CommCore Blog and News

Asking “How did we do?” helps Texas improve crisis response from Ebola to Zika

by Karla Carcamo

When local, state and federal authorities faced the nation’s first confirmed Ebola outbreak in Dallas in 2014, reviews of their response were harsh:
  • Bungled protocols at Texas Presbyterian Hospital, site of the original infection
  • Conflicting public messages from hospital, county, state and federal government authorities
  • Lack of overall preparedness and coordination
A key tenet of good crisis planning is conducting a thorough post-crisis assessment of “lessons learned” – aka “How did we do?”
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The Washington Metro Shutdown: “Safety First” was the Message

by Karla Carcamo

When Washington, DC Metro’s new General Manager  Paul Wiedefeld announced the complete shutdown of the nation’s 2nd largest subway system on a work day last Tuesday with only 9-and-half hours’ notice, he sent two unequivocal signals:
  • Safety first
  • He is ready to take whatever actions are required to safeguard the public and salvage the crumbling system regardless of the consequences
It turned out the caution was warranted.
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Social Media Lessons From Pro Athletes

by Karla Carcamo

We’re not in the business of picking on pro athletes. But it sure appears that some of them are quite good at social media blunders. We can learn from two ill-advised postings over the summer:

Shortly after Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin (aka RGIII) lost his starting job, an intern he hired to manage his social media postings “liked” a posting on Instagram criticizing the football team’s owner. Read more