This 2-hour online course covers stress management for first responders—including stress they experience in the field as they assist others as well as the stress people they help may be experiencing due to a disaster. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Public Health Training Network also contributed to the production of this course.

This guide offers information and suggestions to help emergency managers, planners, and responders include individuals with disabilities in disaster planning and preparedness, response, and recovery.

This tip sheet provides guidance on communicating with the media for responders serving communities affected by disasters that involved the death of many people. The tip sheet emphasizes the importance of preparation and of identifying a set number of people who will provide information to the media. It also offers tips specifically for media interviews.

At this web page, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies presents a range of resources for learning about and coping with stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. A section for healthcare workers, a key group of first responders in the pandemic, features webinars, tip sheets, and articles on topics including coping with pandemic-related stress, self-care, and strategies for resilience.

This resource highlights ways that emergency management plans fail to meet the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness and offers guidance for local officials, emergency planners, homeless service providers, and others involved in disaster planning. It provides strategies for addressing barriers people experiencing homelessness face, including lack of transportation and ability to evacuate, health status, and communication issues.

This guide for public officials presents the basic components of effective communication during a crisis. Topics covered include guidance for communicating complex, scientific, or technical information; working with mainstream and social media; and presenting information to the public.

This resource was developed to provide guidance to local and national governments on how to effectively communicate with communities in the recovery phase after a disaster or other crisis. It explains principles for effective communication and provides templates to help governments develop communications plans.

This report describes the use of social media in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery by governments across the United States and around the world. The report features nine case studies from previous emergencies around the world and highlights ways in which social media can be used to gather information from communities about emergencies, engage communities, and help them better prepare for emergencies.

Mandated by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the National Emergency Communications Plan was developed to help the nation improve how it communicates during disasters and other emergencies. It establishes goals and objectives with success indicators for the United States and recommends that these objectives be incorporated into federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local plans.

This resource includes a bulleted summary of principles and techniques for effective media communication in a disaster or other emergency. Tips are provided on topics such as accepting the media as a legitimate partner, planning for media interactions, and speaking clearly and with compassion.

NARMH is a membership organization that works to develop and enhance mental health and substance use and misuse services in rural communities. This website contains information about NARMH membership, upcoming conferences, and publications related to rural mental health issues.

This guide discusses barriers and challenges to accessing substance use disorder and mental health treatment services. It also gives information on implementing telehealth as a method to increase access to services and its benefits.

This web page provides information and resources for disaster planners to aid them in preparing rural communities for disasters. Topics include critical access hospitals, training and education, guidance, planning tools, and lessons learned.

Through this website, CDC provides links to information and materials about public health preparedness for the public, state and local health officials, emergency managers, and others. Topics include CDC’s Emergency Operations Center, emergency preparedness and response, and guidance for state and local health departments.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services created this plan to guide state officials on an effective response to pandemic influenza. This plan can be used and adapted by other state and public health officials to prepare their agencies for a pandemic influenza outbreak.

This part of CDC’s website offers information about pandemic influenza, including links to information about the differences between seasonal and pandemic influenza, national pandemic strategy documents, and updates on public health monitoring activities. The page also features links to resources for pandemic influenza planning at global, national, and state and local levels.

An updated version of the 2013 interim guidance, this guide provides information to guide nations and regions in preparedness for and response to pandemic influenza. It outlines WHO’s responsibilities related to pandemic preparedness, describes the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework, and offers guidance on pandemic influenza risk assessment and management.

This blog about public health preparedness features articles, event and training information, and stories about preparedness advances in the field. Posts address topics such as infectious disease, pandemic influenza, and healthcare preparedness.

ASTHO provides links to guides, training, articles, and webinars about various topics in public health preparedness at the state and territorial level. Materials come from 1-year pilot projects funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support development and implementation of health-focused hazard and vulnerability assessments for specific metropolitan statistical areas. Also included are materials from ASTHO.

This web page provides information on the CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program. It also offers information and resources on how the PHEP program provides guidance to states, territories, tribes, and local jurisdictions for preparing for public health emergencies; technical assistance resources; and evaluation tools.

This report provides an overview of the issue of suicide and the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, as well as the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention Implementation Assessment Advisory Group (NSSP IAAG), whose work is summarized in this report. The report covers findings of the NSSP IAAG, as well as their recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of implementation efforts in the future.

This WHO checklist provides an overview of the necessary steps for local organizations, state entities, and federal governments to take in pandemic influenza preparedness planning. The resource contains information for public health professionals on how to maintain essential health services, provide treatment, and reduce the risk of the spread of infection.

These teleconferences, held each Tuesday, address the communication concerns, and needs of state, local, and territorial health communicators, as well as partner organizations. Topics include risk perception, clear communication techniques, and the speed at which new information is presented to the public. Slides, audio files, and transcripts of past teleconferences are available.

This 17-page document provides guidance for public health officials and government leaders around the world for thinking and communicating about the risks that Zika poses for global health and for their residents specifically. It helps leaders consider how to craft communications that will address public needs and help residents take positive action to reduce the likelihood of contracting and spreading Zika.

WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. WHO is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries, and monitoring and assessing health trends.