Engaging Civil Society Organizations Working with Immigrant Populations to Develop a Two-way Approach in Health Communication Strategies during Public Health Emergencies in British Columbia
-
Year 2024
- Principal investigator Cynthia Jardine
- Co-lead(s) Alan Law, S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
- Host institution University of the Fraser Valley
- Research location Simon Fraser University – Burnaby Campus, University of the Fraser Valley
-
Team members
- Aline Faria, Simon Fraser University
- Kaylee Byers, Simon Fraser University
- Anne-Marie Nicol, Simon Fraser University
- Rackeb Tesfaye, Simon Fraser University
- Julia Smith, Simon Fraser University
- Haaris Tiwana, Simon Fraser University
- Alan Law, S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
In a public health emergency, government health communicators must disseminate information in a rapidly evolving scenario. In such urgent situations, reaching priority populations and addressing their needs is challenging. However, in a multicultural landscape as British Columbia (BC), considering different groups’ perspectives is essential to engage them in public health measures. During the COVID-19 pandemic, civil society organizations (CSOs) serving immigrant populations filled this gap by implementing multilingual and culturally relevant communications strategies.
We propose to bring together communicators from health authorities, CSO staff, and community-based researchers to share knowledge on their experiences in communicating with immigrant groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal is to create a collaborative network to develop strategies to engage CSOs in public health communications in future emergencies in BC. We also aim to develop a research agenda with priority areas in health communication involving immigrant populations. Through convening and creating a knowledge basis, we will contribute to enhancing BC’s preparedness for future health emergency situations.