COVID-19 Pandemic Toolkit

During the COVID-19 crisis, Mayo Clinic researcher Jane W. Njeru, M.B., Ch.B., led a team to improve understanding and implementation of pandemic-specific crisis and emergency risk communication. The team's work was grounded in the recognition that communities that have been historically underserved, including racial and ethnic minority populations, were disproportionately impacted by the virus. Individuals from these populations often experienced communication barriers influenced by factors such as socioeconomic disadvantage, limited health literacy, immigration status and English language proficiency. These barriers were further exacerbated by language and cultural differences, as well as long-standing mistrust in healthcare institutions.

Research and community leaders used the Rochester Healthy Community Partnership-Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (RHCP-CERC) framework to build the program's COVID-19 Pandemic Toolkit. Using bidirectional CERC helped program partners enhance subsequent messaging, leverage resources to meet community needs and advise regional decision-makers.

Community and academic partners used this approach to develop COVID-19 message maps. Message content focused on three constructs:

  • COVID-19 prevention and containment.
  • COVID-19 testing.
  • Social and economic impacts of COVID-19.

The toolkit employs a variety of media products to communicate constructs and processes that are critical for the successful implementation of both the RHCP-CERC framework and the partnering that is foundational for such implementation. Links to useful resources, as well as a library that includes message maps and other media products used for COVID-19 CERC, are included.

The toolkit prioritizes both risk communications and health assessments by community communication leaders. Risk communications included information on COVID-19 prevention and containment — for example, social distancing and hand hygiene — as well as COVID-19 testing. Heath assessments involved topics such as COVID-19 health concerns and questions as well as the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 — for example, food or housing insecurity from business closures and job losses.

Bilingual communications leaders tapped their social networks to deliver messages in six languages that were delivered by bilingual communication leaders within their social networks. Messages were mostly delivered electronically — for example, via social media, text messaging and voice calls. Communication leaders solicited community health and socioeconomic concerns through the same platforms. The partnership then discussed and reviewed questions that arose from the community.

While the crisis communications and resource toolkit were developed for the pandemic, they are transferable to any health threat crises.