seasonal influenza prevention messages, through blogs, websites, and social media posts. • Ongoing development of resources and distribution channels so health care professionals can more readily obtain the most up-to-date guidance. Key action: HHS will continue to strengthen communication mechanisms and platforms that prepare for and surround influenza public health emergencies. HHS will assess communications efficiencies and gaps in existing communication platforms. HHS will target these gaps for improvement across federal, state, and local communication mechanisms to build effective communication bridges that will be used during a public health emergency. Key action: HHS will establish flexible and sustainable communications capabilities by conducting annual exercises that evaluate the effectiveness of various communications functions (e.g. clearance, planning, message testing, staffing surge) and by leveraging partnerships and adopting innovative communication platforms to reach multiple target audiences. Communications planning is integral to early and effective messaging when a pandemic threatens, establishes itself, and expands. Accurate, consistent, timely, and actionable communication is enhanced by the use of plain language and accessible formats. Using appropriate channels and spokespeople will enhance consistent and accurate messages. Domain 6 – Scientific Infrastructure and Preparedness Goal 6: Strengthen preparedness throughout the scientific infrastructure. Objective 6 .1 – Support scientific infrastructure preparedness with capacity to conduct clinical, behavioral and epidemiological research; facilitate its safety oversight and monitoring; and simplify collaboration, ethical practices, and evaluation activities to provide evidence-based findings to inform pre-pandemic planning. .2 – Support basic and translational research to improve MCMs and strategies to Objective 6 prevent, diagnose, treat, and respond to pandemic influenza through collaboration among government agencies, the private sector, and academic institutions. Objective 6 .3 – Establish and sustain a scientific preparedness framework that can align and integrate public health practice and scientific research during an influenza pandemic. A strong scientific infrastructure underpins everything HHS does to prepare for and respond to pandemic influenza and other emerging infectious diseases. HHS’s scientific infrastructure includes its own laboratories, data systems, and investigators, as well as research institutions in the United States and abroad that receive HHS funding. Science reveals how influenza viruses evolve, spread, and cause disease, as well as how a host’s immune system responds to the infection. Strong scientific foundations are needed to develop new vaccines and therapeutics, and to determine how well other control efforts are working. Rigorous scientific methods applied during pandemic response yield information to improve both ongoing and future responses. 32