Written by Judy · Saturday, October 08, 2011

Virginia Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations – Violence in the ED & Crisis Communications Conference

I found out about this conference while I was at the annual Society for Healthcare Strategy and Marketing Development Conference in September. I’m glad I did, and decided to attend. Here’s a little of what was discussed. Responding correctly to a crisis situation is a learned reaction. Dealing with the community, local and sometimes national media can challenge any seasoned professional. We heard about lessons learned following the John’s Hopkins shooting, responding during a community crisis, adjusting communications plans following a crisis, the role HIPAA plays when responding during a crisis, the communication tools available during crisis events in Virginia and how to deal with the media long-term following a crisis situation. The second day focused on social media’s role in crisis communications. The good, the bad and the ugly of social media during a crisis communications event, how to respond when social media is used against you and how to use social media to build patient loyalty and engagement following a crisis. This was a really engaging conference with relevant, engaging topics and speakers. Very well done. And I got to visit more with my Virginia marketing friends!