Who: The Department of Veterans Affairs creates the largest VA regional healthcare system in the country, involving the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center and the Southern California System of Clinics.
When: April 10
Total PR/Marketers: Two public affairs directors and four chief medical officers that serve as information officers.
Effect on PR/Marketing: For the VA, which is on the fast track to overhauling its heavily regulated, inefficient image, this merger is a key move toward communicating its new "streamlined" focus for delivering care.
The merger integrates all of the primary, ambulatory, acute, inpatient and long-term care for the two facilities' patient referral systems. With an annual budget of $500 million, the new system is expected to serve more than 75,000 veterans at 12 facilities and receive more than one million patient visits a year. When the integration is complete it is expected to serve approximately one out of every 30 veterans nationwide.
This latest VA merger- unlike the 44 integrations that preceded it - is getting considerable national and regional public affairs support
.Merger Campaign: For the next few months, the national public affairs office is targeting major news organizations with the merger story, highlighting the availability of Dr. Kenneth W. Kizer's, the VA's undersecretary of health, for media interviews. The news hook is Dr. Kizer's new VA philosophy, which involves a major shift in focus from inpatient to outpatient care. So far, the media relations effort, headed up by Joe Barrison the VA's public affairs specialist in the Los Angeles offics, has generated sizable coverage in the L.A. Times that included several quotes from Dr. Kizer.
On the local level, the strategy involves keeping the 5,000 VA employees in the Southern California market updated on how the integration will be implemented. The key communications challenge is clarifying the integration's implications, says Kalautie Jangdhari, public affairs director for VA's Southern California System of Clinics.
The core messages to employees and veterans focus on the merger's abilility to improve performance on patient-based services while keeping the academic and research interests of the two institutions in tact.
The campaign strategy involves:
- Using chief medical officers at each VA site as points of contact on merger updates.
- Monthly townhall meeting to provide a "Q & A" venue for employees and verterans
- Launching a bi-weekly newsletter about the merger and next steps.
- Monthly planning meetings with the Integration, Planning and Implementation Committee that will help shape regional marketing direction. The 18 member taskforce includes representation from clinical professionals, public affairs, VA service officers and union officials. (Department of Veterans Affairs, Joe Barrison, 310/268-4835; Kalautie Janghdari, 818/895-9411)