Abstract
In times of public health crises, effective information on how to perform daily activities can be central to the stability of local communities. Technical communicators can make important contributions to these situations by developing materials that meet local informational needs. This entry reviews strategies technical communicators can use to address public health challenges on the local level both today and in the future.
Keywords
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Allee
D.
(2020 ). Food in the time of COVID-19: Stocking up strains warehouses, but supply chain is OK. Ink Link . https://manchesterinklink.com/food-in-the-time-of-covid-19-stocking-up-strains-warehouses-but-supply-chain-is-ok/
2.
Ambarian
J.
(2020 ). Rural Montana grocery stores face challenges during COVID-19 outbreak. KRTV Great Falls . https://www.krtv.com/news/montana-and-regional-news/rural-montana-grocery-stores-face-challenges-during-covid-19-outbreak
3.
Arbaje
A.
(2020 ). Coronavirus and COVID-19: Caregiving for the elderly. John Hopkins Medicine: Health . https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-caregiving-for-the-elderly
4.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018 ). The 1918 flu pandemic: Why it matters 100 years later. https://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2018/05/1918-flu/
5.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020 ). Coronavirus Disease (2019)—Interim guidance for healthcare facilities: Preparing for community transmission of covid-19 in the United States. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-hcf.html
6.
Department of Global Communications. (2020 ). UN tackles ‘infodemic’ of misinformation and cybercrime in COVID-19 crisis. United Nations . https://www.un.org/en/un-coronavirus-communications-team/un-tackling-%E2%80%98infodemic%E2%80%99-misinformation-and-cybercrime-covid-19
7.
Devlin
H.
(2020 ). Four lessons the Spanish flu can teach us about coronavirus. The Guardian . https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/03/four-lessons-the-spanish-flu-can-teach-us-about-coronavirus
8.
Elgan
M.
(2017 ). How to survive in the fake-information age. Computerworld . https://www.computerworld.com/article/3229925/how-to-survive-in-the-fake-information-age.html
9.
Fishbane
L.
Tomer
A.
(2020 ). As classes move online during COVID-19, what are disconnected students to do? Brookings Institute . https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/03/20/as-classes-move-online-during-covid-19-what-are-disconnected-students-to-do/
10.
Griffith
J.
(2020 ). Amid coronavirus panic-buying, 2 injured in fight in Sam’s Club wine aisle. NBC News . https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amid-coronavirus-panic-buying-2-injured-fight-sam-s-club-n1158066
11.
Hébert-Dufresne
L.
Yang
V. C.
(2020 ). Misinformation about an outbreak like Covid-19 is important public health data. STAT . https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/07/misinformation-outbreak-is-important-public-health-data/
12.
Huffman
M.
(2019 ). Older workers increasingly care for aging parents and support adult children. Consumer Affairs . https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/older-workers-increasingly-care-for-aging-parents-and-support-adult-children-101719.html
13.
Kunkle
F.
Ruane
M. E.
(2020 ). Coronavirus triggers run on grocery stores, with panic-buying, hoarding and some fighting, too. The Washington Post . https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/03/13/coronavirus-triggers-run-grocery-stores-with-panic-buying-hoarding-some-fighting-too/
14.
Labri
N.
(2020 , 12 April). TWi Partners with TWWB on COVID-19 Initiatives: Your expertise could save lives. LinkedIn . https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6654836941663592448/
15.
Lee
L.
(2020 ). This student created a network of ‘shopping angels’ to help the elderly get groceries during the coronavirus pandemic. CNN . https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/us/coronavirus-student-volunteers-grocery-shop-elderly-iyw-trnd/index.html
16.
Liewer
S.
(2020 ). Panic buying, bans on large crowds: Omaha went through this before when Spanish flu hit in 1918. Omaha World Herald . https://www.omaha.com/history/panic-buying-bans-on-large-crowds-omaha-went-through-this-before-when-spanish-flu-hit/article_eb1bf591-39b5-52c4-b97d-e2323deb1343.html
17.
Mack
E.
(2020 ). See how coronavirus compares to other pandemics through history. Forbes . https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2020/03/16/see-how-coronavirus-compares-to-other-pandemics-through-history/#96244ec7d1e2
18.
Makary
M.
(2020 ). COVID-19: Why I’m very concerned. MedpageToday . https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/85324
19.
Masur
L.
(2020 ). Will we run out of food due to COVID-19? What to know about grocery stores and food supplies right now. Kitchn . https://www.thekitchn.com/grocery-stores-close-food-shortage-coronavirus-23020272
20.
Moody
D.
(2020 ). Manchester teacher offers tips to create face masks. NBC Connecticut . https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/manchester-teacher-offers-tips-to-create-face-masks/2251175/
21.
Molla
R.
(2020 ). How coronavirus could force the work-from-home movement. Vox . https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/2/26/21153343/coronavirus-covid-19-work-from-home-remote-pandemic
22.
Moser Jones
M.
(2010 ).
The American Red Cross and local response to the 1918 influenza pandemic: A four-city case study . Public Health Reports ,
125 (Supplement 3 ), 92 –104 .
23.Older Adults. (2020 ). HealthyPeople.gov . https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/older-adults
24.
Romeo
M.
(2020 ). I’m an ER doctor. The coronavirus is already overwhelming us. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/03/19/im-an-er-doctor-coronavirus-is-already-overwhelming-us/
25.
Stone
W.
(2020 ). Under Financial strain, community health centers ramp up for coronavirus response. NPR . https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/24/821027067/under-financial-strain-community-health-centers-ramp-up-for-coronavirus-response
26.
Trethewey
S. P.
(2019 ).
Medical misinformation on social media: Cognitive bias, pseudo-peer review, and the good intentions hypothesis . Circulation ,
140 (14 ), 1131 –1133 .
27.Tech Writers Without Borders. (n. d). Volunteer writing support for nonprofits. https://www.technicallywriteit.com/volunteer-writing-support/
28.
Vitelli
R.
(2015 ). Being in the sandwich generation. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/media-spotlight/201501/being-in-the-sandwich-generation
29.
Walsh
B.
(2020 ). Covid-19: The history of pandemics. BBC . https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200325-covid-19-the-history-of-pandemics
30.
Waszak
P. M.
Kasprzycka-Waszak
W.
Kubanek
A.
(2018 ).
The spread of medical fake news in social media—The pilot quantitative study . Health Policy and Technology ,
7 (2 ), 115 –118 .
31.
Wu
T.
(2016 ). The attention merchants: The epic scramble to get inside our heads .
New York :
Vintage Books .
32.
Zeidner
R.
(2020 ). Coronavirus makes work from home the new normal. SHRM . https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/all-things-work/pages/remote-work-has-become-the-new-normal.aspx
