HHS launched flu pandemic blog
Sixteen experts in business, health care, and community organizers convene for a lively on-line discussion
Three cheers for the Department of Health or Human Services (HHS), which is breaking ground this month with an increasingly popular way of communicating with the public about pandemic flu: yes, it’s a blog. Of course, such an initiative could be done in a cheesy and self-promoting way, but HHS has made an effort to include sixteen business, health care, faith-based and community leaders as blog posters, and the public is invited to respond and extend the conversation. The on-line discussion is intended to set the stage for a 13 June conference on pandemic science. “The conversation about individual preparedness for pandemic flu must extend nationwide through all possible channels, including social media and the Internet,” said HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt.
The blog is worth a look. Participating experts include Pierre Omidyar, founder and chairman of eBay and co-founder of Omidyar Network; David Eisner, chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service; and Dr. Greg Dworkin, founding editor of Flu Wiki. Each week of the five-week-long blog project is dedicated to a diifferent topic, including the need to prepare and leadership requirements, and the discussion is lively.
