Communicating a Crisis: Lessons Learned from Louisiana’s Zika Response

Background: In 2016, the Louisiana Birth Defects Monitoring Network (LBDMN) received funds from the Zika Response and Preparedness Appropriations Act. Louisiana was identified by the CDC as a high-risk state for a possible Zika outbreak, which necessitated an agency-wide risk communication plan.

Program background: The Communications, Innovation, and Action Team (CIA) provides communications and marketing support to the programs of the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH)’s Bureau of Family Health (BFH), including LBDMN. The CIA team worked with LBDMN to plan and execute communications strategies and deliverables during the Zika grant period. The CIA team and LBDMN also coordinated activities and efforts with other LDH agencies, such as the Bureau of Infectious Diseases and the Environmental Tracking program.

Evaluation Methods and Results: LBDMN and CIA recognized the critical need to coordinate communications between LDH and external providers to improve Zika surveillance efforts. The CIA team developed a tool to train providers on the data-sharing process between state agencies, physicians, and other healthcare facilities. The Louisiana Perinatal Commission (comprised of physicians, public health agency representatives, and elected officials) served as a test audience to evaluate the tool and provide feedback. Perinatal Commission providers did not respond well to early drafts, so subsequent drafts were created and tested to ensure the tool met the needs of the provider community. This process occurred while other agencies within LDH were developing and releasing similar, untested products or distributing marketing products from national campaigns, without coordinated guidance on how to use national materials effectively.

On a positive note, the Zika outbreak and subsequent response from BFH allowed LBDMN to gain a public face through communications focused on Zika prevention. The CIA team used social media and other online channels to share locally-relevant prevention messaging, but also expanded online information and resources related to birth defects in Louisiana.

Conclusions:

• Poor coordination between internal agencies caused duplication of efforts and resulted in inconsistent/ineffective materials and unfocused communications. The process revealed communication gaps and weaknesses in multi-agency response efforts.
• CIA team and partners gained a better and more practical understanding of physician literacy and learning needs.
• The process underscored the importance of unified guidance for how to effectively use and/or modify national prevention messaging to meet the needs of state- and local-level audiences.
• The Zika response, associated funding, and public attention to Zika brought about opportunities for agency capacity-building, including staff growth, new partnerships, and new strategies to promote and support LBDMN.

Implications for research and/or practice: The CIA Team and LBDMN learned several lessons that will help us create a culture of responsiveness versus reactivity during public health emergencies. An adaptable and universal process for risk communications that clearly identifies and delegates each agency’s role is necessary for a harmonized response. This plan should include strategies to identify and involve target audiences during materials and messaging development. Agencies should share existing health education and communications resources with each other to reduce waste and maximize capacity. Agencies should also work together to streamline external communications and outreach to reach audiences more effectively.