Crisis Communication Training for Health Sector

How to handle interviews during a crisis situation was imparted to participants in the Disaster Risk Management and Emergency Operations Centre training course for the health sector, held from December 5 to 9.

The training was carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

During the event, staged at ODPEM’s Haining Road offices, in Kingston, persons benefited from simulated exercises, which were overseen by Radio and Online Manager at the Gleaner Company Limited, Damion Mitchell.

In an interview with JIS News, Training Manager at the ODPEM, Cheryl Nichols, said risk and crisis communication has always been a major challenge.

“We want to be sure that when we are threatened or faced with an impact, we know who is to do what, when, where and how; therefore, we have spent quite a bit of time looking at communication in all its elements,” Ms. Nichols said.

The participants looked at topics such as disaster risk management for health; international health regulations and their importance; civil-military coordination: logistics and support; importance of timely communication; and communication with national and international partners.