Social Media to Encourage Safe Sleep Environments (and Much More!)

Hosted by Project IMPACT

A cooperative agreement between HRSA/MCHB, and ASIP

This Webinar discusses how to use new forms of technology -- specifically social media that pushes interaction and quick sharing of information -- to effectively communicate with audiences at risk for SUID/SIDS. An overview of the need for new technologies will be followed by a "show and tell" of promising practices in the public health field. Resources and tips for beginning social media efforts will be highlighted along with a rapid-fire question and answer session on communication strategies and promising technologies to employ.

Back to Webinar Series index

Webinar Presentation

Trouble viewing videos?
Segment 1: Introduction and What is Social Media?
		This segment explains what will be covered in this Webinar and discusses what the term "Social Media" means according to Wikipedia.
Segment 2: Why Social Media?
		The three segments covered in this series include Why Social Media: large numbers of people are using the Web and social media. Specific needs of professionals and families are covered. Who is using Social Media: data about the types of government agencies that use social media and how they use it are touched on. Barriers to using social media are also addressed. How Can we Use Social Media
Segment 3: Types of Social Media
		Video and multimedia sharing, social networks, and blogs are discussed first as the top three types of social media used. Podcasts, syndicated web feeds, collaborative suites are also addressed. The segment wraps ups with a discussion of wikis and virtual worlds.
Segment 4: Promising Practices for Using Social Media and Encouraging Safe Sleep Environments
		Some overall tips for using social media are presented along with promising practices from NCEMCH, AMCHP, the National SUID/SIDS Resource Center, Wikipedia, Project IMPACT, the Alabama Department of Public Health (Facebook page), NIH Health Matters Podcasts, SAMHSA Blog, Healthy People 2010 LinkedIn page, AIDS.gov on Flickr, Text4Baby, and a great number of Twitter accounts.
Segment 5: Social Media Resources
		Resources for social media are presented, including the New Media Primer and Online Learning Toolkit, and the HHS Center for New Media.

About the Speaker

John Richards, MA, AITP, is a research instructor at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute (HPI). He serves as the Principal Investigator for the Health Information Group that develops distance learning curricula, resource center infrastructures, and data-driven public health websites. For over a decade he has served as the chief information officer for maternal and child health projects within HPI, first with the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health, the Title V Information System, Bright Futures, and the Healthy Start National Resource Center; continuing with NCEMCH, the National SUID/SIDS Resource Center, and the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. Mr. Richards also serves as technical lead to a wide range of additional state- and federally-funded MCH projects, including the National Center for Cultural Competence, the National TA Center for Children’s Mental Health, the National Center for Effective Mental Health Consultation, the Contemporary Practices in Early Intervention distance learning project, and the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

Mr. Richards is the author State MCH-Medicaid Coordination: A Review of Title V and Title XIX Interagency Agreements (2008); coauthor of “Collaborative Learning and Technology Skills Development: Evaluation of an Online Annual Grantee Meeting” (MCH Journal, 2011), “Assistive Technology Curriculum Structure and Content in Professional Preparation Service Provider Training Programs” (Journal of Allied Health, 2007), and Well-Child Care: A Bright Futures Curriculum for Pediatric Providers (2008).Mr. Richards, who has been recognized by HRSA with the Young Leadership in MCH Award, has led the movement of a broad cross-section of MCH professionals through generations of technological advancement, taking a leadership role to gently (but effectively) push programs to adopt new techniques for communicating their resources to the populations they serve. He has served on the MCHB Performance Measures Workgroup, MCHB’s Panel on Cultural and Linguistic Competence, the MCHB Expert Panel for Life Course and Social Determinants Web Presence, and is a member of the Advisory Committee for the National Center for Cultural Competence.