ECHO Minnesota announcements discuss prevention, vaccination

To find out where H1N1 flu-related public service announcements in multiple languages are playing on Minnesota television, radio and the Internet outlets or sites, visit:

• public TV: www.mnchannel.org/mpta.php 
• cable TV: www.mactamn.org/
• community-based radio: www.iprradio.org/

The programming was created by or in partnership with the St. Paul-based Emergency Community and Health Outreach (ECHO) Minnesota. A nonprofit collaborative that includes Minnesota public health and safety organizations, ECHO also provides health and safety resources by fax and phone during emergencies and non-emergencies.

Many of the H1N1 messages are produced in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), and they are available in Amharic, Arabic, English, Hmong, Karen, Khmer, Laotian, Oromo, Russian, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. Prevention tips and vaccination information are covered, for example.

ECHO also works via a "relay system" through partnerships in libraries, schools, clinics and hospitals. Those facilities sometimes link to the announcements on their Web sites or distribute the messages in some other way.

Other ECHO resources are:

• phone (888) 883-8831;
• YouTube;
• Twitter;
• e-mail alerts: (register at www.echominnesota.org);
• and the organization's Web site at www.echominnesota.org/H1N1.