Power of Communications #3: Rural Communication & Media Relations - Building Trust Before the Crisis (Live Webinar-No CE)

Live Webinar - April 9, 2026 from 1-2 PM ET (Registration closes at 8 AM ET on April 9th.)

PLEASE NOTE: No CE or certificate are available in this free version of the course.

If you are seeking CE or a certificate of completion, you will need to enroll in the paid CE version: https://phprepared.catalog.instructure.com/courses/poc3w0426ce

This live webinar is part 3 of a 4-part series on rural health communications. The third and fourth sessions will focus on communications engagement with the media. Session #3 will provide an introduction to key strategies, and session #4 will provide an opportunity for participants to practice new skills. Some preparatory work will be assigned to participants to complete in between sessions #3 and #4. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend both sessions, but may earn credit for each one individually. 

Session #4 will occur on April 30, 2026 from 12-1:30 PM ET. Enrollment link coming soon!

Note on Accessibility: This live session will have auto-transcription in Zoom. Slides will be provided prior to the session. The recorded on-demand version to follow will have closed captions as well. To request ASL interpretation and/or CART captioning, please email us within 2 weeks of the live training at phprepared@umich.edu.

Audience

Rural health professionals, public health workers, health officers, communications staff, or anyone engaging with media working in rural settings

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the role of media as a partner within the rural public health ecosystem
• Outline the essential components of a media response process, even in organizations without a formal Public Information Officer (PIO)
• Differentiate between appropriate spokesperson roles and subject matter expert contributions
• Evaluate potential risks associated with informal or “off the record” communications
• Describe how to apply rural-specific messaging principles to a public health communication scenario
• Develop one documented action step to strengthen media preparedness in their organization 

Instructor

• Lisa Peacock, MPH, MSN, RN, WHNP-BC, Lisa Peacock Professional Services

Sponsors

Public Health Prepared is the workforce development and public health practice branch of the broader Michigan Center for Infectious Disease Threats & Pandemic Preparedness (MCIDT) initiative, funded by the University of Michigan. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by Public Health Prepared, MCIDT, or the University of Michigan.

This event is co-sponsored by the Region V Public Health Training Center.

The Region V Public Health Training Center is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31684 Public Health Training Centers ($940,000). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by Region V PHTC, HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

Technical Information

If you are experiencing any technical difficulties, please try a different browser (i.e., Chrome, Firefox, Safari). Internet Explorer and Edge will not work with our learning management system.

This webinar will use Zoom. For support information, visit https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/201137166 REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR USING THE EMAIL YOU WILL USE TO JOIN THE LIVE ZOOM.

Contact us at PHPrepared@umich.edu with questions.