Communications: Coordinating messaging through a command center

Many health systems are building/expanding telecommunications command centers to ensure messages are coordinated and consistent for all audiences.

University of Kentucky Healthcare has a team of approximately 100 people dedicated to COVID-19 communications. They provide a daily briefing to the business to address many areas impacted by the pandemic, including EMR changes, telehealth offerings, staffing issues, even daycare options.

Baptist Health Care of Pensacola holds internal calls for those involved in drive-through testing and COVID management. They have - in coordination with the HR Department - established multiple methods for sharing key information with staff, inlacing a Q&A platform and a regular alert pushed out to the hospital website and social media platforms.

These same teams are coordinating external messaging, using the patient portal, public media, social media and the website to communicate key data to their patients and the public.