CERC as a Theoretical Framework for Research and Practice

Abstract

Health communicators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed an integrated model titled Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) as a tool to educate and equip public health professionals for the expanding communication responsibilities of public health in emergency situations. This essay focuses on CERC as a general theoretical framework for explaining how health communication functions within the contexts of risk and crisis. Specifically, the authors provide an overview of CERC and examine the relationship of risk communication to crisis communication, the role of communication in emergency response, and the theoretical underpinnings of CERC. The article offers an initial set of propositions based on the CERC framework and concludes with a discussion of future directions.

Social media in emergency management: Twitter as a tool for communicating risks to the public

“…In a further development and elaboration of the model, Veil et al (2008) emphasise that since crises affect a wide variety of publics with diverse needs and resources, CERC is useful because it allows for flexibility in which risk reduction strategies a particular situation at a particular time might demand. Rickard et al (2013) more explicitly contend that the combination of SARF and CERC can be helpful for considering not only the origin of risk management crises but also how using appropriate risk reduction strategies may help to resolve these.…”

Reputation, Relationships, Risk Communication, and the Role of Trust in the Prevention and Control of Communicable Disease: A Review

“…Participatory dialogue is especially useful when developing risk communication strategies. It may address a risk that has not progressed to crisis level or indeed may never become one (Holmes, 2008;Veil, Reynolds, Sellnow, & Seeger, 2008). A model of two-way symmetrical public relations allows for "bargaining, negotiating, and strategies of conflict resolution to bring about symbiotic changes in the ideas, attitudes, and behavior of both the organization and its publics" (Chong, 2006, p. 7).…”

“…Compliance with advice might emerge only as relationships are built, nurturing trust and loyalty and a shared understanding of risk (Abraham, 2010;Adil, 2008;Alaszewski, 2005;Hastings, 2009;Holmes, 2008;Menon, 2008;World Health Organization 2005). Because different groups have diverse needs and interests, it is also necessary to remember that the public is not homogenous and that levels of engagement might change throughout the communication process (Health Protection Network, 2008;Veil et al, 2008).…”

Decomposing issue patterns in crisis communication: the case of the lost airliner

“…For example, a process model of the lifecycle of a crisis has been proposed by Coombs (2001), who describes three consecutive phases, starting from the detection of the pre-crisis signal: prevention and preparation, recognition and containment of the crisis event, and the post-crisis phase, including evaluation, learning and follow up. Similarly, the CERC model (Reynolds and Seeger, 2005;Veil et al, 2008) proposes five phases with corresponding communication tasks throughout the crisis lifecycle. The various communication tasks have also been developed into an audit for crisis communication (Palttala and Vos, 2012).…”