Raising public awareness around OHCA requires intensive messaging to the public. Identifying, educating and engaging allies from within the community requires an organized approach. Key allies include the local EMS and hospital leaders. Partnering with EMS facilitates getting buy-in from public officials and others.

To organize the approach, the following steps may be helpful:

1. Identify stakeholders and influential leaders in the community. Examples include:
   • Elected officials, including mayors, city councilors, and county commissioners
   • EMS administrators and medical directors
   • Health Department directors
   • Public Safety administrators, including police and fire chiefs
   • Public utility leadership: water companies, gas and electricity
   • Local radio, television, and media personalities
   • Community organizations and service club leaders for Rotary, Junior League, hospital auxiliaries, etc.
   • Health club and community recreations center directors
   • Businesses with ties to the community including insurance agencies, auto dealers, grocery stores, beauticians, barbers, financial advisors and attorneys
   • School administrators, health teachers and coaches
   • Ministers, priests, rabbis, and other religious leaders
   • Neighborhood group leaders and staff
   • Professional, semi-professional or amateur sports team owners, coaches and players
   • Youth activity leaders including Boy Scouts, Little League, and softball leagues
2. Research potential stakeholders’ missions and what might motivate them to want to join forces with you.

 

1. Craft the message individually for each stakeholder with their mission and motivation in mind.

 

1. Tie the message for the stakeholder to a specific request; examples might include:
   • Sponsor an ordinance
   • Declare a CPR/AED awareness day
   • Produce a public service announcement
   • Request public reporting of SCA survival rates to the community
   • Identify local funding sources for equipment or activities
   • Assist in the organization of CPR/AED training sessions
   • Install an AED in a particular location
   • Require reporting of AED location to local EMS authority
   • Participate in an annual SCA Survivor Celebration
2. Communicate a specific message to the community using a variety of media techniques.
   • The more sources from which a message emanates, the more likely it is to be used in planning and decision making.
   • Convey information using flyers, mailings (water bill inserts), reports, web sites, list servers, social media, conferences, hearings, sports scoreboard and half-time announcements, radio, TV, person-to person communications and networks.
3. Practice community building by empowering individuals and groups of people by providing them with the skills they need to effect change in their own communities. For example:
   • Provide train-the-trainer CPR skills to groups (scouts, service clubs) and assist them to implement a program to provide compression-only CPR/AED training.
   • Create a local SCA Survivor group linked to a national organization and assist them in supporting new survivors and families as well as empowering them to demand system improvement.