ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTICE
Open Access
DIRECT FROM CDC ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Using Games to Foster Collaboration and Inclusivity in Emergency Preparedness
Lauren Finklea, MS, DrPH
Myron Douglas, MPH
Germaine Vázquez, MPH
and Prevention (CDC, 2024) developed a cooperative board game called This is a TEST (Training and Exercise Simulation Tool), or TEST for short. It was designed to foster partnership and collaboration among state and local radiation response agencies during a large exercise in Texas (Hess, 2022). The focus of the game was operating a commu- nity reception center (CRC), where moni- toring the impacted population following a radiation emergency would take place. It was important for the game to highlight population needs that are both present dur- ing any disaster and specific to radiation. The game needed to be complex enough to represent an actual response while keeping it easy to follow for players who might not have extensive radiation knowledge. It also needed to engage players in critical think- ing and decision-making that felt important and meaningful. With these design require- ments, CDC designed its first collaborative board game. Designing Collaborative Games At the beginning of the design process, CDC sta members outlined the audience for the game and the overall objectives that play- ing the game would serve. This step helped make sure that the game would meet the needs of users. The goal was to develop a game that high- lighted how all participating agencies played a role in operating a CRC as each agency brings something dierent and important to the table. This goal was achieved through creating unique player actions (Figure 1). By creating unique player actions, participants need to rely on each other and discuss what each can do.
Editor’s Note: The National Environmental Health Association strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, we feature this column on environmental health services from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in every issue of the Journal . In these columns, authors from CDC’s Water, Food, and Environmental Health Services Branch, as well as guest authors, will share tools, resources, and guidance for environmental health practitioners. The conclusions in this column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of CDC. Dr. Lauren Finklea is a health physicist and the designer of This is a TEST (Training and Exercise Simulation Tool). Myron Douglas and Germaine Vázquez are health communication specialists. All are part of the Radiation Studies Program within the National Center for Environmental Health at CDC.
E mergency preparedness can be chal- lenging as it often involves multiple components including planning, coor- dination, partnership, training, and exercises. Working together and understanding popula- tion needs are crucial for saving as many lives as possible. The more prepared we are for an emergency, the better we can respond. A key element to emergency preparedness is training and exercise, or practicing how you might respond during an actual emer- gency. There are various methods to this practice—ranging from discussion-based to operations-based exercises (Federal Emer- gency Management Agency, 2024). While there are many benefits to each type of exercise, participant engagement and cross-
collaboration can be challenging (Cooper et al., 2020). These challenges can lead to less knowledge retention of lessons learned or siloed response structures (Savoia et al., 2012). Traditional discussion-based exercises often do not allow for the exploration of the impact that cascading decisions could have. Exercises can also be limited in how popula- tion needs and health equity are considered and integrated (Finklea et al., 2024). There- fore, it is important to design exercises that are geared toward collaboration, engagement, and inclusion. Opportunity for Innovation In spring 2022, the Radiation Studies Pro- gram within the Centers for Disease Control
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Volume 87 • Number 6
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