Marchnewsletter

The

PEAK Weber State University - Ogden Peak Communications - PRSSA

HIPAA Laws Complicate Local Hospital Crisis Strategy

President Tara Smith Vice President Kirsten Stuart

PR Professionals Recount 2012 Ogden Police Shooting

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n Wednesday, Feb. 26, Chris Dallin from McKayDee Hospital and Craig Bielik from Ogden Regional Medical Center (ORMC) shared a lesson on crisis management based on their experiences with the Jan. 4, 2012 Ogden police shooting. The central theme of Dallin and Bielik’s presentation was the importance of competitors becoming united for the community during a crisis.

On Jan. 4, 2012 Ogden Police

By Thomas Judd Account Executive

able suspicion that he was growing a large quantity of marijuana in his home. The scene quickly became a ing a semi-automatic weapon at the

hospitals with injuries – some were sent to McKay-Dee sent to ORMC for medical treatment. sponders on the scene, there were countless decisions being made by multiple people all at once ranging from which hospital each person would be taken to, to what, if anything, gets said to which media outlets. Dallin and

pressing questions that the entire community was eager

to know the location and and shooter. Which, per the request of the police, was safety reasons.

Due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA),

Account Executive Shaquille Heath Thomas Judd Camille Twitchell Adviser Yeonsoo Kim

careful about the information that was released because the an enormous number of calls from local, regional, and national news outlets seeking information about the incident. It was decided that the hospitals would release the status of the injured during a media question and answer name of the patient in question.

In a unique situation, ORMC had to carefully set pawas not technically under arrest but was still under the Both institutions agreed that they would not post anything regarding the situation through their social media Continued on next page

VOLUME II March 2014

Polishing that Perfect Pitch

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time in you. To close your pitch, discuss your future plans. thoughts for the future clear, weather it is the next action

doors for a professional. Can you tell someone what you practice—probably not. It’s hard to cram all of your experience into

By Sarah Jackon PRSSA Member

one for a short amount of time and you need to get their attention from the beginning. Think about your audience, what is the problem that

someone who you are, what you do, and what your plans are--it can be a lot of information, so keep it simple.

point; it just needs enough to catch someone’s attention.

While you are editing make sure you are clearing out the business jargon. Throwing around technical words in a sound natural. Keep in mind the original concept; this is tant to appear genuine, not rehearsed.

Test it out on your colleagues and ask for feedback. Once

is important to keep your introduction short and sweet.

Lengthy lists of accomplishments can come off as selfindulgent. focus back to your audience. Recognize who their current and ideal customers are. Explain what it is that you can do that is unique to you, and better than the others. An

self, you can relax because you’ll be ready for any situation that comes your way.

Ogden Regional and McKay-Dee Hospital Pros Recap Ogden Police Shooting Continued from previous page

later posted a well-crafted Facebook post that expressed their sympathy as a member of the community and offered An opportunity was created by McKay-Dee for area atthem to the Ogden Police Department for their efforts.

This was a trying time for the entire Northern Utah community. But the process was eased due to the cooperation and care that Ogden Regional, McKay-Dee, and Ogden City Police put into the situation. better place.

Lessons Learned: Crisis solutions should begin years in advance so that they are ready to go when they are needed and it should be backed up across multiple platforms.

Use your network! Have trusted contacts available to

observe them.

You’re the boss! In a crisis situation, even the CEO should follow your word.

Check your facts! Be sure that the information that you release is 100 percent true.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Trevor Cahoon Q: At what point did you realize you wanted to go into public relations? time necessary to complete the required courses. I searched for something that I could do that would still Campaigns I found that I not only like graphic process.

Q:

What do you think is one of the most valuable things you have learned while being a member of PRSSA? team work. You need to rely on your team and

Q: What inspires you to achieve your goals?

My family. I want to be an example for my kids. Withmake it through 7 straight semesters.

Q:

What do you like to do when you’re not doing school work?

Q:

What is one of your guilty pleasures?

with my wife and they make us laugh.

Q: Who is one of your role models?

My Mom and Dad. They were not afraid to go after

Q: Where do you see yourself after graduation? past four years. I want to practice and succeed at what I

Age: 25 Greatest Success:

Surviving a 7-week Communication Law course, and being a dad.

Favorite Movie:

The Harry Potter Series

Favorite Food:

Popcorn

PR Pros at the Olympics

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the opportunity to set prejudices and differences aside and enjoy the sports experience. Bringing the major undertaking. It could not be accomplished without public relations (PR) crews. behind-the-scenes PR work that is done for

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information is being released to the public.

In the most recent Olympic games held this year in the games to 18 to 34-year-old audiences through the internet and social media. Fuse created an athlete-centric site focused on lifeto teen and young adult culture. Weekly emails were distributed to encourage teens and nonstop networking occurred to forge ence to the site. The website was praised by media, athletes and partners, and nearly 100

during the games are just a small fraction of By Kylee Cabe the work being done behind the scenes by PR PRSSA Member professionals.

PR has been used for the Olympic Games site. since the ancient Games in Greece. Generating publicWhether it is the opening ceremony, the story of an ity and awareness for the Olympics in ancient Greece inspiring athlete, or a well written editorial or exciting demanded many of the same skills and techniques as it does for the modern Olympic Games. Dissemination of One company in particular, P&G, has mastered the information was used to inform publics of the games Olympic Games and the athletes. Their “Thank You - Mom” campaign was designed to inspire young athletes them from the beginning. The campaign shows moms on the sidelines—helping their children warm-up, tak-

2011 NCAA high jump champion. Leading up to the year’s Big 12 league championships, the school cre-

campus and online icon for the 2012 games in London, England (Crouser, 2012).

the hard work and excitement for the Olympic Games through the eyes of moms. P&G uses PR to promote the athletes and their many brands with this campaign during the Olympic Games.

From the ancient Games to the modern day Olympic Games, public relations is used during the Olympics situations, to tell great stories or simply communicate

of gaining information almost immediately when the games are held in countries or locations with time diflenges for PR crews in trying to monitor the messages

the willingness to take risks. The Olympics are a time to bring countries and nations together in one location to cheer on talented athletes. But the ability to enjoy the tural ways of life, depends on the many people behind the scenes in public relations.