Power of Communications #4: From Reactive to Ready - Building Your Rural Media Protocol & Crisis Playbook (Live Training-No CE)

Live Webinar - April 30, 2026 from 12-1:30 PM Eastern Time (Registration closes at 8 AM ET on April 30, 2026. The Zoom link will be emailed prior to start.)

PLEASE NOTE: No CE is available in this free 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/poc4w0426ce

This live interactive virtual training is part of a 4-part series on rural health communications, with sessions #3 and #4 focusing on communications engagement with the media. With an introduction to key strategies in session #3, participants will now have an opportunity to practice new skills in this fourth and final session. A short preparatory task will be assigned to participants to complete prior to #4, and active participation is expected during the session. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend both sessions, but may earn credit for each one individually.

Session #3 will occur on April 9, 2026 from 1-2 PM ET. Enroll: https://phprepared.catalog.instructure.com/courses/poc3w0426ce

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

• Apply rural media communication principles to a simulated public health crisis scenario
• Construct key messages and bridging language appropriate for media interviews
• Practice using a basic rural health department media response protocol
• Formulate a crisis message framework that communicates clear, accurate, and stigma-sensitive information to the public
• Apply crisis messaging skills through practice and discussion

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 ($970,593). 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

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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.