The Licking Memorial Health Systems (LMHS) Public Relations Department is responsible for internal and external communication, the Web site, advertising, events, brochures, displays, photography, non-clinical forms, the Print Shop, the Mail Room and working with the Development Council Speaker's Bureau.
Responsibilities include public relations and media coverage for the following areas:
Publications
The Public Relations Department publishes a newsletter and other reports for the community:
- Community Connection , a bimonthly newsletter for the community;
- Quality Report Card , a monthly publication that compares the LMHS data or experience with national or state benchmarks or measures considered to be best practice;
- Annual Report , a report to the community providing highlights and accomplishments for the year.
Contact the Public Relations Department for further information or to be placed on the mailing list to receive community publications:
Contact Information for Media
The Public Relations Department is available to respond to inquiries from the media. Regular office hours are Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please feel free to contact us via e-mail atpublicrelations@LMHealth.org, Web site:www.LMHealth.org, or by telephone: (740) 348-1572.
After hours, please call the main LMHS telephone number, (740) 348-4000.
In the case of a disaster or crisis, the Web site home page will be updated as frequently as possible. To contact the LMHS Public Relations Department during a crisis, please call the main LMHS telephone number, (740) 348-4000 and further instructions will be provided at that time.
Contact Public Relations for a Speaker or Information
With access to a comprehensive team consisting of physicians, nurses, clinical health care professionals, and other administrative staff, we can assist you in contacting the best source to speak about a wide variety of medical and other topics. We also provide patient condition updates, facilitate interviews with patients, arrange interviews with administrators and staff, and gather other types of information.
Please note that an LMHS Public Relations staff member must escort all reporters and photographers at all of our facilities. Please contact us to arrange all interviews, video and photographic shoots.
Reporting Patient Conditions:
Media should call (740) 348-1572 for information on conditions of patients being treated at Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH) during normal business hours, and the Public Relations staff will try to provide information as quickly as possible. After hours, contact the main LMHS telephone number, (740) 348-4000, and the night or weekend nursing administration staff will assist with requests.
Patient conditions are reported as:
- Undetermined – patient awaiting physician assessment.
- Good – vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Indicators are excellent.
- Fair – vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious, but may be uncomfortable. Indicators are favorable.
- Serious – vital signs may be unstable and not within normal limits. Patient is acutely ill. Indicators are questionable.
- Critical – vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient may be unconscious. Indicators are unfavorable.
- Treated and Released – received treatment, but not admitted.
- Treated and Transferred – received treatment; transferred to a different facility.
Confidentiality
Patient privacy is taken seriously at LMHS and will be respected at all times. As of April 14, 2003, hospitals are not allowed to share any information about patients unless callers ask about a particular patient by name. New federal regulations from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) state specifically that hospitals can release patient condition information about a patient if the caller has the patient's name and, even then, we can release only the condition of patients and their general location in the hospital.
A patient, the patient’s family, law enforcement agencies or hospital staff, may request the hospital staff not to release any information. In this case, no information will be released. The staff may not be able to confirm if a patient is being treated.
Press Releases
Press Releases are e-mailed to all news media, including radio, papers and television stations. Contact the Public Relations Department at (740) 348-1572 if you would like to receive press releases via e-mail. Press Releases are posted on the LMHS Web site once they are sent to the media.