# 3698
Tonight Lisa Schnirring of CIDRAP news brings us her report on the HHS/CDC tabletop exercise we just returned from. You’ll find my report here.
Lisa includes post-event impressions by some of the participants, with quotes from Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Dr. Anne Schuchat, Dr. Tony Fauci and Dr. Bruce Gellin . . . among others.
As always, follow the links to read the story in its entirety.
Feds engage media on pandemic vaccine communication
Lisa Schnirring
Staff Writer
Sep 3, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – In advance of the expected pandemic H1N1 vaccination campaign this fall, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) yesterday invited the media to join federal officials in a tabletop exercise to prepare for some possible communications challenges.
About 40 members of the national press took part in the Washington, DC, event, which included some online flu blogs and news services, as well as state and local public health officials. Representatives from several federal agencies participated.
Discussions during the three exercise modules were off the record so that federal officials could freely discuss their responses to potential communications problems.
Forrest Sawyer, a former news anchor with ABC and NBC, moderated the discussion. He said the exercise was designed to "pressure test" the response to communications issues that may arise as the vaccine campaign launches and moves forward.
Yesterday's event was HHS's seventh such pandemic communications tabletop exercise with the media. Past events featured fictional scenarios that revolved around H5N1 influenza. The last one, which was the first to include online media, was held in March 2008.
