Tag: healthcare

Three Public Health Issues to Watch in 2024 and What They Mean for Health Communicators

Written by Kathleen Petty on January 5, 2024. Posted in Promoting Science, Increasing Awareness, Positioning Issues and Brands.

With a new year comes a new reality in health communications. Public health is grappling with ongoing and new challenges that will inevitably impact our field. As a public relations professional with a master’s degree in public health, I track health care industry trends to help clients navigate the complexities of their work. Here are some of the major health care trends to watch in 2024.

The Controversial Role of A.I. in the Future of Health Care

Artificial Intelligence has permeated seemingly every industry and health care is no exception. Some experts actually predict health is the field where AI may play one of its most controversial roles.

Some are optimistic about technology’s ability to alleviate a few of health care’s pressing issues, such as clinician burnout, patient outreach barriers and diversity in clinical trials. This was a topic of discussion among panelists at the Milken Institute’s 2023 Future of Health Summit. One panelist noted that AI could help in the battle against the spread of public health misinformation – one of the biggest challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, there are researchers and companies dedicating resources to developing AI technology that can automatically detect fake news online. And growing attention to the dangers of AI has spurred the call for teaching basic media literacy in schools, so the public can detect fake news on its own.

Of course, the bigger concern among public health professionals is the direct negative impact of AI on the field. While policies have been enacted to try to restrict AI, such as President Biden’s recent executive order for our country’s health organizations to create a regulatory plan, many experts are concerned that there is no effective way to control it.

These issues will directly impact the work that health care communications professionals do for our clients. The spread of misinformation via AI poses reputational risks for clients. And as AI grows, trust among the public dwindles. It’s likely that in the future, we will not only be communicating key messages, we will also have to counteract falsehoods and find new ways to ensure our clients are seen as credible and reliable sources of information. This will make our jobs even more important to ensure that we are cutting through the noise and getting our clients’ messages right.

Climate Change and Structural Racism

The issue of climate change has been looming over the planet for decades. But researchers are telling us it’s no longer just a threat – it’s our reality. The effects of climate change are being felt in health care. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, climate change is linked to the increase in respiratory illnesses and pest-related diseases, such as Lyme disease. It’s also connected to poor mental health and increases in violent crime.

There is also a growing divide in who is impacted by the effects of climate change. Maranda Ward, EdD, MPH, assistant professor of clinical research and leadership at George Washington University says the impact of climate change on minority populations in particular will be one of the biggest issues facing public health. “Climate change is impacting us all, especially given the role of environmental racism,” she said. “The reason there remains a disproportionate impact on historically disinvested neighborhoods is because of structural inequity.”

In the past few years, we have seen a growing number of organizations looking to address structural racism by funding diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) programs as well as environmental justice initiatives. But the recent Supreme Court ruling to end affirmative action has set off an anti-DEI movement in politics, business, and academics, as reported by Erica Pandey of Axios. We are now seeing funding cuts for DEI programs being pushed on both sides of the aisle.

It is likely that this trend will have an impact on the kind of work that comes through the doors for health communicators. DEI programs that continue to be a priority will likely need to take a different approach as far as communications. We may need to add messaging about how these programs help society as a whole through their mission and purpose, to ensure they remain in place and that they are able to continue the important work they are doing.

The Polarization of Health Care

Over the years, health care has become increasingly polarized, and this trend is likely to be amplified in 2024 with the upcoming presidential election. Health care issues will become a focal point during campaign season, as they always do, and this will only make current hot-button issues even more polarizing.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, health communicators had to work tirelessly against the politicization of public health messaging to ensure our clients’ campaigns could break through and reach target audiences. One of the best examples of polarization in health care is the changing public perception of vaccines. Since the late 1940s, vaccines have been an accepted form of preventative medicine among most Americans. This changed around 2008, when according to a recent report by the CUNY Graduate Center, Republicans began to show more skepticism toward vaccines. This divide was heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic and there are no signs that this will change. Recently, the CDC reported increased vaccine exemption rates among kindergarteners in 41 states.

While there will be many serious challenges on the horizon for health communicators in 2024, there will also be promising opportunities to help clients reduce clinician burnout, improve access to care and increase confidence in scientific breakthroughs. As long as we stay on top of the trending issues within public health, we can help our clients stay ahead.

From Journalism to Health Care PR: Transforming Lives Through Communications

Written by Peter Perl on November 15, 2023. Posted in Firm Culture.

If anyone had ever told me that after my 40-year career in journalism I would spend a 5th decade working in health care public relations, I would have been highly skeptical. For one thing, that would mean living into my 70s (!!) which was never certain. But even more unlikely was the idea that Peter Perl would ever go over to “the dark side.”

That’s what we called the PR industry back in the last century when I was a reporter and editor for The Providence (R.I.) Journal-Bulletin and then The Washington Post for 33 years, where I retired as Assistant Managing Editor in 2013. The truth is that many journalists regarded PR with disdain, believing that PR people were unsavory, if not outright dishonest. Over the years, I have had a handful of newspaper colleagues who left journalism to make huge amounts of money writing for major corporations, for Big Tobacco, and even for several foreign dictators who were seeking persuasive writers familiar with Washington politics to help influence Congress to continue sending foreign aid to deeply corrupt regimes.

But that skepticism was before I met Sharon Reis. A friend of mine who had left The Post to work in the realm of progressive PR suggested that Sharon and I meet each other. What began with a few freelance editing gigs eventually turned into an amazing 10-year second career as senior consultant, Chief Storyteller, and Honorary Grandpa of the youthful woman-owned health care PR firm now known as The Reis Group.

“We are committed to working with clients who are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of our nation. We are passionate about our clients’ issues and believe in the power of communications to transform lives.” That is TRG’s mission statement, and I have to confess that that journalistic skeptic in me raised a suspicious eyebrow when I first heard that claim.

Ten years later, I am still proudly here. At TRG, the team truly is passionate about health, health care, and social causes, and those values guide decisions we make about new clients we take on.

I have gotten to work with amazing colleagues and also with some of the nation’s leading medical and scientific experts in the fields of Alzheimer’s research, integrative medicine, epidemiology, vaccine promotion, interventional radiology and much more. TRG has helped organizations that are doing admirable work in promoting health equity, corporate social responsibility, domestic-violence prevention, racial justice, gender equality and children’s health.

So yes, I am still proudly here. Not exactly sure that I will be around long enough to last another 10 years at TRG. On the other hand, an unexpected benefit of this job is that I’ve learned enough new stuff about health and medicine so that I’ve developed some healthier habits and I’m planning to stick around with The Reis Group for a while longer.

Managing and Mentoring the Next Generation of Health Care Public Relations Professionals

Written by Lauren Musiol on October 18, 2023. Posted in Firm Culture.

COVID-19 has turned our workplaces upside-down, creating a remote/hybrid office environment that has changed when and where we come to work. At The Reis Group, we have also come to fully realize that we must also change how we work with each other. In our case, TRG has converted to a Tuesday-Wednesday in-office schedule, with everyone otherwise working from home, using Teams and Zoom to do our work and keep in touch as a team.

But in my role as a Senior Vice President and account lead, I’ve come to understand that this hybrid world creates entirely new challenges about how we manage and mentor the next generation of professionals in health care public relations. Lately, I’ve been pondering these questions a lot, particularly since I’ve been working remotely myself for many years and have experienced first-hand how this alters relationships in the workplace.

I’m asking myself how do we, as managers, create an atmosphere to allow our colleagues to thrive in this new remote/hybrid environment? How can we continue to mentor, lead and cultivate those crucial relationships and connections that create strong teams? How can we carve out opportunities to grow relationships with our team? How can we provide feedback and ensure it is delivered in an appropriate, effective way? How do we create an atmosphere of mutual trust, respect and direct communication so that we feel kept in the loop, but are not perceived as micromanaging?

So, I decided to interview my own colleagues, along with some of TRG’s clients, to get their ideas about how we can make sure that as we reinvent when and where we work, we never lose sight of the fact that the heart of our work is all about maintaining important relationships. In these conversations, three major themes emerged:

Communication is more important than ever.
Investing in relationship building is crucial.
Setting intentional roles promotes engagement and growth.

Communication is key.

Becky Armendariz, Associate VP of Marketing & Public Relations at Banner Health in Phoenix, says she pays attention to this issue more closely than ever: “My team members know that they can call, text, IM, or email me any time they need to reach me. I will respond as quickly as possible — prioritizing them over other projects or requests in my queue — because I never want to be the reason that my team members can’t do their jobs. It’s extremely important to me that they have what they need to work autonomously and productively remotely to meet their deadlines.”

At TRG, our Account Directors hold weekly check-in meetings for each account they manage to ensure team members are apprised of what is going on with the client and what the short- and long-term priorities are. These meetings allow team members to ask questions, suggest ideas and provide an opportunity to carve out roles on the account.

Our founder and principal, Sharon Reis, is very purposeful about meeting regularly with Account Directors and the account team to allow a space for checking in on workloads, discussing office culture and industry trends, and brainstorming ways to better serve our clients.

“Our monthly check-ins with Sharon establish a productive atmosphere for important conversations about the firm, the team and the industry. These interactions provide a needed space for connection and collaboration, which ultimately help me do my job better,” says TRG’s Senior Vice President, Kathleen Petty.

Investing in relationship building is crucial.

More than ever, it’s clear that team members want to feel heard and valued. They want to know their colleagues are understanding and empathetic about what is going on both during and outside of working hours. They want to know the team is there to support them. But it’s important to remember that building these connections takes time, effort and sensitivity.

“Three years ago, I started a new job, in a new field, leading a new team in a fully remote environment. I knew I had to work fast to gain their trust, to learn my own job, and to provide leadership and supervision,” says Rachael Kagan, Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Blue Shield of California Foundation. “Counterintuitively, that required a bit of slowing down. Since the personal moments were not going to happen organically, I had to build them into the agenda. Suddenly, ice breakers and check-ins became a huge part of every meeting. It wasn’t perfect, but over time it did start to make a difference and allow for connections to happen.”

At The Reis Group, we recently established a new mentoring program to pair new team members with a veteran team member known as their “Reis-source.” This program creates one-on-one engagement and allows team members to learn directly from someone who has recently walked in their shoes. We are also holding monthly “Ask Me Anything” sessions during lunch when we are in the office. The selected moderator for each session sets the agenda and develops questions to spark discussion around both work and personal topics.

Beth Casteel, Senior Counselor at TRG says, “When we first started working at home in the pandemic, I made it a point to try to recreate moments that happen organically in the office: A quick hello in the morning with a fellow early riser, randomly grabbing five minutes to chat with different team members over Teams – like you might start a hallway conversation in the office. Continuing this practice has helped me get to know new staff members and lets everyone know my virtual door is always open.”

Setting intentional roles promotes engagement and growth.

The virtual atmosphere can make natural conversation technically difficult. Delays and blips between unmuting and trying to speak results in folks missing each other’s points and unintentionally interrupting. Virtual communication requires more planning and intentionality.

Jessica Duncan, vice president of communications at the American Gastroenterological Association, says she’s gotten more purposeful about designing her team meetings to ensure that everyone contributes. “Each monthly team meeting has three sections – an ice breaker, a learning session, and a case study,” she says, “Responsibilities for each section rotate among the team members and everyone has a lot of latitude to develop the content for the discussions they lead. I’ve found that being purposeful about the time we spend together as a team and ensuring that everyone has a voice and a role helps to build bonds when we’re not physically in the same space daily.”

At TRG, we have overhauled our professional development program to do this as well. To allow for reverse mentoring and for junior team members to stretch their skills, we work with each team member to pick a topic that excites them to present to the team. Whether it’s the latest in health policy and its potential impact on our clients, SEO tips, or the latest in artificial intelligence, each team member prepares a session and shares their learnings with the group. This format allows the double benefit of practicing presentation skills and sharing new learnings to keep the team on the forefront of both health care and public relations.

“As a young PR professional, I’ve quickly learned that to be successful in the industry, you need to master two things: knowing how to engage your audience and presenting your message in a clear and confident way. Our professional development program has enabled me to hone those skills and has directly benefitted my interactions during client meetings,” says Tiana Ware, Senior Account Executive at TRG.

What does the next generation of health care public relations professionals want from its managers and mentors?

It’s vitally important that our senior leadership remains deeply engaged in how best to support the team, but it’s equally important to listen closely to what the next generation of health care public relations professionals want from their managers and mentors.

Sean Logan, a senior marketing and public relations specialist at Banner Health, says “I’m looking for someone who listens well and genuinely cares about how they can help me to grow and improve beyond the everyday work questions I may ask. My leader has done an exceptional job emulating these qualities, which has helped make working remotely an afterthought rather than something that is a cause for headaches.”

Krysten Massa, Senior Communications Associate at Blue Shield of California Foundation has worked with several managers throughout her time at the foundation with one of them starting during the pandemic when the office was entirely remote. “It is really important for me to have a personal connection with my manager. When we were remote, these connections did not happen organically,” she says. “My manager took the time to facilitate conversations that allowed us to not only discuss current work activities, but career growth and life in general. Her investment in making sure that we had a good relationship and in getting to know me as a person first and an employee second has really helped me thrive.”

When determining how to best manage and mentor the next generation of health care PR professionals, we are listening and learning together. In one recent Harvard Business Review article, someone likened remote managing to learning to drive on the wrong side of the road. You must get to the same destination, but you now have different signals, cues and controls. I think this is an important analogy. What worked five or more years ago won’t necessarily resonate today. It’s important that we all invest the time to adapt the way we engage with each other so that everyone feels supported and is set up for success.

Building the Hybrid Office of the Future—Today

Written by Sharon Reis on October 5, 2023. Posted in Firm Culture.

How to maintain a vibrant culture, build a bond with team members and foster productivity in today’s new work environment.

This article also appeared in O’Dwyer’s health care issue.

The way we work has completely changed. People who have spent their careers commuting to the office five days a week now greatly value the freedom of new work-from-home and hybrid policies. Younger people who have spent most of their careers working from home with great flexibility see this as the new normal. So, how do you build a high-performance team, a vibrant culture and a dynamic company in this new environment?

This is the cultural challenge we’re all facing in setting new norms in a post-COVID workplace. According to The Center for Creative Leadership, “Team norms are a set of rules or operating principles that shape team members’ interactions. Norms establish how the work will get done and what team members can expect from one another.”

This is our strong new focus at The Reis Group: creating new norms while continuing to build trust and respect in a post-pandemic, hybrid-all-the-time workplace. Most importantly, we’re creating the future of our health care PR agency together.

Recently, I made a somewhat bold decision to renew the lease for our office space in Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., even though we come to the office only two days a week. This decision surprised some people. Why would I saddle us with a long-term lease when we rarely use the space?

The fact is, I strongly believe I need to be in the presence of the team on a regular basis. I want interpersonal connections. I want to be able to read non-verbal communication. I want to have idle conversations standing in the kitchen while getting a coffee or heating up my lunch. I believe these relationships create a bond, help further meaning and purpose, and strengthen the team.

I’m fully aware that our colleagues are just as productive working from home. I don’t question that at all. In fact, several of our most-valued team members are full-time remote. But what I value most are relationships, especially with early career colleagues. I want the ability to mentor and train them in person. I believe this creates loyalty, fosters sharing, builds emotional connections beyond work and provides a sense of belonging to something larger. Without that, jobs become merely transactional, with people working for the highest bidder.

“Having in-person connections contributes to growth in every way—the team, the culture and the personal and professional relationships. I’ve seen it firsthand,” said Kathleen Petty, TRG Senior Vice President. “Being able to feel the pulse of the office; knowing which clients are hot; and who might be having a bad day are all important for supporting and valuing each other.”

While renewing our lease, we’re also making a significant change. We’re renovating and, more importantly, shrinking our office space. When I made this announcement to the team, I was met with many questions. Are we not growing? Will we still hire new team members? My answer was yes and yes. Consolidating office space is strictly economics. I couldn’t justify renting a larger space that gets used only twice a week. Clients aren’t traveling like they used to, so face-to-face meetings are not a daily occurrence anymore.

Team members don’t want to commute every single day, and neither do I. Why spend hours stuck in traffic or on the Metro, when I can spend that precious time walking the dog, working out, preparing a meal or maybe sleeping later? So, how do we make the most of the two days that the team spends together in the office? How do we make it different than working at home?

“The last thing anybody wants is to come into the office and spend the whole day in back-to-back virtual meetings,” said Stacy Skelly, TRG Senior Vice President. “So, we are consciously planning professional development and team-building experiences for the in-office days. And the team seems pretty excited about using our time together to build ties that go beyond client work alone.”

“What stands out to me in a positive way is the chance for professional development and career progress,” said Molly Ashmore, a second-year account executive, “I love how much TRG invests in us to make us the best PR professionals we can be. I really feel like I have grown exponentially and I’m learning new skills every day. For an entry-level professional, it’s been great.”

“The hybrid work environment has been a big advantage for me. I’ve been fully immersed in the firm’s culture for nearly two years,” said Matthew Porter, Account Executive. “I’ve actually been thinking about relocating to another city, and keeping my job isn’t a factor. With a strong sense of the agency culture and the client experience, I can work from anywhere.”

The hybrid, flexible work environment has also changed how benefits are perceived. Several years ago, we decided to eliminate sick leave and merge those days into PTO so everyone received the benefit and the time to focus on their health and well-being, without having to explain their time off. Longtime team members understood and appreciated the flexibility, but a younger, newer colleague was upset by it. She’d become accustomed to the freedom of hybrid work over most of her five-year career, but now she was irritated and wanted to know why her doctors’ appointments needed to come out of her PTO time.

“What we are seeing is a need to address and explain benefits in greater detail during our monthly team meetings,” said Andrea Holmes, Director of Operations at TRG. “The hybrid, flexible and decentralized work environment needs to have parameters and boundaries for employees to thrive.”

We’re also reevaluating some of our customary practices. “If your flexible workday ends at 5:30, we’re telling people not to send colleagues an email with a detailed to-do list or a document for review until the next morning,” said Lauren Musiol, TRG Senior Vice President. “We’ve also heard from the team that getting an email or a Teams call for a new project late on Friday afternoon can cause undue stress over their weekend. This is a prime example of why we’re focused on creating new norms together. We want it to be perfectly clear to everyone that unless one of our clients is in a crisis, we want to be respectful of people’s lives outside of the office,” she said, “We now strongly encourage the use of the delayed-delivery messaging option in Outlook.”

One of our veteran senior employees has been caring for a sick parent living in another state. Several times this year, she has needed to pick up and take turns helping organize his care. Our agency policy is that as long as you have high-quality Wi-Fi so you can effectively participate in virtual client and team meetings and access needed files, we’ll make it work. We don’t allow working in public spaces because much of our client work is confidential. We’ve had some bumps along the way with implementing this policy. Some have tried to work from trains and airports instead of taking PTO. Bad Wi-Fi connections can make their work time more frustrating than productive and diminishes the client experience significantly.

In building the health care PR agency of the future, we’re creating new norms and shared expectations for how we work with each other. I’m excited about the future, although I recognize that change is hard; super hard. Yet when I think about what our agency workplace and culture will be by this time next year, I couldn’t be happier.

TRG’s 7th Year: Learning the inner workings of our health care system—from a new perspective

Written by Sharon Reis on June 15, 2023. Posted in Firm Culture.

I have worked in health care public relations for more than 25 years and this June marks the seventh anniversary of TRG, the company I founded in 2016. Over these years, I have represented hospitals and health systems, medical societies, research institutes, and foundations spanning all sectors of the health care system. I’ve promoted scientific breakthroughs and rallied for patient advocacy organizations. I thought I understood the inner workings of the U.S. health care system, inside-out—until a close family member unexpectedly faced a diagnosis of advanced-stage cancer.

The last several months have been full of daunting obstacles as I struggled to help manage a family crisis taking place in another state. But I strongly believe that from every challenge emerges an opportunity. For me, I found many moments of gratitude. The airline industry gave me the ability to quickly and easily fly up and down the east coast. Telehealth enabled me to directly join my sister’s doctor’s meetings via a Zoom call or my iPhone. The internet gave me access to her patient portal and the ability to quickly research every term and test. This experience also reminded me that I chose the right profession and the right field. I love health and health care. The science behind her care is complicated and fascinating. This experience reaffirmed for me that this is my calling: working to improve access to quality care, helping patients advocate for themselves, and understanding and translating the complex jargon-filled language of medicine.

Everyone needs to know more about the science behind diseases and treatments, how federal policy changes impact the care they receive in their community, and how to coordinate among their providers and be an advocate for themselves. Health care PR plays a vital role in achieving these goals.

As we mark TRG’s seventh year in business, it is gratifying to see that health care continues to be one of the most pressing issues facing our great nation. Technology continues to bring great promise. We are closely watching and developing policies around AI, apps and other emerging technologies. We are truly excited about their potential to transform health, improve access to care, better manage chronic conditions and change the way we communicate about it.

In TRG’s history, 2017 was the year of increased workload with fewer resources in the PR services field; 2020 was the year of suddenly adapting to a remote virtual work world; and now 2023 marks the return of a work world of face-to-face client meetings, business travel, and a few power lunches and networking dinners.

When we opened our doors seven years ago, I said something that still holds true and that I keep near to my heart. “To give it my best – to really make it shine – I need to work with the best people; people who share my values and my commitment to excellence. I must work in a culture of support, in which our team members see that a major part of our work is to build each other up and help each other succeed.” I look forward to continuing to make that a reality at TRG for many years to come.

Health care PR: What’s the landscape for 2023?

Written by Sharon Reis on February 17, 2023. Posted in Positioning Issues and Brands.

As the new year unfolds and the pandemic is no longer dominating our lives, we are excited to see what unexpected developments the future brings. Working in health care public relations, we are often charged with communicating complex health care messages in a rapidly changing—and sometimes volatile—environment. We must constantly adapt to these unpredictable dynamics to assist our clients who are trying to increase awareness for their issues and platforms, build credibility for their organizations and promote science that improves care.

Among many important issues that we will be monitoring, four stand out as top-of-mind as we initiate new strategies for earned media, thought leadership and science promotion on the national level and in communities across the country.

The continued effects of COVID-19. Our nation’s health care providers are tired, stressed and feeling burnt out, which directly affects patient safety and the quality of care. The mental health impact of COVID-19 has touched nearly everyone, especially our teenagers and young adults. While Medicare permanently lifted geographic restrictions for mental telehealth services during the pandemic, people with private insurance still face barriers accessing very much-needed mental health care across state lines.

High cost of prescription drugs. In a potentially important shift, Senator Bernie Sanders, as the new chair of the powerful Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, has said one of his key areas will be lowering the cost of prescription drugs. Amazon and other major corporations are moving into the prescription drug field, which also could be a game-changer. At the same time, access to innovative new treatments to stave off conditions like Alzheimer’s or provide daily management of diabetes are very promising, but extraordinarily expensive.

Changes in social media and surges in AI. The importance of short, powerful videos and the increasing importance of social media influencers will continue to dominate social channels. AI will facilitate content creation and change searches in many unknown ways. It will be interesting to see how these changes affect various social platforms. It feels like everyone is looking around for another option. Will Twitter continue to serve as the hub for journalists? Will more industries ban the use of TikTok? Will masses of users really leave Facebook?

Obesity as a chronic condition. The long-awaited anti-obesity drugs are being hailed as miracle pills. It will be important to track who can actually afford and have access to these medications and what effects they have on finally de-stigmatizing obesity and treating it as a legitimate medical condition. Even Congress will be weighing in when policymakers debate the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act with its proposed expansion of Medicare coverage.

So, stay tuned! It’s certain to be an eventful time in a rapidly evolving health care landscape, and we plan to be right in the middle of it!

Shifting Health Care Communications Strategies

Written by Sharon Reis on October 14, 2020. Posted in Promoting Science.

This article originally appeared in O’Dwyer’s October 2020 Healthcare Issue.

Failure to stay relevant is a catastrophe for PR professionals. For 2020, relevancy is the primary determinant of success in the era of COVID-19.

For all of us, not just those in health care communications, this has been a year of chaos. We were forced to repeatedly adapt to a rapidly changing environment and continually learn unexpected lessons for moving forward in this bewildering new reality.

We were pushed to constantly reevaluate messaging and positioning to demonstrate engagement and sensitivity to the COVID-19 situation. For every news story, social post, speech, and product, PR professionals needed to take daily and weekly checks on the environment to figure out when and how it was appropriate to step in and step up.

As a health care PR agency, our first priority in this tumultuous time is taking care of our team. The only way we can serve our clients well is if we first take care of ourselves. For our team, self-care is no longer a luxury. It is a survival mechanism. When the federal Emergency Declaration hit, we abandoned our Washington, D.C. office and went fully remote. It was a seamless transition because we already offered our team members “Work-from-Home Fridays.” It was our best answer for telework. When we opened our small, woman-owned business four years ago, we started working remotely once a week on the day of your choice. But that became too confusing; some people would take it, others would not. It got to the point where we didn’t know whether someone was in or out of the office. Our solution was giving everyone the benefit of Fridays at home, with the requirement to use video calls as the primary form of communication. Everyone needed to have a home-office set up. Wow! Did that ever pay off when the coronavirus hit!

I remember reading a post on Instagram that said, “We are in a crisis…and working remotely.” To help our own staff practice self-care, take time to nurture their mental health, and figure out their new life, we immediately activated our annual summer hours program several months early: Everyone takes a day off from work every other Friday. It gives all of us a time to reflect, recharge, and reconnect with what matters to each of us personally. And the positive effects are felt professionally too.

We are clearly not the only ones who think this kind of respite is important: according to a recent Samueli Integrative Health survey, a majority (64%) of Americans say they are focused on their mental health now more than ever.

COVID-19 hit particularly hard for some of our primary clients, whose work missions put them on the frontlines of the pandemic. Key client concerns shifted instantly and strongly to anything and everything COVID: safety and personal protective equipment, clinician burnout, the surge in telehealth and teletherapy, the incredible impact of the social determinants of health, the no-visitor rules at care facilities, constantly changing care guidelines, patients forgoing care, postponed surgeries–and people dying.

The media world changed too. For a firm that prides itself on excelling in earned media relations and thought leadership, we needed to reconfigure how we shared our clients’ perspectives. Consider the state of media during the first half of this year:

Hundreds of journalists were laid off at Vice, Quartz, The Economist, BuzzFeed, CondeNast and elsewhere.
According to The New York Times, nearly 40,000 employees of news media companies were furloughed, laid off, or had their pay cut.
COVID-19 has literally killed nearly 100 weekly and daily publications, bringing the total to roughly 1,800 news outlets that have just disappeared in the past decade.

Nonetheless, there was some good news about the news media:

A Pew study found 69% of Americans approved the media coverage of the pandemic.
Other polls found that trust in broadcast and cable network news was growing; and
Americans wanted science to guide our way out of this pandemic.

For our clients, in-person scientific meetings came to an abrupt halt. Now the virtual or hybrid annual meeting is here to stay. A recent issue of Science explored COVID-19’s huge impact on annual scientific meetings. A human-centered artificial intelligence conference that typically draws 3,000 attendees switched to a virtual format. The result? The conference attracted more than 30,000 participants. The reported benefits included moderators more effectively screening questions and avoiding non-questions. The virtual meeting was more accessible and affordable. What do the meeting participants miss the most? In-person networking. Many organizations are trying to replicate that connection on social media but being in the presence of another human being is impossible to replace, although online platforms are still trying to figure it out.

For one of our in-person community-based campaigns, we shifted everything online and eliminated all printed materials. One of our clients was in the middle of testing a campaign focused on health and well-being, focused on reaching the underserved population in five pilot markets. The “TakeCare” project is all about the power that every one of us has to improve our own health and well-being. What makes this campaign different and exciting is the use of newly produced documentary film shorts with real people taking small steps to make real changes in their lives. These films make emotional connections and inspire behavior change. Since we could no longer be in-market, we pivoted quickly to online. Within 30 days, we launched a digital micro-campaign within TakeCare, to specifically help people during COVID-19. We released five engaging film shorts that shared powerful stories of people who have transformed their health and well-being through small steps, and highlighting topics that were particularly relevant in the new environment: stress relief, building community, finding meaning and purpose.

Surveys and polls are more popular than ever for the news media. I’ve never seen so many polls covered in the news, posted on social media, and written about by the trades, aside from election season. In just a single week, I counted at least 10 polls covered by Google News before I stopped counting! There was the Harris Poll, Politico/Harvard poll, CNN poll, Quinnipiac University poll, Fox News poll, Kaiser Family Foundation Tracking, USA Today/IPSOS poll, and more. The abundance of survey findings tells us two things. First, they work. Second, they provide your client an opportunity to stay relevant, if you can find something newsworthy to add.

What are we looking at in 2021 for health care PR? We will continue to operate in a chaotic and uncertain environment. Trying to make meaningful personal connections virtually will be essential. Microtargeting on a single platform is a must, and our clients will need science and new data to remain a vital part of the national conversation. Welcome to the new normal!

As the saying goes, “there is wisdom and freedom in accepting that we don’t have all the answers.” While we are figuring those answers out, we as health care PR professionals must strive to find ways to keep our organizations and clients relevant.

5 Tips for Health Care Public Relations During COVID-19

Written by Stacy Skelly on May 18, 2020. Posted in Firm Culture.

COVID-19 is overtaking news coverage and overturning every aspect of health care public relations. This unique environment presents new challenges, as well as new opportunities. As the account manager for two health care clients directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, I have learned first-hand that navigating clients through this atmosphere requires taking risks, being flexible, and savoring the small victories.

With that in mind, here are five tips for managing health care PR in the time of COVID-19:

1. Take Risks, but Be Realistic

This is a time to try something new and not be afraid to get creative. Every organization is wondering how they can break into the news cycle. One good step forward is to host a brainstorming session with your full account team (and then client) to rethink your strategy and pull out the biggest ideas you can think of. Don’t let reality hold you back when thinking up new media angles or even large shifts in messaging!

After getting all the ideas on the table, take some time to think about what’s possible in this environment. Given the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, not all good ideas are going to shine. Think about how the ideas might land with your key audiences before taking them to the next level.

2. Make the Shift to Digital

Whether you are inside an organization or agency, communications professionals can proactively encourage our peers to get ahead of the curve by moving health care events and traditional meetings online. One of The Reis Group’s clients quickly organized an online policy briefing to increase awareness of an important issue that drew more than 300 virtual attendees—for an event they were hoping to attract 50 people to when held in person.

Thought leadership platforms can also work well digitally. Many media outlets are offering digital events and speaking engagements online. This increases the pool of possible engagements that will build credibility, with no worries about time and money for travel.

3. Share Expertise

Many of us in the health care industry have expertise to share. By exploring what an organization can add to the current public conversation, communications professionals will find new avenues for growing their organization’s voice. Perhaps your organization wanted to promote telehealth previously but couldn’t get any traction. Now is the time to re-engage. This is the time to capitalize on sharing expertise that can support good health.

4. Enjoy the Victories

Let’s support our clients and our colleagues when we have a victory, big or small. Keeping morale high is challenging these days but encouraging others can help produce better results for everyone. Perhaps your organization traditionally has been shy about entering the media fray, but they finally are engaging. What a great reason to celebrate and encourage a new behavior!

Perhaps you successfully modified a communications strategy based on the current environment—all from your kitchen table while homeschooling. Good job!

Or maybe you’ve seen cultural transitions in your organization such as remote working or flexible hours. Let’s celebrate those too. Staying positive will help our mindset during difficult times.

5. Lead with Grace

We’re all under a lot of stress, clients and organizational leaders included. While some states are lifting stay-at-home restrictions, we still have a long road ahead of us.

My final guiding principle for health care public relations is that we should lead with grace. When we start to feel like we’re struggling, trust that everyone is doing their best to answer their emails, join video conversations, and meet deadlines. And, of course, this means giving yourself some grace too. You’re doing great! Keep it up!

Working—and growing—during a pandemic as a newly minted health care PR professional

Written by Sloane Fisher on May 7, 2020. Posted in Firm Culture.

COVID-19 has upended office life and we are all living with a new normal. As a young PR professional working in health care communications, I’m looking for ways to learn new skills and break through the pandemonium to continue to grow. When we began working remotely full time, I was worried that my professional development would be stunted, but I quickly discovered three ways of continuing to grow–and maintain sanity–during this chaotic time: getting face time with mentors, setting goals, and taking time to breathe fresh air.

Getting Facetime with Mentors

The pandemic has thrown schedules into disarray, canceled events, and suddenly shifted focus for our health care-focused clients. For me, it also means that working closely with mentors to get feedback and improve my skills is more difficult than ever. I’ve quickly learned to provide my team leaders more time to review my materials and to schedule time to discuss changes. Being more proactive about asking questions and seeking out new tasks is key to maintaining the vital momentum of learning.

Working at a PR agency allows constant interaction with coworkers, and I usually can just walk into someone’s office whenever I have questions. Now, it’s limited to emails and video chats. The video gives me important face time for a richer mentorship experience that helps me understand a boss’s revision and master a new skill.

Setting Goals

Before COVID-19, setting goals helped me plan my days, understand what areas I need to improve on, and think about how I can achieve those goals. With all the chaos and extra time, the first week working from home felt somewhat empty and directionless. Working at home reveals many distractions in my apartment, not to mention those in the outside world. But setting some personal benchmarks has helped me keep on track with my daily work and my broader professional goals. These benchmarks have included checking in with team leaders to get feedback and give updates on my work, make progress checks to meet my deadlines, and dedicate myself to learning new skills such as crafting new business proposals and mastering best practices for writing commentaries. I’ve also applied this goal-setting to my personal life to make the best use of all my unexpected free time.

Breathing Fresh Air

Among my new daily goals is to get outside whenever I can. It’s no secret that fresh air and exercise are vital for a healthy life, but it’s not easy when you’re locked down. Invigorating yourself and promoting mindfulness—while self-isolating—can be as simple as going for a walk or run, or just opening a window. I count myself as particularly lucky because I live on the top floor of a building with a beautiful rooftop for quick breaks when I feel cooped up. I can re-center my mind and come back to work feeling relaxed and refocused. You can too!

Your professional development doesn’t have to be put on hold during quarantine. You just need to work around these new barriers and, with your mentors, find new ways of growing. Being organized and mindful of your mental and physical health will help move you forward in learning new skills and proving yourself as a PR professional.

Thriving in an Uncertain Health Care Environment | O’Dwyer’s

Written by Staff on October 11, 2017. Posted in Firm Culture.

The unpredictable policy seesaw we are experiencing with the new Administration and Congress appears to be having a tangible impact on the lives of health care communications professionals, and not just those focused on policy.

To learn more about how the uncertain health care environment is affecting workloads and to understand how communications experts are preparing for 2018, Sharon and Tamara surveyed members of the Public Relations Society of America and shared their findings in the October 2017 issue of O’Dwyer’s magazine.

Below are five key areas to focus on in the coming year.

Grow your organization’s social media presence
Prepare to respond to emerging issues
Build content-marketing expertise
Seek new groups to partner with on outreach
Do more with limited resources

Download the full article and find out if your team is ready to meet the new demands.

>>Learn more about Sharon and Tamara and drop them a hello here.