This post was developed with the assistance of generative AI—both to demonstrate its capabilities and to illustrate how public health communicators can safely and effectively utilize these tools.

Why AI Matters for Local Health Department Communications

Local Health Department Public Information Officers (PIOs) manage a fast-paced information environment, typically while wearing multiple hats within their respective agencies. Community conversations shift quickly, information (whether scientifically backed or not) spreads easily, and staff capacity at local health departments is generally limited. Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, can help support your work by providing a more efficient and comprehensive approach to communication for your agency.

But AI is a tool, not a replacement for local health department communications professionals or community engagement. AI can help you surface blind spots and discover questions you didn’t know to ask. Still, it cannot replace authentic conversations with community members, partners, and stakeholders or the knowledge and training of PIOs and subject matter experts within your agency.

This post focuses on practical, basic use cases for AI in public health communications, providing examples, guidelines, and resources to help you get started.

Basic Uses of AI for Local PIOs and Communications Teams

1. Monitor Conversations Happening in Your Community: AI can quickly summarize what people are discussing on different platforms. An AI assistant can scan most types of traditional and social media and chat boards for topics, mentions, or concerns.

Example prompts you can use to broaden your search efforts include:

• “Have there been any mentions of the [Local Health Department Name] or [Local Health Officer] on Reddit in the past three months?”
• “Has the [Local Health Department Name] or [Local Health Officer] been mentioned on [Name of local community forums/chat boards]?”
• “What public health topics are being talked about in [City, County, Region, State, etc.] on forums like Reddit?”
• “Has the [Local Health Department Name] been mentioned in local or national news media in the past month?”
• “What major health concerns have been mentioned about [City, County, Region, State, etc.] in the past three months?”

These initial questions often generate follow-up prompts that you can use to verify sources and further explore the search results.

2. Identify Blind Spots: AI can offer insight into perspectives you may not initially consider ahead of a presentation, meeting, or the release of information, including opposing viewpoints.

Example prompts:

• “Provide questions that critics or people with an opposing view might raise about this public health campaign. What concerns or values might be driving their perspective?”
• “What are the potential negative consequences or unintended actions if people misinterpret this message?”

Use AI to anticipate misinformation, understand community fears or values, and strengthen your messaging before outreach.

3. Build Community Personas for Tailored Messaging: AI can help you brainstorm who you are communicating with and what they care about.

Example prompts:

• “Create three personas representing residents of [City, County, Region, State, etc.] with varying values, concerns, and information needs related to public health. Include what they may be struggling with and how they prefer to receive information.”
• “Identify three organizations or professions that members of [specific community] would find to be trustworthy sources of health information.”

Remember: These are starting points. You should still connect with members of your community to learn about their needs and perspectives, as human insight and validation are still essential. 

4. Save Time on Everyday Tasks: Public health communicators can use AI today to:

• Summarize qualitative survey data.
• Keep up with new research.
• Draft content within word limits for op-eds, grants, newsletters, and reports.
• Critique your work. (“Review this message as if you are a political adversary” or “give feedback as someone skeptical of vaccines.”)

Best Practices for Safe, Ethical, and Responsible AI Use

1. Always Fact-Check What AI Produces

Use prompts like:

• “Cite sources and give links for each claim.”
• “Only use credible public health sources such as CDC, FDA, local health systems, medical associations, universities with strong programs in infectious disease research and public health such as CIDRAP, and reputable news outlets.”

2. Follow Your Agency’s AI and Acceptable Use Policies

3. Remember, Ethical Use Matters

Every organization should have or be developing an AI use policy which includes staff guidance, data privacy rules (you should never plug HIPAA information into AI), and security expectations.

Keep in mind:

• AI can unintentionally reinforce bias and stereotypes.
• There are environmental costs to AI usage.
• Transparency with your team and leadership is critical.
• All AI materials should be reviewed by the local health department’s communicators and other humans before final use/distribution.

4. AI Is Not a Replacement for Communications Professionals or Community Engagement

Use AI to:

• Flag emerging issues.
• Summarize online sentiment.
• Identify questions or concerns.

Rely on real conversations to understand context, build trust, and make decisions.

Acknowledging the Limits

This blog focuses on basic, introductory use cases for public health communications professionals. There are numerous additional applications of AI, including analytics, automation, forecasting, operational AI, and clinical decision support, which require separate conversations, policies, and safeguards.

Closing Thoughts

AI can be a powerful co-pilot for public health communicators and PIOs. It can help you monitor conversations, spot blind spots, and work more efficiently. However, it should complement, not replace, the trusted relationships and human judgment that are at the heart of local public health.

If your organization hasn’t yet begun discussions about AI use, now is the time to start. And, as with any emerging technology, continuing the conversation is crucial.

Recommended Resources

Below are resources for you to explore the use of AI in public health settings in more depth. We encourage you to deepen your understanding of AI and its uses and limitations prior to implementation.

• Public Health Communications Collaborative: AI in Action: Strengthening Public Health Communications with Care and Clarity
• deBeaumont: Leveraging AI for Public Health Communication: Opportunities and Risks
• Public Health Foundation, John Moran: Minimizing Disruptions When Implementing AI to Elevate Public Health Performance
• The Lancet Public Health: Artificial Intelligence in Public Health: Promises, Challenges, and an Agenda for Policy Makers and Public Health Institutions
• Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization: AI Prompt Design for Public Health: Using Generative AI Responsibly
• The Nation’s Health: Public Health Communicators Finding Promise in AI Tools
• Journal of Public Health Management and Practice: Leveraging AI for Public Health Communication: Opportunities and Risks
• NPHIC Discourse Labs: The Ethical Use of AI in Public Health Communication: Guidelines and Recommendations
• NACCHO: Two-Part Webinar Series: Building AI Readiness in Public Health
• NACCHO: Harnessing Geospatial AI for Public Health: Lessons from Essex County, New Jersey

Note: This piece is authored by Jacqueline Wells, Director of Community Engagement and Policy at the St. Mary’s County Health Department (MD), and members of the NACCHO Public Health Communications Workgroup. Many thanks to members of the 2025/2026 NACCHO Public Health Communications Workgroup for gathering the resources featured in this blog post.