HOME CARE ASSOCIATION OF COLORADO PR TEMPLATE:
WORKING WITH THE MEDIA ON A POSITIVE STORY
(Prepared
as a benefit of your membership by the Public Relations Project Team of the
Communications/Technology
Council, Home Care Association of Colorado, November 1998.)
It's important to be proactive with the
media--before there is a crisis. You want to become confident and comfortable
in contacting the media and providing stories that promote your agency
positively. Once you have established these relationships, it will become
easier and easier to do follow-up and to deal more effectively with any
negative issues that may arise (e.g., a national story on home care fraud).
We suggest you begin by identifying a
"timely" story that will trigger the media's interest. A good way to
do this is to watch the national media; e.g., is "Dateline" or one of
the evening news shows featuring a story on the aging wave, the need for elder
care, the necessity for family caregivers to learn high-tech home care skills?
Use this story as a launchpad for a story of your own that hits the same hot
topic. Focus on the human-interest, personal story rather than a
facts-and-figures article. Those can be provided in background fact sheets or
by HCAC’s staff.
Then follow these steps.
When
you call the media
--to convey how home health makes a difference. .
.
--to communicate what home care is today. . .
--to tell a story about one of your agency's
clients. . .
Some
factors to keep in mind:
1.
AUDIENCE: city desk/news editor of community print media; not major Denver media (best to
coordinate these contacts via HCAC). Call a specific person at the newspaper
and tell him/her you have an idea for a story and could provide a draft and
photos. Check to make sure you have the right person (e.g., health, human
interest). Find out what the reporter wants/needs; i.e., he/she may prefer to
do a personal interview. If he/she is not interested, find out what would
intrigue the reporter.
2.
PURPOSE: news outlets want to
hear about
--positive news. . .
--human-interest stories. . .
--interesting situations. . .
--informative developments. . .
3.
FORMAT:
A.
Start with a story focused on a specific kind of client such as:
w frail
elderly (e.g., at risk, no support)
w chronic
disabled (e.g., quad, MS)
w high
tech (e.g., IV infusion, wound)
w child
(e.g., birth defect, vent, preemie, jaundice)
w acute
(e.g., recent discharge)
w rehab
(e.g., sports injury)
w hospice
(e.g., comfort care)
w personal
assistance (bathing, meals, homemaking)
Get client/family permission to tell their story
(use release form for story and pictures).
Interview them to fill in any
information gaps regarding their history, current situation, diagnosis, age,
gender, unique characteristics. Weave
this personal information into a "touching" first paragraph.
B.
Highlight how home care makes a difference for this client:
w quote/testimonial
from patient
w quote/testimonial
from family
w quote/testimonial
from physician
Make the story real by using specifics. Use facts
such as: home care team provided
skilled nursing including chemotherapy via IVs; three types of therapists got
patient back on feet in three weeks by teaching in-home exercises; homemaker
prepared diet-specific meals. Emphasize
outcomes such as: maintained independence/stayed out of nursing home; kept
comfortable while fulfilling wish to die at home; spouse could rest because of
home care help; person with knee replacement was able to go back to work within
four weeks.
C.
Spotlight current home care industry facts.
w less
funding
w more
oversight
w shortage
of staff
w family
caregivers need to know more, do more (e.g., high tech)
w patients
more informed, self-advocates
w every
visit must count
In particular, emphasize that:
home care is fast becoming the
primary site for getting/staying well, or dying comfortably, because it is
--very effective: efficient and sophisticated
--very personal: caring and compassionate
End with a few key points about the state of the
industry today; e.g., Balanced Budget Act of 1997, IPS, OASIS, PPS. Include a
sentence or two about your agency and the services it offers. Note that your agency is a member of the
Home Care Association of Colorado, which is a key information resource. Tell them the contact at your association is
Ellen Caruso at (303) 694-4728, who can provide thorough background
information.
4.
WORKING WITH THE MEDIA: The
reporter may or may not accept your materials as is. Be prepared for the story to be edited or even completely
rewritten. And don't be shocked if you
do not have a chance to review the final material--that usually is a no-no for
the press. Your job is to provide as
complete and as accurate information as possible so the story will be easy to write
from your materials. The reporter will
appreciate receiving as much background information as possible. Remember,
reporters are busy too and will not take the time to do much research. So it's important to provide fact sheets on
your agency (e.g., scope of services,
volume of clients/visits, disciplines--what they do/total numbers, geographic
coverage) and on key industry topics (e.g., those provided in the enclosed
National Home Care and Hospice Month guide).
Then hope for the best.
5.
POST-PUBLICATION: Get copies of
the story and distribute to client/family, staff, board and key contacts with a
note that says "We're very proud of this story." Also thank the reporter, saying "We
appreciated the chance to provide this information. Hope we are able to work together again."
6.
TIPS:
--Keep it short and simple.
--Attach 1-3 black & white photos of good
quality. They should be
"action" photos showing caregiver doing something for/with
client/family.
--Make direct contact with someone at the paper
so he/she is "awaiting" your material.
--Make sure you have a very human lead paragraph
and a very strong finish.
--Be sure to provide contact information at your
agency and at HCAC (Ellen Caruso).
(Ed note: Many thanks to HCAC’s PR Project Team
for preparing this PR template: Alys Novak, Visiting Nurse Corp of Colorado,
Denver; Stacey Jillson, Icon Home Health, Lakewood; Susan Grayson, Centura Home
Care & Hospice, Denver; Patti
Kochman, Exempla Homecare and Hospice, Wheat Ridge; Karen Miller, Visiting
Nurse Corp of Colorado, Denver. )
Sample:
Replace with
your unique story and double-space copy
HOME CARE KEEPS SADIE HOME
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: XXXXXXX
DATE: XXXX PHONE: XXXX
XXXXX,
Colorado -- Every day is a struggle
for Sadie. An 84-year-old widow, she is coping with osteoporosis so severe that
she is totally bent over. She also has diabetes and recently was hospitalized
after she went into a diabetic coma. Her only daughter lives miles away on the
West Coast. Sadie no longer drives and is homebound. She is lonely, depressed
and at risk of becoming dangerously ill because she is so isolated.
Sadie
is just one of hundreds of frail, elderly clients that home care agencies like
XXX serve. Because of the severity of Sadie’s diabetic condition, a nurse
visits once a week to check her condition and to monitor her medication. The RN
communicates regularly with Sadie's physician, particularly when there are any
changes in her condition. An occupational therapist has visited her to do a
safety evaluation of her home. Finding that Sadie has difficulty getting into
the bathtub, the therapist arranged for the installation of grab bars and the
purchase of a bath bench. A personal care provider stops by once a week to wash
her hair and to clean up the house. A social worker has called Sadie's daughter
and arranged for her to make more frequent calls and visits. Her daughter,
Helen Jones of Seattle, says: "I
don't know what I would have done when my mother had her crisis. It was so wonderful knowing she got so much
assistance when she came home ."
XXX,
president of XXX agency, says, "This type of situation is very typical
today. As more and more people live
longer, many elderly people face risky health situations. And often their
families are not available to provide much support. Home care agencies provide
the help needed in such cases. They can bring very sophisticated technology
such as infusion therapy to the home as well as simple but vital help with
bathing, dressing, meal preparation. They relieve family caregivers taking care
of chronically ill children or spouses. And they do this in a very challenging
environment of decreased funding. We must make every visit count--and we do. A
key focus is on educating the patient and family so they can work closely with
us to reach the best possible health outcome."
As
Sadie says, "I feel so safe now. I know my diabetes is under control. And
I know that there are people coming to visit me and making sure I'm OK."
XXX
Agency, a member of the Home Care Association of Colorado, has provided an
array of home care services (e.g., XXX) to the XXX area since XXX. Its mission is to XXXXX.
--30--
CAPTION FOR ENCLOSED PHOTO: Jane Doe, RN, helps Sadie check her diabetic
condition by using one of the latest models of glucometers.
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