DENVER - This year, violence catapulted the Denver metro area and its local hospital communicators into the national media spotlight. In April, two troubled teens shot and killed 12 classmates and a teacher before committing suicide in the now-infamous Columbine High School rampage. Four months later, a nurse's aide was shot by her estranged husband shortly after she reported for her shift at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs.
These devastating incidents posed new challenges for Rita Burns, PR director at Memorial Hospital, and Stephanie P. Denning, director of marketing/PR at Denver Health Medical Center, where four of the wounded Columbine students received treatment. To further the healing process, both hospitals took the opportunity to reevaluate their crisis plans and violence prevention efforts geared toward gang-related incidents, domestic abuse, road rage and a host of other social ills.
Burns and Denning highlighted their strategies last week at the fourth annual Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development conference. Their main message: no one is immune to acts of violence - not even hospitals.
Memorial Offers Reality Check
In the case of the murdered nurse's aide, Memorial found that an open, responsive approach was particularly effective in dealing with the media. Reporters automatically questioned whether the murder might have been prevented with steeper security measures. Memorial maintained that its security was solid, noting that metal detectors and bullet-proof glass were installed in the emergency room, and security cameras were located throughout the facility. Burns says it was important to emphasize to the media that the shooting was an isolated incident, but that it could happen anywhere.
Internally, employees were given updates on security initiatives and a domestic violence fund was created in memory of the nurse's aide. These efforts helped employees to heal, and gave them the opportunity to contribute to a positive cause, Burns says.
Denver Health Leverages Prevention
Denver Health is the region's busiest Level One trauma center, meaning it handles the greatest volume of ER cases, and is accustomed to providing triage in the aftermath of violent acts such as the Littleton shootings. Victims of violence accounted for roughly 22% of DH's trauma admissions in each of the past three years. It is not uncommon for the hospital to treat both the victim and the perpetrator following a violent act.
As such, DH is constantly improving its security measures, and continually positions itself as a high-profile advocate of violence prevention. While there's no way to completely eradicate violent acts, Denning notes that there are ways to "champion" the issues to affect public dialog and policies regarding violence. For example, DH dispatches pediatricians to community groups to speak about the impact of TV violence on youth. The hospital also takes specific positions on gun control legislation and communicates its stance with legislators.
DH also encourages its employees to form task forces around specific issues such as spousal abuse or gang violence prevention. These task forces then organize a variety of initiatives, including speaking engagements, fundraisers and town hall meetings. Task forces not only unify employees behind specific causes, they also help staffers to heal from traumatic events that have occurred in the workplace.
(Memorial Hospital, Rita Burns, 719/365-5235; Denver Health, Stephanie P. Denning, 303/436-6606.)
Preemptive Measures
Violence has become so embedded in American culture that any attempt at preventive measures seems daunting. Fortunately, communicators are in a unique and powerful position to throw corporate weight behind anti-violence initiatives. Rita Burns, PR director at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Stephanie P. Denning, director of marketing/PR at Denver Health Medical Center, offer tips on how corporate communicators can jumpstart violence prevention efforts:
- Encourage your organization to take a "corporate stand" on issues such as gun violence and domestic violence.
- Communicate now about how violence affects your organization and employees. Consider implementing sensitivity training about workplace violence and support systems for employees who may fall victim to various forms of violence.
- Partner with other organizations and coalitions on violence prevention in your community.