There has been a health outbreak! Choose an at-risk population, an epidemic, and respond to the following objectives from the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service. You are to write a 2- 3 page paper, in APA format, include at least 5 references, and address the objectives below. You will include the primary NCHEC Area of Responsibility and Competency you are addressing in this assignment as a title on the first page of your document. What is the epidemic, who does it adversely affect, what is the first response to this epidemic, etc. 

After you complete the paper, create a 1-page outbreak communication flyer, radio announcement, commercial transcript, etc. to release to the public (this is the presentation portion and is a separate submission) (follow the CDC and WHO outline for help, located in the Module 5 Resources). 

Possible Epidemics in the US:

• Salmonella
• Lung injury associated with e-cigarette use or vaping
• Listeria
• Brucella
• Measles
• Hepatitis A
• Hurricane

Possible Epidemics Outside the US:

• Dengue
• Polio
• Chikungunya
• Typhoid fever (drug-resistant)
• Hurricane

Situational Awareness

At the start of an investigation, you will need to assess the situation (11). The following steps will help you perform this task quickly:

• Identify affected or potentially affected populations (i.e., target audiences). Ask yourself, “Who is most at risk by the outbreak or public health threat?” “What populations are most vulnerable or at the highest risk and need to be reached first?”
• Identify behavioral factors that might place persons at risk. Ask yourself, “Are behavioral factors placing persons at risk?” If so, “What are they?” Can you recommend actions that persons and healthcare providers can take to confront these behavioral factors and thus reduce their risk (e.g., get vaccinated or wash their hands frequently)? If the risk is unknown, can you provide information to the public and media about what is being done in the investigation to identify what places persons at risk?
• Identify partners who might be able to reach affected persons or populations. In an ideal situation, strong relationships will exist. However, if such relationships do not yet exist, quickly identify what relationships are crucial for containing and stopping the outbreak. Ask yourself, “Are healthcare providers available who might reach the affected persons or populations quickly?” “Who are the community leaders who can help reach the affected persons or populations?” “Will the public look to specific partners or persons for advice or direction (e.g., religious leaders or local thought leaders)?” Decide who should talk with those influential persons and what the timing should be for doing so.
• Identify perceptions in the community that might affect communications. Listen to community members. Work to get a better understanding of how local authorities, affected persons, and community leaders perceive the situation (7). Listen to concerns, critiques, and fears. When possible, have a discussion before issuing directives. Gain an understanding of what community members might know and believe about the illness and potential cause. Also work to understand the language, culture, and socioeconomic factors in the community that should be considered. Use this information to refine your communication efforts.
  • Tailor health-related recommendations or guidance and ensure that it is written in plain language to be more easily adopted or adhered to by the affected population and public health or healthcare entities.
  • Build strong relationships with key persons in the community who can help you contain or stop the outbreak and can provide ongoing insights.
  • Ensure that messages to the media and public resonate. The communications team will want to identify reliable information sources that can provide an ongoing assessment of current perceptions in the community (e.g., social media monitoring) (12). When you have this feedback loop in place, work to integrate the findings into ongoing decision making.

Communication Resources and Tools Often Used for Outbreak Responses

• Internet site. The response effort might need an Internet site to convey relevant and rapidly changing information about the outbreak. The site should be the main repository of scientific facts, data, and resources. All other communications should be based on the content of that site. Key information for the site might include the following:
  • Data or case counts;
  • Maps of the affected area;
  • Guidance for affected populations, the public, travelers to or from the region, and healthcare providers who are caring for the affected persons;
  • A section highlighting the newest information; and
  • A multimedia section for the media and the general public.
• Call center. The response effort might benefit from having a call center equipped to answer inquiries from the affected population, the worried well, and healthcare providers seeking information. Guidance is available for entities that are establishing a call center during an outbreak response.
• Social media messages. Create social media messages from Internet site content. Communications staff should monitor social media regularly to identify and dispel myths and misperceptions.
• Clinician outreach resources. The response might require substantial communications with healthcare providers. Webinars, conference calls with partner organizations, videos for online clinical communities, or other forums might be considered to allow healthcare providers to access up-to-date information, ask questions, and obtain advice from other clinicians associated with the response.
• Digital press kit for the news media. A digital press kit with photos, videos, quotations from spokespersons, the latest data or information (e.g., graphics, charts, or maps), and information about how to obtain an interview is always helpful for reporters during an outbreak investigation.
• Tailor communication resources. The response might require translation for specific audiences, and communication materials might need to be tailored for reaching affected populations. Some responses use photo novellas, simple line art, text messaging, or community events to convey important information for specific audiences.

What to Include When Developing Outbreak-Related Messages

• Expression of empathy.
• What’s known and a call for action, including Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
• What’s known and what’s not known, and how answers will be obtained for what’s not yet known
• Explanations of what public health actions are being taken and why.
• A statement of commitment.
• When additional information will be provided.
• Where to find more information in the meantime.

Read the article and then answer the following questions:

1. Please describe your initial thoughts on the article in regards to the patient and the nurse

2. What other information do you want to know about this incident?

3. What should happen to the nurse in regards to her license?

Please answer each question with proper sentence structure and grammer. There is no minimum word count to anwer the questions. Keep all responses professional. Be sure to clearly number your responses, so that I can see you are addressing all 3 questions.

Write a 1 page reflection analyzing the COVID situation. 

– Include an introduction.

– Include a section called “Your Thoughts” explaining the history of the virus in our country, what caused the situation and out country’s response. How have different points of view included factual reports, inductive inferences, and evaluative judgement. Define these terms. 

– Include a conclusion explaining how perceptions and beliefs of others influence awareness of our “lenses”. 

APA style

Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:

• Link (Word doc): Week 5 CCC Parts 5 & 6 Template (Use this template to complete the assignment.)

Introduction: Communication Change Challenge (CCC) Part 5 & 6
In Part 5, you will imagine implementing the new behaviors you identified in 4E. In Part 6, you will practice your new behavior by role-playing with a family member or close friend who is not directly involved in your goal. It is still not time to actually implement your new behaviors, as Parts 5 and 6 will help you to iron out the wrinkles.

Note: Submit both CCC Part 5 and CCC Part 6 in one document, but start a new page for CCC Part 6.

Instructions: Part 5

5A. Covert Rehearsal
Covert Rehearsal is an effective way of trying out new communication behaviors. Think about a time that you were daydreaming, or dreaming at night. You can use your imagination to think about an experience or situation that is not really happening at that time or in that place. You can do the same type of simulation on purpose to think about a time and place that will allow you to practice your new interpersonal communication skill to meet your goal as outlined in your new behaviors listed in CCC Part 4E.

By covertly rehearsing, you make it much more likely that you will be actually performing the behavior comfortably and effectively in real life situations. This surprising effect of covert rehearsal has been shown in numerous studies. What makes covert rehearsal particularly useful is that you can carry it around and do it anywhere – in the shower, cleaning, cooking, and so forth. The more you vary covertly rehearsing a particular episode, the more likely you will be able to perform well in the actual situation. For example, if you are planning to initiate and maintain a conversation with your neighbor, you should think through a number of possible topics and questions before finally choosing what you perceive to be the best options. In other words, think before you speak. Plan what you will say and do in a particular situation where you can practice your goal.

Covert rehearsal can be used both to prepare for an upcoming communication event, and to evaluate and revise an event that has already occurred – as in instant replay. This is done all the time for sports teams. Each player watches the game again and decides how he or she could do it better next time. Both planning ahead before a conversation and reflecting after a conversation will increase the probability that you will perform your new skill effectively the next time you use it.

Note that some people initially find it difficult to imagine specific conversations with others. Keep with it if you have difficulty. You will eventually succeed with practice, and when you do, you will be amazed at the effect. If you are having a hard time talking to people in your mind, speak to yourself out loud or speak to your reflection in the mirror. Think about the following:

• Identify the situation you would like to practice; do you want to plan a new conversation, or replay a past situation but change the outcome?
• Where will you have this conversation – in the kitchen, on the bus, in the cafeteria at lunch, at school in a classroom, in the board room, in your manager’s office, or at a friend’s house?
• Provide a detailed narrative that identifies your selected communication event.
• Write a description of your surroundings – date, time, location, specific room, physical surroundings and so forth, and the people who will participate in this communication event.
• Name the people involved, what you will talk about, where it takes place, when it takes place, how it should occur, and why you need to plan for a better conversation next time.
• How will your physical surroundings affect your rehearsal?

For this section, you are to select a communication event, related to your goal, for which you will prepare covertly. Choose one or more behaviors to work on that are listed in CCC Part 4E. Choose a communication event that you would like to prepare for privately or secretly – covertly. As you imagine yourself practicing your new skill, focus hard on specific interactions. Actually, think about an interpersonal communication exchange – what you say, and how the other person responds. Don’t just go through the motions. Really see yourself asking specific questions, making specific comments, and hearing the other person replying. As you imagine the sequence, practice precisely what you want to say and how you want to say it. Experiment with what feels to be the most effective and comfortable way for you to implement your new behaviors.

Submit a detailed narrative that identifies your selected communication event and include the following:

• Description of your surroundings – date, time, location, specific room, physical surroundings and so forth
• Explanation of how your physical surroundings will affect your rehearsal
• Description of the people who will participate in this communication event
• What you will talk about
• How it should occur
• Why you need to plan for a better conversation next time

5B. Covert Practice
In a quiet place, begin thinking about the conversation event from Part 5A, as you would like to see it evolve. When you hit rough spots, try a variety of options until you find a response that pleases you. If you are having trouble with this, pretend you are an author planning to write the dialogue for a reality TV episode, or you are composing lines for characters in a play or movie or book. Use the mirror technique and take turns role-playing both people in the conversation. You can also use puppets, stuffed animals, socks on your hands, or different hats or coats to take the parts of two people having a conversation.

What can you see in the background? The scenery department needs to know how to create the setting for the play, movie, or reality TV show. The illustrator needs to know what to draw or paint for the book you are writing. You need to know exactly what type of situation you are dealing with before you can write the dialogue for the characters.

When you are satisfied with your imagined scene, write it out so you can see how it looks and read it aloud so you can hear how it sounds. If you are writing a one-act play, you can plan and add stage directions.

Enter left: The wife enters the kitchen to angrily scream at the dawdling children who won’t eat their supper.

Then, write her exact words down so your actor will know what to do and say. Identify each speaker and use quotation marks for their exact words.

Wife, using a loud and angry voice: “Aren’t you children finished eating your supper yet?”

Plan and write down your nonverbal and verbal behaviors and responses, including your own behaviors and responses and the reactions of the other person in the communication event.

5C. Reflection
Reflect on this experience. Address your observations and reactions to the private covert rehearsal experience. (1-2 paragraphs)

• How did you feel at first as you prepared for your private covert rehearsal?
• How did you feel after you finished it?
• What behaviors or patterns did you use from Part 4E?
• Did you notice any new behaviors or patterns that you have not noted previously?

Instructions: Part 6
In Part 6, you will take your rehearsal a step further by role-playing with someone who is willing to lend you a hand. Practicing implementation of the new behaviors you identified in 4E will give you insight into how another person might react in a real-life situation, preparing you to respond or adapt when necessary.

6A. Shared Behavior Rehearsal
Shared behavior rehearsal is also known as “role-playing.” Rehearsing communication behavior is useful both before and after an event. Practicing before an event allows you to enter a communication situation in your most prepared state. Rehearsing a disappointing situation after it occurs gives you a chance to discover and remedy aspects of your own behavior that were less than satisfactory.

Like covert rehearsal, practicing the new communication behaviors that you identified in CCC Part 4E through role-play increases the likelihood that you will be successful in Part 7 when you actually implement the changes in real-life situations. Again, it may feel silly at first, but if you take the role-playing seriously, you will be amazed at what you will take away from it. Role-play your imagined scene for your conversation event with a friend or family member who is not directly involved in your communication problem. Say your lines as you planned them. Your practice partner may not really say what you thought he or she would say. Then, show him or her the written script, and have him or her read or act out the scenario. You can practice this a few times both with and without the script.

Write a detailed narrative of what happened in the behavior rehearsal.

• What did you do?
• How were your behaviors received?
• How satisfied were you with your performance of the behaviors in your goal from Part 4E?

6B. Reflection on Observations and Reactions
Address your observations and reactions to the shared behavior rehearsal experience of role-playing with a friend or family member who is not directly involved in your communication problem. (1-2 paragraphs)

• How did you choose your shared behavior rehearsal partner?
• Does he or she know about the person or situation being focused on for your CCC goal?
• Does he or she normally offer guidance and advice in a trustworthy manner already in your established relationship with this person?

6C. Reflection on Planning
Write your observations and reactions to the shared behavior rehearsal experience as far as planning is concerned. (1-2 paragraphs)

• Did your shared behavioral rehearsal go as planned, or was it totally different than you imagined it would be?
• How did you feel at first as you prepared for your shared behavioral rehearsal?
• How did you feel after you finished it? What behaviors or patterns did you use from Part 4E?
• Did you notice any new behaviors or patterns that you have not noted previously?

Writing Requirements (APA format)

• Length: 4-5 pages (not including title page or references page)
• 1-inch margins
• Double spaced
• 12-point Times New Roman font
• Title page
• References page

Grading

This activity will be graded based on W5 CCC Grading Rubric.

Course Outcomes (CO): 2, 3, 4, 5

Due Date: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Sunday