October 1, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Resources to aid news media in understanding and relaying accurate information regarding bioterrorism and emerging infections is the focus of a new initiative of the South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness. The center, a joint program of the schools of public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Tulane University, was established in 2002 to assist partnering states — Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana — in improving its public health infrastructure.
The center is funded at $2 million a year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cost of the new media resources project is $300,000 for this year. “Last year, our focus was primarily on training needs assessments and developing Web-based training courses,” said Dr. Michael Maetz, professor of epidemiology at UAB and co-director of the center. “The development of media resources is a new facet that will expand and complement our activities thus far.”
An examination of communications during the anthrax attacks of 2001 spawned the idea for a media “toolbox.” “Public health officials weren’t prepared to respond right away, therefore, in some cases, media turned to less reliable sources as ‘experts’, consequently reporting misleading or inaccurate information,” Maetz said. “Since then, bioterrorism preparedness has been a top priority for agencies and public health officials but little has been done to address media awareness and preparedness.”
Working with the School of Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama, the center will begin by identifying and bringing together an advisory group of media representatives, public information officers from public and private sectors and members of the scientific community. “Together, we’ll clarify what resources are needed, then we’ll develop the materials for the media ‘toolbox’,” Maetz said. “Having major input from media should ensure resources are useful.”
The South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness is one of 21 centers comprising a nationwide network to prepare the nation’s public health and healthcare workforces to respond to bioterrorist attacks and emerging health threats. In addition to the new project, ongoing center activities include distance learning courses offered online, video and satellite conferencing, community-based health education initiatives, and curriculum development for graduate public health schools focused in the areas of bioterrorism, infectious diseases and emerging infections.