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• Cultural Competence “Cultural Competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations. It reflects the ability to acquire and use knowledge of the health related beliefs, attitudes, practices and communication patterns of clients and their families to improve services, strengthen programs, increase community participation, and close the gaps in health status among diverse population groups.”

  – Cross et al., 1989

• Phase of Emergency There are two models typically used to describe the phases of an emergency. The more recent and commonly used model suggests that there are four broad phases – mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. An extended model suggests that there are eight categories – risk perception, preparedness, warning, physical impact, psychological impact, response, recovery and reconstruction (Fothergill et al., 1999; Perry and Mushkatel, 1986). We utilize the extended model to catalog and organize resources so that users can easily identify information within their specific area of interest.
• Risk Communication “Crisis and emergency risk communication is the attempt by science or public health professionals to provide information that allows an individual, stakeholders or an entire community, to make the best possible decisions about their well-being, under nearly impossible time constraints, and to communicate those decisions, while accepting the imperfect nature of their choices.”

  – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Type of Emergency The types of emergencies indicated and their definitions, with the exception of terrorism, were selected in accordance with the categories for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide specific emergency response and prevention information.
• Community Engagement “Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people. It is a powerful vehicle for bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that will improve the health of the community and its members. It often involves partnerships and coalitions that help mobilize resources and influence systems, change relationships among partners, and serve as catalysts for changing policies, programs, and practices.”

  – Fawcett et al., 1995, CDC Community Engagement Project