The North Carolina, United States (US), office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) developed portable interactive computer-based information kiosks, called the "Be Ready!" disaster preparedness kiosks, "to stir more interest in emergency preparedness" than printed brochures might attract. The information available in the kiosks includes the topic of pandemic influenza, along with several natural and man-made disasters. Some of the materials used on the touch screen computers comes from federal agencies, such as the US Department of Homeland Security, and some comes from a series of public service announcements on disaster preparedness that had just been released by the Ad Council. The presentation is offered in both English and Spanish. The hardware consists of portable, touch-screen computers.
PHPR built eight kiosks, one for the main office and one for each of the seven regional surveillance teams. The kiosks are available to county and city public health departments, which use them at health fairs, county fairs, conferences, clinics, and other events. The devices are reported to be especially popular during the fall county fair season and during spring observances for public health month and week. According to the PHPR communication coordinator, the biggest obstacle to using the kiosks in the field is keeping all of the devices maintained and repaired. However, the "Be Ready!" kiosks earned the National Public Health Coalition 2006 silver excellence award in the new media (outsourced) category. The communication coordinator calls the project the kind of technology that people will gravitate toward, but is also functional.
According to PHPR, kiosks are a useful educational tool because they:
- Provide an interactive experience, which can help users retain the information.
- Allow users to select information they want at their own pace.
- Serve a range of languages and reading levels.
- Encourage action with a clear, consistent message .
- Bring critical information to citizens.
