COVID-19 Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication

Racial minorities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with vulnerable populations facing heightened communication gaps due to socioeconomic disadvantage, low health literacy, immigration status, and limited English proficiency. These challenges are often compounded by language and cultural discordance and mistrust of health institutions, creating barriers to effective disease prevention and containment. To address these gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic, RHCP implemented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) framework to promote bidirectional communication with vulnerable communities and support their engagement in prevention and response efforts.

Through partnerships between community and academic stakeholders, RHCP developed COVID-19 message maps focused on three core areas: prevention and containment, SARS-CoV-2 testing, and the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. Messages were delivered in six languages by bilingual community communication leaders within their existing social networks, primarily through electronic platforms such as social media, text messaging, and voice calls. These leaders also collected community health and socioeconomic concerns using the same channels, enabling iterative refinement of messaging, resource mobilization to address community needs, and timely guidance to regional decision makers. By leveraging trusted networks and community credibility, this approach demonstrates the effectiveness of community-engaged partnerships in implementing crisis and emergency risk communication for vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Publications

Leveraging Community Engaged Research Partnerships for Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication to Vulnerable Populations in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Emergency Preparedness and Risk Communication Among African American Churches: Leveraging a Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership COVID-19 Initiative

The Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on Radical and Ethnic Minorities in the United States

Community-Engaged Bidirectional Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication with Immigrant and Refugee Populations During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Adaptation of a Bidirectional Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Framework by Community-Engaged Research Partnerships in Rural Mississippi During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Addressing COVID-19 Inequities Using Bidirectional Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication and Vaccine Clinic Interventions: A Descriptive Study

Keeping the FAITH!: Psychosocial Factors and Healthy Lifestyle Among African-Americans During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Funding

Mayo Clinic: Community Engagement, Center for Clinical and Translational Science, and Center for Health Equity and Community Engagement Research