Health Public Relations

Bad publicity is damaging for any enterprise, but it can be crippling to someone who operates in the health sector. Be it a doctor, a pharmaceutical company or a hospital, their worst nightmare is bad publicity. Because health is everyone’s’ concern, and the healthcare industry touches thousands of lives, one injurious news report can destroy years of goodwill and the business.

Though no one can predict when a crisis may strike, taking a few proactive measures reduces the possibility of bad publicity. Here are some proactive PR tips for the health sector:

Plan Ahead

Set up a key crisis management team and assign clear responsibilities to each member. Make sure each member of the team knows how to keep in touch with each other. Circulate a master contact list with the names and contact details -- home, business, cellular, email, every possible avenue of contact for each member.

Imagine the worst crisis that can hit your organization. Anticipate the bad news or allegations that the media can make. Then prepare to counter these with accurate, updated information. Prepare fact sheets; develop background papers and announcements to support your key messages.

Plan in this manner for every conceivable calamity, and you will be better equipped to deal with a real crisis. Review your plan annually to update phone numbers and personnel lists.

Conduct crisis drills

Test your crisis plans with mock crisis drills. Take one of the scenarios you have developed and ask all the personnel involved to play out their parts. Though this is a time consuming exercise, it gives your team valuable experience and builds confidence when faced with a real crisis. PR firms also offer this service now and will customize a crisis drill for your enterprise.

Have your key spokespersons media trained

This is a very basic and yet often overlooked measure for crisis management. In a crisis, even normally unflappable people tend to be disconcerted. They may appear nervous on television, give out more information than required or simply freeze in the media glare. To avoid these reactions, make sure each of your spokespersons is media trained by an expert. This will make them more confident, giving your organization a positive image.

Build relationships with the press

Keep an updated master list of the national, regional and local reporters who cover the health sector. Build a relationship with the most prolific and influential reporters. Call them regularly and brief them on what is happening within the health sector and your enterprise. This helps you earn their trust and makes them willing to listen to you during a crisis.