Key Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode

• Inside the Coronavirus Battle at Our Lady of the Lake: The Fight of Their Lives

Key TakeAways

Our Lady of the Lake Created a Highly Effective News Story by Showcasing the Rawness of COVID-19 in Their Hospital.

• Our Lady of the Lake was leading the charge in getting the word out about how to protect yourself amid the coronavirus by having their Chief Medical Officer always available for local media coverage.
• Internally they weighed the pros and cons of whether or not they should allow a behind the scenes look at their hospital. After several discussions, they felt it was essential to continue to be transparent with their team and the public about the current state of COVID-19.
• It was crucial to make sure patient privacy was respected while also allowing journalistic freedom to capture the real story.
• They provided PPE education to the reporter and photographer the night before to set clear expectations.
• The journalist arrived at 7 am and entered the COVID-19 unit at 7:30 am. They wrapped up at 2 pm.
• The journalist was allowed free rein to talk to anyone as long as it didn’t affect patient care.
• They also knew who was going to be in the unit at that time and were able to educate the staff to be prepared to answer any questions.
• Typically, we look at rawness as bad, but Our Lady of the Lake opted to acknowledge that rawness is okay and even helpful to the community in this current situation.