ROCKBRIDGE AREA HEALTH CENTER CONFIDENTIAL CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLAN

Created: March 2015

Last Revised: April 2015    

   

25 Northridge Lane Lexington, VA 24450

540-464-8700 rockahc.org

By Sarah Scaffidi

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction……………………………………………….………………..2 Acknowledgements……………………………………….………………..3 Rehearsal Dates…………………………………………………………….5 Crisis Inventory…………………………………………………………….5 Potential Crises and Corresponding Scores…………………………6 Likelihood & Impact Chart…………………………………………………8 Prodromes…………………………………………………………………..8 Purpose, Objective, and Goals……………………………………….……..9 List of Key Publics………………………………………………….……..10 Notifying Publics………………………………………………….……….12 Press Release Template……………..………………………………13 Identifying the Media Spokesperson………………………………………14 Key Messages……………………………………………………….……..14 Guidelines for News Releases and Social Media…………………….……15 Crisis Posture………………………………………………………..15 Crisis Procedure……………………………………………………………16 Crisis Management Team………………………………………………….17 Crisis Directory…………………………………………………………….18 List of Emergency Personnel………………………………………………19 List of Local Officials……………………………………………………...20 List of Key Media………………………………………………...………..21 Spokespersons for Related Organizations…………………………………22 Crisis Communication Control Center…………………………………….23 Pre-gathered Information…………………………………………………..24 Website and Facebook……………………………………………………..24 Media Training…………………………………………………………….25 Post-Crisis Evaluation Form……………………………………………….27 Appendix A: Phone Tree……………………….…………………….……28 Appendix B: Incident Report Form……………………….………….……29 Appendix C: Helpful URLs for Contagious Illness………………………..30 Appendix D: Stock Photos……………………………..……….………….31 Sources……………………………………………………………………..33

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INTRODUCTION Dear Rockbridge Area Health Center employees, As you know well, we work very hard to serve the Rockbridge community and ensure that everyone has access to comprehensive, coordinated health care. As important as these goals are to our organization and the community, it is essential that the RAHC is prepared in the event of a crisis. This plan outlines the roles, responsibilities and protocols that will guide the health center through its public response to an emergency or crisis. This plan is part of the Rockbridge Area Health Center’s Safety Plan, administered by the Chief Executive Officer. For the purpose of this plan, a crisis is an unexpected event that the public perceives to be threatening. It can prompt significant news coverage, and has the potential to damage an organization’s reputation. Therefore, it is essential to have a plan in place to communicate with stakeholders and reassure them that the situation is under control. The nature of the health center as a community organization is such that many sectors of the public are interested and invested in it. These are the publics that the plan is designed to communicate with. (For a complete list, see page 12). In order for the plan to be successful, all of our employees must understand protocol and their roles in responding to the crisis. Please read the plan and contact Suzanne Sheridan or myself if you have any questions. Best, _________________________________________ Katy Datz, Director of Development and Outreach

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Below are the signatures of the Rockbridge Area Health Center (RAHC) staff, acknowledging that they have read and understood the RAHC Crisis Communication Plan. __________________________________________ Katy Datz, Director of Development and Outreach, Spokesperson _________________________________________ Suzanne Sheridan, Chief Executive Officer _________________________________________ Jane Sailer, MD, Chief Medical Officer _________________________________________ Michele Hentz, Finance Manager _________________________________________ Mary Looney, Compliance Officer _________________________________________ Kelly Balthaser, Outreach and Enrollment Supervisor _________________________________________ Kyle Reed-Edwards, Outreach and Enrollment Specialist _________________________________________ Lynne Paxton, Front Desk Supervisor _________________________________________ Wanda Agnor, Front Desk Receptionist _________________________________________ Jill Camden, Front Office Receptionist _________________________________________ Tammy Camden, Front Office Receptionist _________________________________________ Teresa Zollman, Front Office Assistant _________________________________________ Emily Byers, Medication Assistance Program Coordinator

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_________________________________________ Monica Fogelberg, Patient Services Coordinator _________________________________________ Kirk Luder, Psychiatrist _________________________________________ Annie Robinson, Licensed Clinical Social Worker _________________________________________ Helen Farrar, Behavioral Health Counselor _________________________________________ Jean Magee, Hygenist _________________________________________ Angie Hamilton, Nurse Practitioner _________________________________________ Chalona Tomlin, Nurse Practitioner _________________________________________ Gwen Abdulhafid, Nurse Practitioner _________________________________________ Stuart Fargiano, Dental Program Manager _________________________________________ Erin Farabaugh Cassilly, Dentist _________________________________________ Cherylann Ward, Dental Assistant _________________________________________ Tori Brown-Lipscomb, Dental Assistant _________________________________________ Vicki Turner, In Person Assister _________________________________________ Justin Skinner, In Person Assister

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REHEARSAL DATES Rehearsals for a contagious airborne illness will take place twice each year. As we saw over the summer with the Ebola outbreak, airborne illnesses can quickly cause devastation, and so all staff must attend and participate in these bi-annual rehearsals. Reminder emails will be sent out at one month and one week in advance. This plan will be available year-round for employees to reference. Previous Rehearsal Dates: 8/1/2014 2/1/2015 Next Rehearsal Date: 8/1/2015 CRISIS INVENTORY PLAN The following is a list of all crises that the RAHC could encounter in its daily practice. These crises are evaluated based on their likelihood and potential impact. Likelihood: 0: Impossible 1: Highly unlikely 2: Fairly unlikely 3: Possible 4: Somewhat likely, has happened to similar organizations in the past 5: Highly likely, may have already occurred at the RAHC in the past, warning signs are clear Impact 0: No damage 1: Very little damage, not serious enough to gain media attention 2: Some damage, not catastrophic but slight chance that media may become involved 3: Considerable damage, media aware but not very interested 4: Considerable damage and media attention, would get considerable coverage 5: Severe damage, front-page news, could ruin the RAHC’s reputation

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Potential Crises and Corresponding Scores

• Outbreak of Contagious Illness o Likelihood (4): When people are ill, they go to places like the health

center for a diagnosis and treatment. Places like the RAHC will be one of the first to feel an outbreak. In the past year alone, we have seen Ebola and TB outbreaks, the latter of which is airborne. The health center is near two universities, and schools have been at the center of TB outbreaks this month.

o Impact (5): The public and the media would not necessarily fault the RAHC for an outbreak, but lives of both patients and staff would be at risk. Stakeholders would panic and lose confidence in the health center’s abilities. Such an outbreak might be too devastating for such a small operation to come back from.

• Clinical Staff Injured or Incapacitated o Likelihood (1): This considers the likelihood of the entire clinical staff

becoming injured. It is unlikely that the doctors and dentist would be traveling together, so the possibility of an accident harming them all is very low. The waiting area is secure and patients cannot get back to the treatment area without an escort, so no one would be able to get back to harm them either.

o Impact (3): This would be terrible for the medics and their families, and the RAHC would be unable to treat its patients. It would probably garner media coverage, but since the crisis would fall into the accidental cluster, the center would have been able to do nothing else to prevent it from happening, and so the coverage would be sympathetic rather than negative.

• Violation of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act o Likelihood (2): One way that HIPAA could be violated is if an employee

leaves and still has confidential patient information. This has happened recently in other health treatment organizations. Another way this could happen is if the RAHC database is hacked. Since the Rockbridge area is a small community, it is very unlikely that either of these breaches of trust would take place.

o Impact (5): Not only would this put the RAHC in severe legal trouble, but also it would cause harm to patients. The health center would lose credibility, and its reputation could be ruined.

• Power Outage o Likelihood (4): This has happened in the past and does happen from time

to time with severe weather conditions. o Impact (1): Since the health center does not have a backup generator, they

would be forced to shut down for the day. Fortunately, there is already a procedure in place to move refrigerated vaccines to keep them from going

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bad. Furthermore, if the health center is suffering from a power loss, so is the surrounding community, so there is almost no likelihood that a crisis would arise with the RAHC at the center.

• Contamination of Medical Supplies o Likelihood (1): The health center already has many plans in place to avoid

this, including disposable needles and a backup fridge for vaccinations. o Impact (4): If it came out that the RAHC’s practices allowed for

contamination and people became sick as a result, it would be a major news story. This falls into the preventable crisis cluster, so if the center did not prepare properly, the media would tear them apart.

• Loss of Funding o Likelihood (2): The health center is funded by federal grants, sliding scale

patient fees, and community events and sponsorship. Since this method has been working for years, including through the market crash of 2008, it seems unlikely that a problem with funding would arise now.

o Impact (4): If the RAHC lost funding, they might be unable to continue operating. The media coverage would cause stakeholders to panic, and that would make the initial problem worse.

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LIKELIHOOD & IMPACT CHART

PRODROMES (to be updated regularly by the Director of Outreach)

• Complaints about the process of navigating the health care system • The RAHC relies on community funding, which has the potential to be erratic • Dependence on grant funding that requires an annual application puts the

organization in a bad place if the application is filled out incorrectly or late • Complaints about the Affordable Care Act by Rockbridge locals • Any employee discontent

0  

1  

2  

3  

4  

5  

Likelihood  

Impact  

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PURPOSE If the Rockbridge Area Health Center encounters an outbreak of a contagious illness, it is our mission to keep the community safe and informed while we contain the crisis. We strive to help everyone in the community, especially those who have nowhere else to turn for healthcare, and the Rockbridge community is aware of our reputation. Throughout this process, we will remember not to waste the crisis. We will learn from our mistakes in order to better prepare for the future and better serve the community. OBJECTIVES

1. Enact the Crisis Communication Plan within one hour of notification of an outbreak on the facility.

2. Contact and inform all staff members within half an hour. Instruct them not to talk to the media, but to direct the media to the spokesperson until further notice.

3. Give staff members in contact with contagious patient(s) personal protective equipment.

4. Isolate the contagious patient(s) to prevent the spread of contamination. 5. Contact emergency services to warn them of the outbreak. 6. Place a statement on the company website and Facebook warning patients not to

come in, and promising to update the public as the situation unfolds. 7. Be open and honest with the public and stakeholders. 8. Give both instructing and adjusting information to keep the pubic safe and calm.

GOALS Short term: Protect all non-infected people in the facility from becoming infected. Do this by isolating the infected person, sending patients and non-essential staff home, and issuing protective gear to staff on the crisis management team that will be staying. Long term: Maintain positive reputation as an organization that is an integral part of serving the Rockbridge community. Do not lose patients, and if given the opportunity, raise awareness that the RAHC is here to help those in the community who have nowhere else to go for health care.

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KEY PUBLICS These publics are invested in the RAHC, and are to be kept informed throughout the outbreak crisis. Patients: The health of these patients is the Rockbridge Area Health Center’s primary concern. Our purpose as an organization is to provide them with comprehensive, coordinated care. In the event of an emergency, we would want to protect them from harm and keep them informed of what we are doing to rectify the situation. Staff: The RAHC is a small non-profit with a closely-knit staff, all of which are included in the emergency phone tree. All staff, including medics who split their time between the center and other facilities, must be immediately informed of the crisis and told to direct media to the spokesperson, this way they can enact the plan within the golden hour of the outbreak. Board of Directors: They oversee the RAHC, and have a vested interest in what goes on there. If a crisis were to take place, they would need to be informed. A representative from this board should be a member of the crisis management team. Local Health Department: The local health department must be informed early on about the outbreak, as they will likely have a procedure of their own to implement. Rockbridge Hospitals: If there is an outbreak, people will also go to hospitals to be treated. The more people hear about this crisis, the more they are likely to panic and think they might be ill, and this could cause them to go to the hospitals. These hospitals need to be warned so they can put their own plan into action. Student Health Centers: Since Lexington is home to two universities; students who are ill will go to their health centers. Like the hospitals, these health centers need to be warned so they can prepare accordingly. Center for Disease Control: This organization is in charge of managing outbreaks, and if the RAHC experienced such an outbreak the CDC would need to know and should become involved in containing the situation. Elected Officials: Elected officials will need to know the impact on the community that they represent. Grant Funders: The RAHC relies on grant funding for about 25% of the budget, so it is important to keep those funders informed. The center must give grant funders updates of the situation to reduce panic and assure them that the situation is under control. Local and Regional Media: The media are the best way to disseminate information throughout the RAHC’s key publics. We must be open with the media to provide instructing information to keep the public calm and safe.

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Local Restaurants and Businesses: These are places where people go to gather, and diseases could easily spread. Communicating early to these publics is a key step to containing the crisis. Rockbridge Community: The RAHC is a community-based operation, so all community members should be considered in a crisis. It is important to inform them of the situation and what is being done to fix it. Legal Counsel: It is always important to have legal counsel in a crisis in order to ensure that the organization is following legal guidelines in its response. Similar organizations have encountered lawsuits when facing a contagious illness crisis, so we must do all that we can to avoid this. Suppliers: They will need to know if the health center will need special supplies to deal with the crisis, or if current orders will be altered.

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NOTIFYING PUBLICS Telephone Email News

Release Social Media

Personal Visit

Meetings

Patients (all) X X

Staff and Board Members

X X X

Local Health Department

X X X

Rockbridge Hospitals

X X

Student Health Centers

X X

Elected Officials X X

Grant Funders X X X

Local and Regional Media

X X

Local Restaurants and Businesses

X X

Rockbridge Community

X X

Center for Disease Control

X X X

Legal Counsel X X

Suppliers X X

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NEWS RELEASE DRAFT Contact: Katy Datz FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tel. 540-464-8700, ext. 7118 Email: kdatz@rockahc.org

NEWS RELEASE TITLE Lexington, VA – DATE – One or two sentences that describes the major point of the release. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Convey that the situation is being handled; use a quote from the CEO. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Main paragraph addressing the following: Who is affected __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is going on __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Where is this taking place __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ When did this happen __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Why is it important __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Include link to website and encourage readers to visit it for updates Where appropriate, use quotes from the Chief Medical Officer and CEO to explain what has happened and what is being done to fix it.

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CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A SPOKESPERSON The spokesperson must

• Be a part of the decision making process and have access to the entire crisis management team

• Be calm under pressure, cannot become flustered with the media • Have an engrained understanding of the way the organization works • Appear sincere, concerned, and open to media questions • Not send conflicting messages to the public. If a second spokesperson is used, the

two must coordinate so that they speak with one voice. IDENTIFYING THE MEDIA SPOKESPERSON Director of Development and Outreach Katy Datz will serve as the primary media spokesperson in the event of a crisis. She is poised, intelligent, and will be able to speak calmly and respectfully to the media. Since she plays such an integral role in leadership and administration, she possesses a deep understanding of the organization and will know the details of its response. She is committed to the RAHC, and her sincerity is sure to come through in a press briefing. Though CEO Suzanne Sheridan would make a good spokesperson as well, it would be preferable to have Katy work with the press so that Suzanne can focus on containing the physical crisis. Chief Medical Officer Jane Sailer should speak with Katy at a press conference to speak to any medical related questions on the details of the illness. If Katy is unavailable, the spokesperson should be selected from this list: Primary: Katy Datz, Director of Development and Outreach Secondary: Suzanne Sheridan, Chief Executive Officer Alternate: Mary Looney, Compliance Officer KEY MESSAGES

• The well being of the Rockbridge community is our number one concern. • We are working hard to contain the situation and ensure that no one else falls ill. • We are cooperating with the Center for Disease Control to contain the situation. • Give instructing information, including symptoms, how to avoid catching the

illness, and what to do if you have symptoms. • We are taking the situation very seriously.

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GUIDELINES FOR MEDIA RESPONSE Information to Include In a New Release:

• Facts on what is being done to contain the situation • Who we are working with to subvert the crisis • Contact information for local emergency offices to be used by people who have

symptoms • How to avoid catching the illness, preferably in a quote from the chief medical

officer. Information to Include in Social Media Response:

• Hourly updates (at least for the first day) on what is being done and any progress that has been made

• Links to emergency websites • The phone number to call if you have symptoms

Information to AVOID:

• Speculation on how long the crisis will take to fix • Specific names of any victims • Do not minimize the situation • Do not be alarmist or exaggerate the situation • Avoid saying “no comment” – if you do not have the answer, say you are working

on finding it out and will get back to them CRISIS POSTURE The outbreak of contagious illness crisis falls into the victim cluster, so there is very little attribution of crisis responsibility with the organization. This gives the RAHC the opportunity to adopt the tone of diminishment. They will acknowledge the crisis, but emphasize the fact that they had no control over the events that caused it, and that they are doing everything in their power to help the community stay safe. The RAHC will make sure that the public knows that it was not their fault, and its primary goal will be to minimize the impact of the crisis.

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CRISIS PROCEDURE

PHASE ONE: OUTBREAK 1. Isolate contagious patient(s) to prevent spread of contamination 2. Contact and inform all staff members, make sure they have the appropriate protective gear 3. Close the RAHC to the public, send home patients who have not been infected 4. Contact the Center for Disease Control

PHASE TWO: ENACTING RESPONSE 5. Contact Rockbridge Area Health Center Board of Directors 6. Have team members set up emergency crisis communication center

PHASE THREE: INFORMING STAKEHOLDERS 7. Send out news release and update facebook page continuously as information becomes accessible 8. Instruct staff not to talk to the media 9. Dispatch spokesperson to hold a press conference, have chief medical officer speak

POST CRISIS 10. Follow local and national health policies, reopen once it becomes safe to do so 11. Post-crisis evaluation (see forms) 12. Image restoration

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CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM & RESPONSBILITIES Suzanne Sheridan (CEO, Team Leader) Suzanne will be responsible for leading the management team through the crisis. She will be the one to initiate the crisis communications plan by ensuring that the contagious patient has been isolated and giving the order to inform all staff members. Her responsibilities include making key decisions, approving press releases, and informing the spokesperson of the facts as they unfold. Suzanne will be responsible for making sure all staff members are informed of the crisis. She will make a statement for the media, but as she will be busy handling the crisis, she will delegate Katy Datz to be the spokesperson. Katy Datz (Director of Development and Outreach, Spokesperson) Katy will serve as the voice of the Rockbridge Area Health Center. She will communicate with the media and answer their questions to the best of her ability. Katy will be the liaison between the RAHC and the public. Jane Sailer (Chief Medical Officer) As the most knowledgeable person on the transmission of disease, Jane will offer her medical expertise in explaining the severity of the crisis to the group. She is an invaluable asset in helping the management team understand what is happening and how best to go forward. She will also make a statement to the media to educate them on the technicalities of what has happened. Mary Looney (Compliance Officer) Mary will contact the CDC and the RAHC Board of Supervisors. Her job will be to field phone calls and be in charge of updating the Facebook page with information as it becomes available. She will also be in charge of ensuring that the crisis communication supplies are on-site at the control center. Michele Hentz (Finance Manager) Michele will serve as the liaison between the RAHC crisis management team and its employees. She will keep them informed and pass on Suzanne’s instructions throughout the crisis. Jane Horton (President of the Board of Directors) Jane will serve as the board’s representation throughout the crisis, and will ensure that the board’s needs are met by the RAHC’s response.

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CRISIS DIRECTORY: KEY CONTACTS Refer to Appendix A for complete phone tree

Phone Position Name Email

(540) 464-

8700 x7111

CEO, Team Leader Suzanne

Sheridan

ssheridan@rockahc.org

(540) 464-

8700 x7118

Director of

Development and

Outreach

Katy Datz kdatz@rockahc.org

N/A Medical Director Jane Sailer n/a@rockahc.org

(540) 464-

8700 x7127

Compliance Officer Mary Looney mlooney@rockahc.org

(540) 464-

8700 x7116

Finance Manager Michele Hentz mhentz@rockahc.org

(540) 460-

1575

President of Board Jane Horton jhorton@wlu.edu

(800-232-

4636)

Center for Disease

Control

N/A http://wwwn.cdc.gov/dcs/RequestForm.aspx  

(540) 570-

6237

Board Member David Dugan Davida.dugan@wfadvisors.com

(540) 460-

7979

Board Treasurer Jeff Grossman Catlover75039@comcast.net

(540) 817-

1791

Board Member Josh McMichael Josh45mcmichael@yahoo.com

(540) 461-

2524

Board Member Doralee Carter Doralee365@gmail.com

(540) 460-

5171

Board Member Steve

Funkhouser

gsfunkhouser@sheriff.rockbridge.virginia.gov

(540) 460-

4489

Board Member Oliver Nash Olee.nash62@gmail.com

(540) 784-

9532

Board Member James Smith barnbldg@yahoo.com

(540) 784-

3159

Board Member Lorie Stevens LDiamondgirl123@aol.com

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LIST OF EMERGENCY PERSONNEL Center for Disease Control 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333 (404) 639-3311 Lexington Department of Health 300 White Street Lexington, VA 24450 Phone: (540) 463-3185 Virginia Department of Health P.O. Box 2448 Richmond, Virginia 23218-2448 109 Governor Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 Chief of Police Colonel Al Thomas 11 Fuller St. Lexington, VA 24450 Phone: (540) 462-3705 http://lexingtonva.gov/173/Police Fire and Rescue Chief Ty Dickerson 708 S. Main St. Lexington, VA 24450 Phone: (540) 463-3210 http://lexingtonva.gov/168/Fire-Rescue-Emergency-Management Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital 1 Health Circle Lexington, VA 24450 Phone: (540) 458-3300 https://www.carilionclinic.org/hospitals/carilion-stonewall-jackson-hospital Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital 1898 Bellview Ave SE Roanoke, VA 24017 Phone: (540) 981-7980 https://www.carilionclinic.org/hospitals/carilion-roanoke-memorial-hospital

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LIST OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL OFFICIALS Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors Representative Russell S. Ford Kerr's Creek District 686 Enfield Road P.O. Box 1407 Lexington, VA 24450 Phone: (540) 460-6750 Lexington Mayor Mimi Elrod 207 White Street Lexington, VA 24450 Phone: (540) 463-6714 Buena Vista Town Administrator Jay Scudder City Manager 540-261-8601

Lexington City Council Members 300 East Washington Street Lexington, VA 24450 Marilyn E. Alexander Phone: (540) 463-2073 Frank W. Friedman Phone: (540) 570-3485 Camille Miller Phone: (540) 463-9528 Patrick Rhamey Phone: (469) 261-4462 David Sigler Phone: (540) 463-7926 Charles “Chuck” Smith Phone: (540) 464-6353

State Senator Creigh R. Deeds P.O. Drawer D Hot Springs, VA 24445 Phone: (434) 296-5491 Virginia Senators United States Senate B40C Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Mark R. Warner Phone: (202) 224-4024 Timothy M. Kaine Phone: (202) 224-4024

State Delegate Ben Cline P.O. Box 1405 Amherst, VA 24521 Phone: (540) 261-9700 Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe Office of the Governor Patrick Henry Building Third Floor 1111 E. Broad St. Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: (804) 786-2211 Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Ralph S. Northam 102 Governor St. Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: (804) 786-2078

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LIST OF KEY MEDIA The News-Gazette P.O. Box 1153 Lexington, VA 24450 Phone: (540) 463-3113 editor@thenews-gazette.com http://www.thenews-gazette.com/ Rockbridge Report Reid Hall Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA 24450 Phone: (540) 458-8432 http://rockbridgereport.washingtonandlee.net/ Roanoke Times 201 W. Campbell Ave. P.O. Box 2491 Roanoke, VA 24010-2491 Main Switchboard: (540) 981-3340 Local News: (540) 981-3340 Editor in Chief: Lawrence McConnell Lawrence.mcconnell@roanoke.com http://www.roanoke.com/ WDBJ Channel 7 2807 Hershberger Road Roanoke, VA 24107 Phone: (540) 344-7000 news@wdbj7.com http://www.wdbj7.com/

WSET Channel 13 2320 Langhorne Road Lynchburg, VA 24501 News Department: (800) NEWS-TIP Digital Managing Editor Kelly Gray kgray@wset.com http://www.wset.com/ WSLS Channel 13 P.O. Box 10 Roanoke, VA 24402 News Department: (800) SEE-NEWS Phone: (540) 981-9110 news@wsls.com http://www.wsls.com/ Richmond Times-Dispatch 300 E. Franklin St. Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: (804) 649-6000 The Washington Post 1150 5th Street Northwest Washington DC Phone: (202) 334-6000 http://www.washingtonpost.com/

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SPOKESPERSONS FOR RELATED ORGANIZATIONS John Jameson Lexington Department of Health 300 White Street Lexington, VA 24450 Phone: (540) 463-3185 Stephanie L. Harper, M.D. Roanoke Department of Health Health District Director 515 8th Street SW Roanoke, VA 24016 Phone: (540) 283-5050 Marian Hunter Virginia Department of Health Public Relations Coordinator Office of Emergency Medical Services 1041 Technology Park Drive Glen Allen, VA 23059 Phone: (804) 888-9116 Marian.Hunter@vdh.virginia.gov

Katherine Lyon Daniel Center for Disease Control and Prevention Associate Director for Communication 1600 Clifton Road Atlanta, GA 30329 Phone: (800) 232-4636 cdcinfo@cdc.gov William A. Hazel Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Patrick Henry Building Fifth Floor 1111 E. Broad St. Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: (804) 786-2211 William.Hazel@governor.virginia.gov

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CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS CONTROL CENTER The Rockbridge Area Health Center, located at 25 Northridge Lane, will serve as the crisis communications control center. The crisis communications team will gather here to enact the plan. In the event that the health center has been contaminated by an outbreak, the control center will be moved to Mary Looney’s house at 406 VMI Parade. SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT Compliance Officer Mary Looney is in charge of ensuring that these supplies and equipment are on-site.

• Phones • Computers • Email • Access to RAHC website • Access to RAHC Facebook • Access to internet • Hard copies of RAHC Safety Plan • Hard copies of RAHC Crisis Communication Plan • Chairs and desks • Printers • Company letterhead • Copy machines • Fax machines • Extension cords and generator battery packs • Flashlights • Pens and Pencils • Markers • Flip charts • Food and beverages • First aid kits • Cameras and film

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PREGATHERED INFORMATION Mission The mission of the Rockbridge Area Health Center is to promote the provision of high quality, comprehensive and affordable health care that is coordinated, culturally and linguistically competent, and community directed for citizens of the Rockbridge area. Vision The vision of the Rockbridge Area Health Center is to serve as a vital and caring Rockbridge area resource promoting and providing access to quality health care to build a healthier community. Role in Rockbridge When the Rockbridge Area Free Clinic reopened in 2014 as a health center, 38% of Rockbridge area residents were low income and 19% were medically uninsured. We offer medical, dental, and behavioral services on a sliding scale fee, that way no one will be denied the care they need. We also have a department devoted to helping people throughout the Rockbridge community sign up for coverage through the online marketplace. Certified application counselors will help anyone through the process. See Appendix D for stock photos WEBSITE/FACEBOOK We maintain a website at rockahc.org to make ourselves accessible to patients throughout the Rockbridge community. We will post our news release on this website, and it can be used to learn about the organization’s history and mission. We will update our Facebook continuously. As soon as information becomes available to us, we will share it with the public.

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MEDIA TRAINING Questions to Expect

• When did it happen? • Where did it happen? • Who was harmed? Can we have their names? • How many people were harmed? • How did this happen? • Is the situation under control? How certain are you about this? • What can we expect next? • Are people still in danger? • What are you advising people to do? • How long will it be before the situation returns to normal? • Could this have been avoided? • When were you notified that something has happened? • What are you doing to ensure that this doesn’t happen again?

How to Answer

• Be polite, but be on guard • Explain what happened to the best of your ability • If you do not have an answer yet, explain that you are working on getting that

information and will get back to them when you know • Find out the information requested and get back to whoever asked • If you cannot answer a question, explain why

o For instance, “I cannot release the names of those harmed until we are able to notify their families”

• Tell the public what to do to keep themselves safe o Describe symptoms o Tell them what to do if they have symptoms o Tell them how to avoid catching the illness

• Explain what is being done to fix the situation • If you are responsible, take responsibility and apologize, then move on to what is

being done What to Avoid

• Placing blame o Unless the crisis is truly the result of an individual’s carelessness or

negligence, talk around questions like “Who is to blame for this crisis” by emphasizing that you are focusing on solving the problem

• Giving your personal opinion o It is good to have a real person with real emotions as the organization’s

spokesperson, but do not differentiate yourself from the organization. You support what the organization is doing, and you would give the same advice to your family that you are giving to everyone.

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• Speculation o Reporters may ask questions like “what is the worst case scenario?” to

encourage speculation, but do not stray from the facts. When there is a difference between the facts and an organization’s predictions, the public panics.

• Minimizing the crisis o Do not try to make the situation seem less drastic than it is, as you will

lose credibility. Just be honest. • No comment

o If you do not respond, there will be an information void, which will be filled with negative speculation about the situation and your organization.

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POST-CRISIS EVALUATION FORM Date of the Crisis: Type of Crisis: Total length of Crisis: These forms are meant to help us improve our crisis communication plan. Please be honest, since that is the best way we can improve. The survey is anonymous. Did you know what you were supposed to do? Did we update the public in a timely manner? How did the plan compare with implementation? Did the crisis team take action in a timely fashion? Were facts gathered quickly and accurately? What was missing in the plan? How can we be better prepared in the future? Was the crisis preventable? If so, how could we have prevented it? Was the spokesperson able to answer all media questions? Was the spokesperson the best person for the job? On a scale of 1 (least) to 10 (best)… How prepared do you think the Rockbridge Area Health Center was to handle the crisis? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 How would you rate the performance of the Crisis Management Team? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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APPENDIX A: PHONE TREE

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APPENDIX B: ROCKBRIDGE AREA HEALTH CENTER

INCIDENT REPORT FORM Name: ____________________________________ Address: ________________________________ ________________________________________ Phone #: (540) 464-8700 Date of Incident: Time: _______ AM PM Type of Incident: ______________________ Occupational Occurrence Exposure Report required? Yes______ No________ Location of Incident: __RAHC_______________________________Site:________________ Person (s) Involved: ___________________________________________________________ Status at time of Incident: Patient _____ Visitor ____ Employee ____ Other ____ Description of Incident: (brief objective narrative to describe the incident) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Corrective Action Planned / Taken: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Signature of Reporting Staff: _________________________ Date_____________ Signature of Supervisor: _____________________________ Date_____________ Signature of Executive Director: ______________________ Date_____________

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APPENDIX C: HELPFUL URLS FOR CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS Center for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov World Health Organization: Outbreak Communication Guidelines http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/WHO_CDS_2005_28en.pdf Public Health Emergency Preparedness http://www.phe.gov/preparedness/Pages/default.aspx Emory Healthcare Ebola Preparedness Protocols http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/ebola-protocol/resources.html Virginia Department of Health: Ebola Frequently Asked Questions http://www.vdh.state.va.us/epidemiology/ebola/index.htm Health and Human Services http://www.hhs.gov/ HIPAA Privacy in Emergency Situations http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/special/emergency/emergencysituations.pdf Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association http://www.vhha.com/ Virginia Health Care Association www.vhca.org/

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APPENDIX D: STOCK PHOTOS

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SOURCES Examples of previously submitted CCPs: Pure Eats (2012) Rockbridge Area Health Center Website: http://rockahc.com Duke University Crisis Communication Plan: http://emergency.duke.edu/plan/ A Club Guide to Effective Crisis Management: http://emergency.duke.edu/plan/ Center for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/ ***Katy Datz provided the contact information for the crisis management team, as well as the phone tree. On my honor, I have neither given nor received any unacknowledged aid on this assignment. ______________________________________