Submit a Story

Submit a Story

Great stories – particularly those that focus on people and communities – have the power to inspire people and compel action. They elicit an emotional response and help your audience understand and remember the importance of the topic you are trying to convey. Stories can also be shared with policy-makers to help them understand the value of the program and how it directly impacts the health and safety of their constituents.

Please use the form below to submit a success story or response event (preferably within the past 2 years) that highlights the importance of the PHEP program in your state/jurisdiction. A member of the steering committee will coordinate with you to develop a story for the website and other communication materials.

Submit a Story

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Name
A good title is simple, summarizes the impact of the story and includes action verbs that bring the story to life.

Tip: Capture the overall impact of the story
Tip: Include an action verb
EXAMPLE: Preparedness Strike Teams Save Lives during Tornado Season
The first paragraph should highlight the situation and how it affected constituents.

What event prompted this story? If it was a response, describe the emergency – what happened, how many people were affected, what specifically caused a need for PHEP or HPP resources?

If it was an exercise or a non-emergency event, what prompted it and why it was necessary – was it a lesson learned from a previous event?

What population was affected?
EXAMPLE: A tornado outbreak occurred May XX, 20XX, and was the last day of a three-day stretch of significant severe weather from May XX-XX, 20XX. This event produced the most deadly and devastating tornado of the year in the United States – an EF5 tornado with peak winds estimated at 210 mph, killing 24 people and injuring over 500.
Describe the actions that were taken that helped protect the health and safety of constituents.
What were the activities of PHEP and HPP-funded staff during this incident?
Who was the target audience of the intervention?
How did PHEP or HPP resources meet a need in the community?
What partners did you work with and how?
What lessons did you learn from this experience?

EXAMPLE: PHEP program support allowed state and local health departments to deploy “strike teams” in affected areas. Strike teams provided vaccinations, food vendor inspections, EMS transport, and other functions critical for effective disaster relief
Identify how the intervention helped address the situation.

How did the event affect constituents in your jurisdiction?
What would the situation be like if PHEP and HPP resources had not been available, or capabilities established?

EXAMPLE: State and local health departments administered more than 7,400 tetanus vaccinations to storm victims and over 240 inspections to ensure food storage and preparation processes did not inadvertently place storm victims and volunteers at risk.
Max. file size: 512 MB.