Hartford HealthCare Dispels Misinformation Through Multichannel Communications Strategy
// By Althea Fung //
Hartford HealthCare delivered a steady flow of information for both internal and external stakeholders during the pandemic, and now as it coordinates vaccinations. Virtual news conferences broadcast on Facebook Live and online hub VacciNation kept everyone informed.
The internet is rife with misinformation. During the COVID pandemic, when we’re all desperate for facts, getting the wrong information can have consequences for communities. For Hartford HealthCare, a seven-hospital health system serving Connecticut and parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, a collaborative approach allowed the communications and marketing teams to disseminate valuable information across multiple channels quickly.
Tina Varona, director of media relations, Hartford HealthCare
“Even though we were going through this together with our community, we had a responsibility to inform the public,” says Tina Varona, director of media relations at Hartford HealthCare.
Going Virtual
At the outset of the pandemic, the media relations team hosted daily media briefings, in which infectious disease experts and hospital administrators gave updates to local media. But when the health system decided to suspend in-person news conferences, the team quickly pivoted — working closely with social media director Melissa Dethlefsen to begin hosting virtual news conferences.
Hosted in the health system’s news studio, the conferences were broadcast on Facebook Live.
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