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Board outlines department-wide communications push; sleep campaign shown as pilot
Summary
The board reviewed a new communications framework intended to build trust and consistent public-health messaging; a sleep initiative was presented as an early campaign and the board agreed to prioritize topics via a forthcoming survey with adoption planned in January.
The Davis County Board of Health reviewed a new, department-wide communications initiative on Nov. 25 designed to make public-health messaging more consistent, accessible and locally credible.
Mister Hatch framed the effort as an attempt to rebuild local trust and move away from the narrow, compliance-focused image many residents associate with public health. “I want the community to know that they can trust us,” he said, describing five guiding principles — accessibility, collaboration, credibility, relevance and respect — that will govern message development.
The communications framework divides work into three steps: identify and prioritize topics, develop initiative templates and communication plans, and implement campaigns using tools and swim-lane responsibilities shared across staff, policy makers and subject-matter experts. Hatch identified Trevor and two communications staff (Kristen O'Flaherty and Ashley) as the implementation team and asked the board to help narrow an initial longlist of candidate topics to about 10 priorities for next year.
As a demonstration, staff presented a sleep campaign developed with regional partners that bundles short, actionable materials — bookmarks, a one-page fact sheet, a sleep diary and short videos — aimed at changing simple habits and reaching teen and adult audiences. Staff said the campaign will include targeted outreach to youth councils and clinician seminars.
Hatch asked the board to expect a prioritization survey and said staff will compile board input for formal adoption of selected priorities at the January meeting; once adopted, initiatives would be advanced in multi-month cycles with periodic reporting back to the board.
Next steps: staff will send the board a survey with candidate topics, compile results and return in January for a formal adoption of priorities and an implementation schedule.
