APHA Get Ready campaign: Frequently asked questions
- What is APHA doing?
- Why is APHA doing this?
- Why was pandemic flu and other emerging infectious diseases chosen as the focus of the Get Ready campaign? How was it chosen?
- How is this different from what is already being done on pandemic flu?
- But why not a campaign on chronic disease or AIDS or some other public health issue?
- What if bird flu doesn't become a pandemic or never makes it to the United States? What happens to the campaign then?
- What's been done so far on the Get Ready campaign?
- What will the Get Ready campaign on pandemic flu and emerging infectious diseases look like?
- How will this effort differ from other APHA campaigns?
- Who will be involved? What are APHA members doing?
- What will my role be? How can I help?
- But why APHA? Why not some other public health group?
- What does APHA get out of this?
- How does this fit into APHA's other work?
- What is the difference between the "Protect, Prevent, Live Well" movement and the Get Ready campaign?
- Where can I get more information?
1. What is APHA doing?
APHA is creating a campaign, called Get Ready, that will help Americans prepare for a flu pandemic or other emerging infectious diseases.
2. Why is APHA doing this?
Global health experts say it is just a matter of time before the world sees another infectious disease pandemic. The possibility of avian flu becoming a pandemic is a real one. Unfortunately, most Americans aren't ready for a pandemic, and don't know how to become prepared. The Get Ready campaign will give Americans the tools they need to prepare themselves, their families and their communities.
3. Why was pandemic flu and other emerging infectious diseases chosen as the focus of the Get Ready campaign? How was it chosen?
APHA's Executive Board chose pandemic flu and emerging infectious diseases as the focus of the campaign in January 2006. The focus was chosen for a number of reasons, including the political, media and governmental attention the issue has received. There are real concerns about the lack of preparation at all levels of society, not just for influenza and infectious disease. Hurricane Katrina's devastation of the U.S. Gulf Coast brought new recognition to the role public health plays in preparing for and responding to disasters.
Health officials regard the threat of pandemic flu as serious, especially as many Americans, institutions, communities and public health systems are not yet ready. If a pandemic occurs tomorrow, government resources will be overwhelmed and unable to meet all needs. Accordingly, individuals, families and communities must prepare themselves. But few American families are ready for a pandemic.
4. How is this different from what is already being done on pandemic flu?
The APHA Get Ready campaign stands apart from national, state and local public health efforts because it is centered on helping individuals, families and communities prepare themselves. Most other efforts that are being conducted on pandemic flu preparing involve sectors — such as businesses, government or hospitals — doing what they need to get themselves ready. The campaign fills a gap by assisting everyday Americans and creates a neutral ground for coordination across public health sectors.
Also lacking in current efforts on pandemic flu preparedness is easy-to-understand, useful information aimed at the average person. For example, the federal government has created a consumer checklist, but it's not user-friendly. The checklist provides few details, and the language is too technical for the public.
The APHA Get Ready campaign will fill these holes by telling people exactly what they need to do to be prepared, such as how to stockpile, create a plan, what to do if schools or businesses close, how to get access to medication, ways to stay healthy and what to do if you have special needs, such as if you are elderly, sick or disabled.
The Get Ready campaign will also reach vulnerable, underserved and low-income populations who are not necessarily being reached by current preparedness efforts. For example, campaign information will be targeted at people who lack health insurance, sick leave, access to care or room to stockpile food and water in their homes.
On the community level, the Get Ready campaign will bring together stakeholders, including civic groups, schools, businesses, religious organizations and health providers. Due to the expected shortfall of government support, collective community-level action will be necessary to assist vulnerable populations during a pandemic.
5. But why not a campaign on chronic disease or AIDS or some other public health issue?
APHA leaders reviewed a variety of public health topics and issues before selecting pandemic flu and emerging infectious disease as the campaign focus. Among the criteria that were considered were: 1) existing leadership or resources on an issue; 2) ability to make an impact and achieve success; 3) capacity to engage the public; 4) timeliness or pressing concern; and 5) relationship to APHA priority areas. Pandemic flu and other emerging infectious diseases was determined to best fit all of those criteria.
6. What if bird flu doesn't become a pandemic or never makes it to the United States? What happens to the campaign then?
Even if bird flu does not become a pandemic and reach the United States, the Get Ready campaign will remain relevant because it is transferable. Just as biohazard preparedness strengthened the overall public health system, preparing for bird flu and other emerging infectious diseases will strengthen Americans’ preparedness for other threats to their health and lives, from hurricanes to terrorism. Encouraging Americans to have plans for their families, to be aware of the medicines they need to have on hand in an emergency and to have adequate "just-in-case" supplies is sound advice, no matter what the threat.
7. What's been done so far?
Work on the Get Ready campaign is in its early stages, but is moving forward. Since the Executive Board chose the focus of the first campaign, a title has been chosen and an outline for the work to come has been developed. A Get Ready Web site has been launched, a flu blog has been created and plans are under way for a series of podcasts. APHA is applying for grants to finance the full campaign work. In the meantime, APHA leaders and members are learning more about the movement and campaign and becoming involved.
8. What will the Get Ready campaign on pandemic flu and emerging infectious diseases look like?
The campaign will be multi-faceted. Plans call for resources, training, grassroots campaign, materials, partnerships, community participation, a survey on preparedness and needs calculator, among other measures.
9. How will this effort differ from other APHA campaigns?
The campaign will be aimed directly at the public, in language the public can understand, with partners they are familiar with. It will involve public health professionals, but will target the average American.
10. Who will be involved? What are APHA members doing?
The Get Ready campaign will rely on the involvement of APHA members and APHA's affiliated state and regional public health associations. All APHA member groups — including Sections, Special Primary Interest Groups, Caucuses and Student Assembly — will have a role to play.
A number of APHA member groups have already contributed to the Get Ready campaign. The Student Assembly helped develop the Get Ready for Flu blog, reviewing its content, posting comments and providing feedback. The Maternal and Child Health Section has helped created an online question and answer article on preventing pandemic flu and infectious disease among kids.
Down the line, the Public Health Nursing Section will be working on materials on the role of public health nurses in the event of a pandemic. The Food and Nutrition Section will be creating a checklist on dietary considerations to be considered when stockpiling, particularly if someone has health concerns. The Gerontological Health Section will be serving as a guest author on a flu blog entry, discussing the needs of the elderly in the event of a pandemic of flu or other emerging infectious diseases. And the Statistics Section will help evaluate a survey on APHA member preparedness.
Several APHA Sections will also serve as guest speakers on the campaign’s podcasts, which will be available via the APHA Web site.
The campaign also will include national, state and community partners, including government agencies, public health organizations, civic groups and the faith community, among others. It will include an advisory group and regular communications to members.
11. What will my role be? How can I help?
APHA members can play a role in the Get Ready campaign by becoming informed about the campaign and spreading the word to others. Volunteer to help within your APHA Section, SPIG, Caucus, Student Assembly or Affiliate. Send your ideas on the campaign to APHA at pandemicflu@apha.org. Attend sessions on the issue at the APHA Annual Meeting. Read about the campaign in The Nation's Health and on the APHA Web site. Once the campaign is fully up and running, APHA will be relying on you to play a role.
12. But why APHA? Why not some other public health group?
APHA is the right organization to lead this campaign for a number of reasons. APHA has a strong group of members with public health expertise. APHA also has a long history of advocating for public health and is well-known. APHA's 53 affiliated state and regional public health associations, which have links to their communities, will help APHA as the campaign reaches out to the public.
13. What does APHA get out of this?
APHA's mission is to improve and protect the health of the public. Preparing Americans for pandemic flu and emerging infectious diseases fits into that mission. The Get Ready campaign will also lead to greater awareness of public health, which will benefit the field and lead to more support for public health efforts.
The Get Ready campaign may also have positive side effects for APHA. By leading the effort, the Association could gain recognition and more members and public health advocates.
14. How does this fit into APHA's other work?
Helping Americans prepare for pandemic flu and other emerging infectious diseases fits directly into APHA's mission of supporting public health and building public health infrastructure.
The Get Ready campaign is part of a larger APHA movement, called "Protect, Prevent, Live Well," that will enable all Americans to protect themselves, their families and their communities from preventable serious health threats.
The "Protect, Prevent, Live Well" movement will raise awareness and understanding of public health by engaging the public and non-traditional partners in health campaigns — the first of which is the Get Ready campaign on pandemic flu and other emerging infectious diseases. The multi-year campaigns will call on real-world examples that will help Americans understand how public health impacts their lives.
15. What is the difference between the "Protect, Prevent, Live Well" movement and the Get Ready campaign?
The "Protect, Prevent, Live Well" movement is the overarching national effort that APHA is undertaking to enable all Americans to protect themselves, their families and their communities from preventable serious health threats.
Get Ready is the first public campaign that APHA is using to reach that goal. The Get Ready campaign, which will last for a number of years, will focus on preparing the public for a pandemic of avian flu or other emerging infectious diseases.
In future years, the campaign focus and name may change, but the overarching "Protect, Prevent, Live Well" movement will not.
(An example of this same sort of structure is APHA's National Public Health Week. Each year, National Public Health Week's overarching goal of promoting public health remains the same, but its theme — such as aging or environmental health — changes annually.)
16. Where can I get more information?
For more information on the "Protect, Prevent, Live Well" movement or the Get Ready campaign, e-mail pandemicflu@apha.org, visit www.getreadyforflu.org or call (202) 777-2510. To access the flu blog, visit http://getreadyforflu.blogspot.com. For general information on influenza, see www.apha.org/flu.
