Citation

Kozo J, Wooten W, Porter H, Gaida E. Health Secur. 2020; 18(1): 49-56.

Affiliation

Justine Kozo, MPH, is Chief, Office of Border Health, and Wilma Wooten, MD, MPH, is Public Health Officer and Director, both in Public Health Services, County of San Diego, Health and Human Services Agency, San Diego, CA. Holly Porter is Director, Public Safety Group, County of San Diego, CA. Elinor Gaida is an MPH student at San Diego State University, San Diego, CA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/hs.2019.0144

PMID

32078420

Abstract

Sharing information with people with limited English proficiency is a universal challenge. The County of San Diego has a diverse population and, as a result, language and access barriers present serious risks when communicating disaster and public health emergency information. In support of the "Live Well San Diego" vision of a county that is healthy, safe, and thriving, the County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services and Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Services, worked to design a community-based program to address this critical issue. Program development included a literature review of existing strategies as well as gathering community input. Documented promising practices included: (1) community engagement during planning, design, and implementation of communication plans to create buy-in and a sense of ownership; (2) dissemination of translated messages; and (3) communication through culturally appropriate and trusted channels, including individuals, community groups, and organizations. Using a systematic approach, the program engaged leaders and community representatives of the top 6 languages spoken in San Diego (following English)-Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, Arabic, Korean, and Vietnamese-and 2 recently arrived refugee groups, Karen and Somali. Community input was gathered through focus groups, feedback sessions, training sessions, and drills. The community's recommendations mirrored the existing promising practices, and a program strategy was adopted.

Language: en