JULY 2004
Volume 28 • No. 7

SHC offers media relations services to physicians

Physicians usually communicate with their colleagues using peer review journals, e-mail and personal contacts. But because it's sometimes useful for caregivers and the hospital to communicate directly with a larger lay audience, SHC last year set up a Media Relations Office.

Here are some guidelines to help members of the medical staff communicate with the public.

The professional media relations team can help physicians "get out the word" to promote services and programs, offer important community health and public service messages, and even make sure that patients and the community know about the accomplishments of the institution and staff.

The media relations staff communicates with the public locally, regionally and nationally using a variety of tools, including news releases, public services announcements, newsletters and the Internet.

The media relations office can also help cushion the pressures of the sometimes fast-paced needs of the public media.

If you have a compelling story, or would like to increase awareness in a particular clinical area, you can reach Sarah Sherwood, media relations manager for SHC, at (650) 723-1260 or ssherwood@stanfordmed.org. For more information: https://shcintranet.stanfordmed.org/newsComm/
mediaRelations/homePage.html

When should caregivers call?

Here are four simple rules that might help:

-- Are you repeating a safety or health warning regularly and wish that the advice could be posted for everyone to see? A public service announcement from SHC can spread that message effectively, accurately and consistently.

-- Have you been honored recently by a local or national group or have you published a journal article that might be interesting or useful to the public? Media relations personnel at SHC or the university can spread the word efficiently and discreetly.

-- What's interesting or important? Here's a quick and incomplete rule of thumb: If the nonphysician guests at your annual holiday party are interested, you probably have an item of popular appeal.

-- And remember to call promptly. News stories by definition are current events and are time sensitive. The media relations staff members know how to help get the word out quickly in a manner that's manageable for you.

You can see examples of recent SHC coverage at: http://www.stanfordhospital.com/newsEvents/SHCIntheNews/index.html

 

 

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