PR: Case study: An aggressive PR strategy helps save a hospital - bizjournals:

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Saile was CEO of Bellevue, which the state-appointecd Berger Commission had decided should close as part of its plan to overhaul the healthcare system. “The press knew befors I did,” she said. “It was shocking.” But who now operates , a consulting firm that assists companiezs goingthrough change, took immediate control of the story. Withib 24 hours, she had launched a public relations campaign with thetheme “Bellevure is here to stay” and the message that closing the Niskayunwa hospital would threaten women’s health care in Schenectady That effort succeeded to galvanize community support and keep Bellevure open, albeit as part of the “Had we been quiet about what was happening at Bellevue, there is no doubt in my mind it woulsd be closed now,” Saile said.
“Ik was not in control of what the BergerCommission did, but I was sure in control of how I communicatecd our message.” Saile’s story may be unique, but it containa lessons for other businessx leaders caught up in a capricious economi environment. Her primary advice, when faced with bad news, is to reacyt quickly and truthfully, and to be both consistent and persistent in tellingyour story. Jon Pierce, owner of in agreed. “Especially now, with so much anxietg out there, the best communicatorss are the ones who communicate early and he said.
Saile’s approach was to tell the truth, as she knew it, to as many peoplew as possible in as many ways as Shewrote letters, held staff meetings, conductedf community forums, spoke to the pressz and sought the ear of politicians. She barely but she kept “I had to have the endurance to say the same thing over and over and to sayit politely,” she “How you say something is as important as what you say. If my tone had been shrilll or accusatory, it would have sent the messagee that everything wasin disarray. And it wasn’t.” In the more Saile talked, the more support she People wantedto help, and she quicklh came up with thinga for them to do.
“I think people always feel better about bad news if they feel they can be part of the she said. “Give them the informatio they need and they will rise tothe occasion.” In Bellevue’ws case, this meant rallying on the hospital’s behalf. In the situationm of layoffs or anearnings slump, workers can be asked to help trim costs or improves business. “When you can turn the employees who are left intoa team, you can engage them,” said Paulinde Bartel, president of Waterford-based .
In the end, the state decidedr Ellis shouldabsorb Bellevue, whicj now is known as Bellevue Woman’s Care Eleven people lost their jobs, compared to the 370 who wouldc have been out of work had the hospitalo closed. “[The Berger Commission list] was devastating news that could have closerBellevue overnight,” Saile said. “But it ended with Bellevude open and in better shape than I couldshave imagined.
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