that answers calls and emails on any COVIDrelated topic 11 hours a day Monday through Friday and 7 hours on Saturday. Since the incident began, we have answered almost 2,500 phone calls and emails directly from the public. English, Spanish and Hmong speakers are available.

• We’re issuing lab reports six times weekly and posting those to our website at humboldtgov.org.

• We’re tracking and reporting trends and transmission information six times weekly and posting that to our website as well.

• Based on the public and media inquiries, we’re drafting and posting pages of FAQs, in both English and Spanish, covering a wide range of topics.

• We’re recording and issuing brief videos each day that address a single question of particular interest that has been asked on social media or through our call center.

• To ensure the message reaches every member of our community, our messages and materials are designed to be accessible for those with visual and other barriers.

• We’ve posted more than 350 social media posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube in English, Spanish and Hmong.

• We held a town hall meeting with five county representatives that was moderated by a local reporter who asked questions both from media representatives and from members of the community. County officials have participated in additional town halls and will continue to do so as the incident develops.

The Times-Standard is requesting readers to send in questions and concerns about the virus, and we encourage you to do so. We all want the same thing: for people to be informed. The fastest and easiest way to get information about the virus is to connect to our website, humboldtgov. org. If you have other questions or concerns, we are answering calls and emails in real time Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Just call 707-441-5000 or email us at COVIDInfo@ co.humboldt.ca.us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.