Coronavirus, Your Hospital, and Crisis Communications- Key Principles to Use.

One aspect that needs to be considered by hospitals, especially those that are still independent with smaller marketing and PR staff as well as budget, is how you will handle any crisis communications when the Coronavirus hits your community. 

With all the Coronavirus misinformation floating around, which is not helped by Trump gaslighting the World Health Organization and contradicting the CDC and other health experts, the community hospital is in a precarious PR position.  Should the Coronavirus reach the status of a pandemic, there will not be enough PR consulting resources for you to buy to assist you.

It's not a question of if, but when it hits your community.

From my years in senior management in hospitals and health systems, community hospital leadership, even though they may think they know what to do, have no experience for what is about to hit.  My apologies if you may be offended by my statement, but the bottom line is just because you run a hospital, and maybe thinking your a big fish who’s living in a fishbowl, doesn't mean you know everything.

Last week's post was about the educational opportunity for you in the community related to the Coronavirus. This week would be the natural follow-on, especially if you didn't do anything about educating the community and becoming the go-to resources for news and information on the Coronavirus.

Crisis communications is an essential element in your survival. And, it's not saying "no comment" or sending the underlings out to face the press. It's about the CEO and leadership being ready to answer questions and ally fears in the community.

So at a minimum, here are the five guiding principles to drive your crisis communications activities related to Coronavirus. Remember that the last pandemic was the Spanish Flu in 1918. No one has ever experienced a pandemic that is alive today. We are, from an experience standpoint, in uncharted territory.

Five principles for managing crisis communications.

1.       Effective crisis communications are grounded in credible sources. Credibility is about trustworthiness and expertise, as well as a perceived sense of morality. Expertise reflects the source's credibility, quality of information, and lack of bias. If you want your audience to believe that you are saying, the source has to be credible. If you don't have credible sources on staff, turn to alternative sources. Uncertainty, anxiety, and stress increase because the public does not believe that they are getting the full story.  

2.       Be honest to reduce rumors.Effective crisis communications are frequent, honest and it does not over-reassure. Regular and honest communication will reduce rumors, needless anxiety, and fear, and help quell dangerous rumors. This includes communicating what is both known and unknown about the risk. Chances of irrational responses to a crisis are higher in the absence of timely and accurate information. The antidote is frequent, credible, transparent, and honest communication. 

3.       Aim for meaningful actions. Effective communications during a crisis involve persuading people to take harm-reducing steps. Credible information is necessary to promote the kind of behavior that can protect people. Effective communication can serve as an injection in the community, promoting good infectious disease hygiene that reduces the risk of infection. 

4.       Draw from experts, not amateurs. Effective communications during a crisis draw on the knowledge of subject-matter experts. Individuals who have the experience and expertise in managing an event are not only more credible, that also have a better grasp of what needs to be done. They are less likely to make fundamental mistakes or misstatements about the nature of the risk. Knowing that experts are in charge reassures the public. 

5.       Be consistent. Consistency of messages is the final and maybe the most critical factor.  Messages that offer very different assessments of risk, and variable advice about what actions to take, increase uncertainty while limiting the likelihood the public will take appropriate action.  Consistency can also be enhanced by having clear and frequent communications from credible sources. My recommendation is for an infectious disease physician on staff to be your trustworthy, consistent resource. 

The responsibility of the hospital to the community in today's world of 24/7 news coverage, multiple social media channels, bots, and AI influencing news feeds cannot be understated. Crisis cannot be managed successfully if the hospital does not communicate about them effectively.

Michael is a healthcare business, marketing, communications strategist, and thought leader. As an internationally followed healthcare strategy blogger, his blog, Healthcare Marketing Matters, is read in 52 countries and is listed on the 100 Top Healthcare Marketing Blogs, and Websites ranked at No. 3 on the list by Feedspot.com. Michael is a Life Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives. An expert in healthcare marketing strategy, digital marketing, and social media, Michael is in the top 10 percent of social media experts nationwide and is considered an established influencer. For inquiries regarding strategic consulting engagements, email me at michael@themichaeljgroup.com. Opinions expressed are my own.

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