Nebraska Division of Plan 2

This Communication Plan is intended to serve as a roadmap for the Nebraska Division of Public Health to successfully communicate important public health messages to the people of Nebraska. The Division of Public Health is part of the Nebraska Department of Health and , which comprises six Divisions: Public Health; Behavioral Health; Children and Family Services; Developmental Disabilities; Medicaid and Long-Term Care; and, Veterans’ Homes. The agency’s mission is “Helping people live better lives.” The Division of Public Health is responsible for preventive and programs and services. It is also responsible for the regulation and licensure of health-related professions and occupations and health care facilities and services. The Division of Public Health manages several public health programs, including WIC, Tobacco Free Nebraska, WISEWOMAN, Minority Health, and Emergency Medical Services. The Division also manages several data systems such as the Nebraska Registry, the Birth Defects Registry, and the Parkinson’s Disease Registry. The DHHS and Legislative Services section (CLS) works closely with the Division of Public Health program areas to ensure that important key messages are incorporated into all Division materials; to help establish and maintain consistent Division branding; and, to share meaningful public health messages with the people of Nebraska in order to help them live healthier lives. These efforts take considerable coordination and collaboration. Both CLS and the Division of Public Health are committed to using effective communication strategies for all public health messaging in the state of Nebraska.

COMMUNICATION PLAN

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The Communications and Legislative Services staff includes one administrator, eight public officers, two graphic artists, one legislative coordinator, and one system advocate. There are three public information officers specifically assigned to the Division of Public Health. Other public information officers and the graphic artists support Division-specific needs as well. These individuals review all communications associated with Division of Public Health program areas, and serve as Division spokespeople with the media. CLS staff is available to assist Division of Public Health employees with communications and legislative-related activities. CLS and program areas work as a team to promote public health. There are times when employees are required to involve CLS staff and times when CLS staff can serve as a helpful resource. When are employees required to involve CLS? ‘‘When contacted with inquiries from reporters, state senators and others ‘‘For review of newsletters and reports prior to publication/distribution ‘‘To launch a social media site ‘‘Emergency or other urgent situation ‘‘When there’s a newsworthy item that could result in a news release, news conference, media availability or social media post What Makes News tips ‘‘For review of conference speakers prior to offering an invitation ‘‘When adding content to a webpage When should employees involve CLS as a resource? ‘‘When developing advertising; marketing and communication planning; brochures, flyers, newsletters, and reports; videos; and webpage content and design ‘‘Media training and prep for interviews NPHIC Media and You preview (contact CLS for full booklet) ‘‘When preparing any public health message Communications Checklist ‘‘To proactively identify positive news stories 4

The goals of the Nebraska Division of Public Health ‘‘To incorporate social media into all Communication Plan are: preparedness exercises. 1. To ensure that proper policies and Objectives for program areas are as follows: procedures are in place in order to ‘‘To make state government friendlier proactively promote public health; – ensure that program webpages 2. To ensure that the Division of Public (internal and external) are user-friendly Health is effectively communicating with compelling copy, strong visuals, with the public during a public health and sense of design. Encourage the emergency using risk communication use of plain language to help increase best practices; audience’s level of . 3. To provide program areas within the Health Communication Tips Division of Public Health with adequate Federal Plain Language website tools to increase awareness of public health; CDC’s Plain Language Thesaurus for Health Communications 4. To assist Division of Public Health staff in communicating the numerous CDC’s Health Literacy website examples of successes in public health ‘‘To increase the amount of program across the state; area content on social sites or consider 5. To use the one-voice concept. starting program-specific social media Coordinate with program areas and site per social media policy. partners to make sure information ‘‘To use more original photos/graphics on released is consistent between sources. web and in materials, and to use photo/ 6. To encourage across Division and across video to help share public health stories agency coordination, communication and successes. and awareness. Photo Release Form The objectives for this plan include those ‘‘To incorporate mission tagline and related to the Communications and key messages into all materials when Legislative Services section and to the public appropriate. health program areas. ‘‘To identify newsworthy items for Division/ Objectives for Communications are as follows: Agency for proactive and timely ‘‘To increase social site content/ promotion. engagement by using more visuals on website, social sites, and employee communications. ‘‘To expand spokesperson presence on television and radio through live and recorded interviews. ‘‘To incorporate mission tagline and key messages into all materials when appropriate. 5

The groups of people with whom it is important for the Division of Public Health to engage and whose buy-in is necessary to achieve the overarching goal of this plan include the following: ‘‘General public ‘‘Other DHHS employees ‘‘Clients ‘‘Local Health Departments ‘‘Partners / providers / advocates ‘‘Subgrant recipients ‘‘State Senators / policymakers ‘‘Vendors ‘‘Division of Public Health employees ‘‘Licensees / registrants ‘‘Media ‘‘Academic institutions and schools

All Division of Public Health messaging should be formulated with these key groups in mind.

KEY GROUPS 6

Communication channels are defined as the means by which a message is conveyed to an audience. In general, people who receive information in a variety of ways will have a better chance of actually paying attention to the information and taking action. Determining what channel to use when is very important to the success of an overall communication strategy. The communication channels available for delivering public health messaging include: ‘‘Social sites ‘‘Posters ‘‘Websites ‘‘ ‘‘Television ‘‘Movie Theaters ‘‘Radio ‘‘Direct mail ‘‘Newspapers and other publications ‘‘Employee intranet and newsletter ‘‘Grassroots efforts (face-to-face ‘‘Speaker’s Bureau communications) ‘‘Billboards

PUBLIC HEALTH MESSAGING

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The tactics (individual projects, programs, and media efforts) that will be used to create a cohesive communications strategy for the Division of Public Health will include the following: ‘‘Message development / talking points/ ‘‘Employee newsletter ‘‘Public information campaign ‘‘Risk communication / emergency response ‘‘Joint release or news conference with ‘‘Media inquiries Governor’s Office ‘‘News releases ‘‘PowerPoint presentations ‘‘News conferences / media advisories ‘‘Legislative coordination ‘‘Live interview opportunities ‘‘Video / Radio production ‘‘Opinion columns / letters to editor ‘‘Photography ‘‘Social site content development ‘‘Graphic design ‘‘Webpage development 8

Every news item about the Nebraska Division of Public Health impacts what people understand about the Division, and the perception of the work that public health does. Communications and Legislative Services (CLS) and the Division of Public Health recognize the important role that many types of media play, including print, web, radio, television, and social sites. Media play a critical role in our ability to reach Nebraskans on a daily basis and during emergencies, so maintaining a good working relationship is crucial. CLS is responsible for ensuring that accurate, consistent and timely information is provided to media. ‘‘Division leadership and CLS public information officers will be agency spokespeople in response to all media requests. ‘‘CLS will proactively work with Division of Public Health program staff and others to identify new information and positive stories for release through various communication channels. ‘‘CLS shall confer with staff, the CEO, and the Director of the Division of Public Health to determine if DHHS should respond to news coverage, media blogs, or other social media postings. Division of Public Health employees are responsible for working with CLS to ensure that accurate, consistent, and timely information is provided to news media. ‘‘Requests for information from CLS are a priority and employees shall respond as soon as possible. ‘‘Employees shall refer all inquiries and contacts from reporters to CLS, who will be responsible for responding to the inquiry. ‘‘Except for CLS staff, employees will not represent themselves as spokespeople for the agency without prior authorization by a Director. News Media Policy Guidelines for News Releases When Division of Public Health employees have information they think would make for a good news release, they should first contact CLS to discuss options for the release. CLS will provide guidance on news release development to employees. One-Voice Public Health Messages It is the responsibility of Unit Administrators and program staff to engage community partners during the development of key public health messages in order to promote consistent and unified messages to target audiences. Each Unit may employ a different approach for this. For example, the Unit must notify the public when there is an issue with a public drinking water supply. The requirements for public notification including coordination with community partners are outlined in the “Regulations Governing Public Water Supply Systems.” In the Unit, the Tobacco Free Nebraska program regularly works with nine Tobacco Prevention Coalitions across the state, as well as other community partners and local health departments to distribute tobacco prevention resources. The resources can include news release templates, talking points, advocacy tools, e-newsletters, and other important information and materials. Newsletter Review Policy 9

Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Communications and Legislative Services (CLS) has developed a Crisis and Emergency Risk Communications Plan for communicating to the public, partners, and the media on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in the event of an actual or perceived bioterrorism event or other public health emergency. The objectives of the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Plan are as follows: ‘‘To be first; to be right; and, to be credible. ‘‘To participate in DHHS’ Policy Group to support communication efforts. To participate and support the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency’s Public Information Officer and Joint Information Center. ‘‘To establish orderly and clear procedures for communicating official information. ‘‘To provide accurate and understandable information in a timely manner to various audiences with respect for their customs and special needs. ‘‘To coordinate one-voice response – work with partners to make sure information released is consistent between sources. Communications and Legislative Services (CLS) has an electronic database of media contact information (i.e., newspapers, radio, television, alternate and minority-targeted) that is used on a daily basis and updated frequently. CLS’ ongoing relationship with reporters statewide positions the section to work well with the media during a public health emergency. Health Alert Network Messages - Office of CDC’s Health Alert Network (HAN) is its primary method of sharing cleared information about urgent public health incidents; federal, state, territorial, and local public health practitioners; clinicians; and public health laboratories. CDC’s HAN collaborates with federal, state, territorial, and city/county partners to develop protocols and stakeholder relationships that will ensure a robust interoperable platform for the rapid distribution of public health information. RISK COMMUNICATIONS 10

Website The DHHS Web Team is led by the DHHS Webmaster in Communications and Legislative Services and the Information Systems and Technology section. Agency Web Content Providers are in each Division. Decisions regarding what information should be placed on the DHHS website will be made in partnership with program staff, the appropriate Web Content Provider, and the Webmaster. Web Content Providers produce pages for the DHHS websites, including the Division of Public Health. They are responsible for regular monitoring and maintenance of information on the website. Division of Public Health employees should work through their respective Web Content Providers to place information on the DHHS website. The DHHS Webmaster approves changes. DHHS Web Guidelines Social Media DHHS has Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube sites. Several program areas, including the Division of Public Health, use social media sites to communicate directly with the public without media as the middle man. Social sites are a valuable tool but not the only tool in the toolbox. Prior to launching a social site, all Division of Public Health employees must receive approval from appropriate management within the agency, which includes the Division of Public Health Director and CLS. Employees must develop a brief written proposal outlining the business need for a social site. Social site content is considered to be a “record” subject to Nebraska’s Public Records Law and should be preserved. Social Media Policy Brand Identity The official DHHS logo must appear on all printed and electronic publications and materials in order to increase the effectiveness of all communications by promoting a consistent and cohesive identity under the umbrella of a single identity brand. All Division of Public Health employees should be aware of the DHHS Logo Design Standards to ensure correct usage of the logo. Many Division of Public Health programs also have logos that are used to identify program brand. Those logos are usually used in conjunction with the agency logo. CLS graphic designers provide professional expertise and guidance. DHHS Logo Design Standards • Graphics Project Request form 11

Public Records and Open Meetings - Legal Services It is the policy of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to allow the public access to DHHS records, regardless of physical form, in accordance with Nebraska state law. All Division of Public Health employees must comply with state law regarding public record requests. Legal Services provides guidance on public records and open meetings laws. Division of Public Health employees must also adhere to the Nebraska Open Meetings Act. In the State of Nebraska, the formation of public policy is considered to be public business, and may not be conducted in secret. Per the Nebraska Open Meetings Act, every meeting of a public body must be open to the public in order for any interested citizens to have the opportunity to exercise their democratic privilege of attending and speaking at meetings of public bodies, except as otherwise provided by the Constitution of Nebraska, federal statutes, and the Open Meetings Act. Public Records Policy • Nebraska Open Meetings Act Interagency Notification and Communication Each Unit within the Division of Public Health is responsible for communicating within DHHS and with other state agencies as necessary, and as outlined in state regulations and formal agreements. Guidelines for Review and Distribution of Reports Reports that are prepared by Division of Public Health employees that 1) require the Director’s signature, 2) provide an opportunity for a news release, 3) must be submitted to the Legislature, or 4) will be published in a journal or national online publication must be reviewed by CLS and the Director prior to publication or release to the public. Public Health employees should use the “Report Tracker” form to seek approval. The form must be printed on purple card stock and attached to the front of the report being submitted for review. Report Tracker - search for “PH-8” Guidelines for Review of Conference Speakers Prior to inviting speakers to present at a conference they are planning, Division of Public Health employees provide the name, title and organization affiliation with information about the conference (e.g., target audience, dates, and estimated number of attendees) to CLS for review. 12

Guidelines for Communicating with People who have Vision, Hearing, or Disabilities and/or Limited English Proficiency - DHHS Support Services The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that Title II entities (state and local governments) communicate effectively with people who have disabilities. The goal is to ensure that communication with people with these disabilities is equally effective as communication with people without disabilities. for Audiences Including People with Disabilities: Guidelines for Speaking and Writing about People with Disabilities Federal Plain Language website CDC’s Plain Language Thesaurus for Health Communications CDC’s Health Literacy website NITC 2-101 Accessibility Policy In order to provide equal access, a public accommodation is required to make available appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to ensure effective communication. Auxiliary aids include a wide range of services and devices that promote effective communication such as qualified interpreters or telephone handset amplifiers for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. For individuals with vision impairments, examples include qualified readers or large print materials. Examples for individuals with speech impairments include speech synthesizers and communication boards. ADA Requirements

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Interpretation, Translation, and Accessing Auxiliary Aids or Services: When an auxiliary aid or service is required, the public entity must provide an opportunity for individuals with disabilities to request the auxiliary aids and services of their choice and must give primary consideration to the choice expressed by the individual (unless the entity can demonstrate that another equally effective means of communication is available, or that use of the means chosen would result in a fundamental alteration in the service, program, or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens). For interpretation, employees may use “Language Line Services” which are coordinated and maintained by the DHHS Support Services Section. A list of interpreters available for hire is also maintained by this Section. For translation of written materials, employees may use the Spanish/English Translation Unit located in the DHHS Support Services Section. For more information on this Unit, please refer to the DHHS intranet, Support Services. For languages other than Spanish, employees may use the language line services. In addition, for sign language interpretation services, employees should contact the Support Services Section, Administrative Office Manager. A list of free-lance sign language interpreters is maintained. Employees who need to communicate using the telephone with people who are deaf, hard-of- hearing, deaf-blind, and speech-disabled may use Nebraska Relay, which is a free service that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Employees dial 7-1-1 to communicate with any caller. Language Line Services Instructions Spanish/English Translation Unit Nebraska Relay Information

 SPECIAL THANKS  The Nebraska Division of Public Health Communication Plan was prepared by Communications and Legislative Services and the Division of Public Health’s Office of Community and Rural Health. Thank you to the Communication Plan Workgroup. Your ideas, input and feedback were deeply appreciated. ‘‘ PH-PUB-12 9/2015