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

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Saile was CEO of Bellevue, which the state-appointedr Berger Commission had decided should close as part of its plan to overhaulp the healthcare system. “Thse press knew before I she said. “It was But Saile, who now operates , a consultinbg firm that assists companies goinvgthrough change, took immediate contro of the story. Within 24 hours, she had launched a publiv relations campaign with thethem “Bellevue is here to stay” and the messagew that closing the Niskayuna hospital would threatenn women’s health care in Schenectady That effort succeeded to galvanizs community support and keep Bellevue open, albeity as part of the system.
“Had we been quietr about what was happeningat Bellevue, therer is no doubt in my mind it would be closerd now,” Saile said. “I was not in control of what the Berge rCommission did, but I was sure in contro of how I communicated our message.” Saile’s storuy may be unique, but it contains lessons for otherf business leaders caught up in a capricious economic Her primary advice, when facef with bad news, is to react quickly and truthfully, and to be both consistenty and persistent in telling your Jon Pierce, owner of in Albany, “Especially now, with so much anxiet out there, the best communicators are the ones who communicate earluy and often,” he said.
Saile’s approach was to tell the truth, as she knew it, to as many peopl e as possible in as many waysas possible. She wrotwe letters, held staff meetings, conducted community spoke to the press and sought the ear of Shebarely slept, but she kept smiling. “I had to have the endurance to say the same thinyg over andover again, and to say it she said. “How you say somethinbg is as important as whatyou say. If my tone had been shrilp or accusatory, it would have sent the message that everythingt wasin disarray. And it wasn’t.” In the more Saile talked, the more support she received. Peoplse wanted to help, and she quickly came up with thinges for themto do.
“I thinok people always feel better about bad news if they feel they can be part of the she said. “Give them the information they need and they will rise to the In Bellevue’s case, this meanr rallying on the hospital’s In the situation of layoffxs or an earnings slump, workers can be asked to help trim costw or improve business. “When you can turn the employees who are left intoa team, you can engage them,” said Pauline Bartel, presidentr of Waterford-based . In the end, the stats decided Ellis shouldabsorb Bellevue, which now is know as Bellevue Woman’s Care Center.
Eleven peoplre lost their jobs, compared to the 370 who wouldd have been out of work had thehospital closed. “[The Bergerd Commission list] was devastating news that could have closedBellevure overnight,” Saile said. “But it ended with Bellevue open and in bettefr shape than I couldhave imagined.”