Challenge

Without warning, the world was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The BC Centre of Disease Control needed to not only learn and synthesize information on the virus, but to communicate vital information to the population of British Columbia so everyone could keep safe. The audiences in BC are incredibly diverse in demographics, psychographics, culture, language, education and literacy levels, yet it was imperative to communicate to them in meaningful and engaging ways of how to follow public health guidance to prevent becoming seriously ill and overwhelming the healthcare system.

Solution

A Knowledge Translation team was formed in response to COVID-19, including scientists and the visual communications designer. Together, we synthesized hard-to-understand information into easy, digestible guidance in the form of social media posts, print and even various key presentation slides in Dr. Bonnie Henry’s updates. We also made sure to be culturally-sensitive and created materials using plain language and visuals that resonate with different audiences. Our materials can be understood by almost anyone.

For example, we created a series of resources that use culturally-appropriate visuals and characters First Nations groups could relate to in the form of comics. These resources were light, easy and quick to digest.

We also created an ongoing campaign called “Ask BCCDC”, allowing the public to ask questions and build a relationship with BCCDC. There is a high engagement rate with the volume of questions that are receieved each week.

Result

The final result of various campaigns were met with positivity and show effectiveness in getting information across.

Death rates and serious illness came down significantly in First Nations communities across BC as trust was established with BCCDC.

The average person could follow along to understand what the evolving public health guidances were and adapt accordingly. There is high engagement with the Ask BCCDC social media campaign and with many questions to answer each week.