The rumors regarding the recent H1N1 (swine) flu outbreak have been spreading around the world quicker than the illness, so much so that the rumors themselves merit a phase 6 alert level by the World Health Organization. During a major health crisis, getting accurate information to the public is crucial. That is why agencies like the Centers for Disease Control have turned to GovDelivery.com to help set the record straight about the flu and keep citizens properly informed and updated.

OhMyGov! recently spoke with the co-founder and CEO of GovDelivery, Scott Burns, about how critical it is to get the right information into the hands of the public, and how his company has helped to accomplish such a tremendous task.

GovDelivery prides itself on being “the world’s leading government-to-citizen email communication solution.” About 300 city, county, state, and federal agencies use GovDelivery’s digital communication system to send updates to the public via email, RSS feeds, cell phone alerts, and downloadable widgets. GovDelivery allows citizens to go to such agency websites as the CDC, FBI, and Department of Defense and choose what particular information they want updates on, and how they choose to receive the updates.

Burns has been with the company since its launch in 2001, when it was run out of a basement in Saint Paul, MN by just a few 20-somethings. The company has now grown to include 55 staff members, and is responsible for some 140 million emails per month being sent to eager citizens awaiting correct information. Burns says the company has grown 40%, though the use of their system has grown 250% in the last several years.

Though Burns is proud of his company’s accomplishments, he is not quick to take all the credit regarding what correct information has been sent to the public about the H1N1 flu. “I think this is the time when organizations like the CDC really reap the rewards of the fantastic planning they’ve done over the past several years that has allowed them to be much more affective in their response. So I think the CDC’s use of GovDelivery is a good example in that they’ve put a lot of energy into making sure they’ve built up a base of people they can reach with email very quickly,” he says.

“And so when an outbreak hits, not only can people come to the CDC website, but the CDC can immediately reach out. They’ve sent well over a million messages to people who have been signed up for updates over time. . . I mean, you can’t always anticipate when the emergency is gonna hit, but you can pump up that base of people that you’re gonna be able to reach.”

In the last week alone, the CDC has seen a surge in the number of citizens interested in receiving digital information: they had between 13,000-20,000 people per day sign up last week for email alerts, whereas prior to that, they only had about 500-600 people a day sign up, Burns says. The CDC now has over 300,000 people they can reach through GovDelivery.

Timing is everything, and a little bit of wrong information can go a long way in a short time. Burns has personally noticed the harmful effects that misinformation can lead to. “Look on Twitter, look at the ridiculous things some people are saying about the swine flu. It’s sad that some people, some countries have been slaughtering pigs. . .Ya know, we rely on the pork industry in Minnesota, and this type of thing can really damage the industry. . . It’s very sad to see this kind of thing here with the agricultural industry getting hit so hard for absolutely no reason.”

“In times of crisis, people turn to sources of information that they can trust, but they also turn to sources of information that are available. . . I think these public health agencies are fighting a battle, and I think they’re winning the battle to get the right information out,” he says.

As for his message to the public, Burns offers some words of wisdom: “Look for the tools, and also as a taxpayer and as a citizen, expect a lot from the government and appreciate the government’s efforts to reach out. . . I think people ought to be aware and value the government when its doing a good job communicating, because it’s times like this when it becomes very apparent” that they have successfully done their part. 

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