Intro: The following SHSMD Podcast is a production of Dr. Podcasting.com.

Bill Klaproth (Host): On this edition of the SHSMD Podcast, we go Inside Out how the University of Utah Health engaged internal and external audiences, in the age of disinformation. So we're going to talk with Kathy Wilets and Paul Gadd both from U of U Health. They are presenting at this year's 2023 SHSMD Connections annual conference in Chicago on Monday, September 11th.

Disinformation. Misinformation. It is bad news, but you gotta stand up, you gotta fight it. That's what you gotta do. And Paul and Kathy are going to tell you how they do it at U of U Health. This is really going to be an enlightening session. Hope you can make it on Monday, September 11th. So let's learn more about this session and what you're going to learn.

So let's get into it and clear up any misinformation or disinformation about this podcast. Cause there isn't any, we are about the truth when it comes to healthcare marketing people. So let's get to it right now.

This is the SHSMD Podcast, rapid insights for healthcare strategy professionals in planning, business development, marketing, communications, and public relations. I'm your host, Bill Klaproth. In this episode, we talk with Kathy Wilets, Senior Director of Media Relations and Content Marketing, and Paul Gadd, Director of Internal Communications, both from the University of Utah Health.

They will discuss, Inside Out, how U of U Health engaged internal and external audiences in the age of disinformation at this year's SHSMD Connections 2023. Have you signed up yet? What do you mean no? Are you serious? What do you mean no? Come on now. All you have to do is go to shsmd.org.

That's S-H-S-M-D.org/education/annualconference. Go ahead and do it. I'll wait for you. No, I'm kidding. I will not wait for you. We're going to get into the podcast, but after this podcast, I would like you to do that. Would you do that for me? Thank you very much. All right, let's get into it. Kathy and Paul, welcome to the SHSMD Podcast.

Paul Gadd: Hey there, Bill. Thanks us.

Kathy Wilets: Thanks for having us Bill.

Host: You bet. It's great to have you both here. We're excited about your session Inside Out. How U of U Health engaged internal and external audiences in the age of disinformation. So Paul, let me start with you. This is going to be a really interesting session. Can you give us the Cliff Notes version of your session? What can we expect?

Paul Gadd: Yeah. Happy to. Thank you. Yeah, I mean, so it's important to realize a little bit how U of U Health is structured. I'll tell you, as Director of Internal Communication, I work very, very closely with Kathy Wilets and her team on External Communication. And so we're two very distinct teams and in this session that people attend, there, there are some stories, some things that we have learned over the years, in working together as distinct teams. Things that have worked well, maybe some things that other that haven't worked well, and some lessons that we've learned that have helped us to really come up with a standardized process on making sure that employees are notified in a timely manner, maybe in some cases before external audiences are notified about things and just how we've come to those conclusions and how it's worked for us.

Host: I think that's going to be great. People like to hear what other people do and giving examples, like you said you're going to do, Paul will be very, I think beneficial and having both internal and external communications, obviously two different things, but how you each approach this will be very valuable. So Kathy, in the age of misinformation and disinformation, it's terrible.

I hate it. So how do you ensure that patients and employees can sort fact from fiction in order to find reliable information so they can make good healthcare decisions?

Kathy Wilets: Yes. That's a great question. And think it's the foundation for everything we do. Our whole approach to our owned content platforms that we use for the general public; the very reason they exist it's to help our patients and the general public make better healthcare decisions and live a healthier life.

So what we learned is, I think the best way we can do that is to be our own source of truth. We have incredible media partners but about 15 years ago, we started working on our own platforms. At the same time I think many in healthcare were starting to become active on social media channels and we realized that we can communicate directly to our audiences.

So we developed a blog. We eventually, started up a podcast that's become incredibly popular. We get about a million listeners a month to our Scope Radio podcast, and then we have a pretty robust video platform. And then we also have some print, very interactive, long format print articles that we used to communicate.

But what we learned is, that who better than us to share our own information And our content is vetted by our own healthcare professionals. We're using them as our experts. We're using them to help us develop our content. And so, we've learned these were very powerful sources of information. So a few years ago, and this was before COVID, I don't know if you remember, we had like a measles and mumps outbreak in the country and I actually had a reporter from one of the local TV stations here saying, I'm following you, I'm following U of U Health.

She said, you guys are doing a better job than we are, in covering this story, she said, I look forward to your content every day. So that was telling me that the media was paying attention. We knew the public was paying attention. We follow the analytics very closely and we've worked really hard on how best to engage the public through our platforms.

And we feel like those are the most powerful ways that we can use to help our audience sort fact from fiction, and that became very important to us during COVID.

Host: Yeah. I think, you said something very interesting there, Kathy. You said we became our own source of truth, which I think is really interesting. And you said, who better than us to develop this type of truthful content? So Kathy, let me ask you a follow up question. Did you kind of flood the zone then with information combating disinformation that is prevalent out there? Do you hear things and see things that go, that's not true, that is disinformation? We better get some content out there to combat that. Is that how you approach it?

Kathy Wilets: Absolutely. So a lot of our content, I mean, we've many different approaches to our content. Sometimes we're aligned to our clinical marketing goals. We have all sorts of goals, but part of what we do is we just follow news very closely and we do a lot of news jacking, but that also includes tackling misinformation.

So I mean, that became incredibly important during COVID. There was so much misinformation and so we were a good team and we're all consumers of news and social media. And so we were tracking all those things very closely. And we had pretty frequent meetings during COVID, daily where we'd look at like, what stories are trending, what are the biggest sources of misinformation?

What seems to be bubbling up? And then we would use our platforms to combat that quite directly. And in addition to all the things I mentioned, we also did during COVID, sometimes daily press briefings where we would tackle these different subjects and specifically bring up stories that we noticed that were trending, that were incorrect or, misinformation that we noticed.

Host: Absolutely. So Paul, Kathy's been talking about COVID. So is that where all of this got started? Your current communication strategy got started, and how did you deal with COVID-19? And how has that shaped your communication strategy moving forward to help you build this foundation of trust among patients, faculty and staff?

Paul Gadd: It's interesting that you ask is COVID where it started, an answer for that is like, I mean, no, we were doing a lot of these things prior to COVID. They were just done in a different way. I remember, sitting in an auditorium filled with hundreds of people as our CEO conveyed information, communicated important information to teams, and it was best to hear from the CEO and that's where our source of truth was. So it just happened in a different way. Once COVID happened, things were happening so quickly. Things were changing, not only daily, but in some cases by the hour.

And we recognized right away that our employees, I mean a large percentage of our employees are on the front lines of something that is very unknown and very unpredictable, and we needed to create different platforms again in a different way that helped them understand what was happening. And so what this transformed into, instead of obviously in-person meetings, I mean that was obviously not going to happen, but this turned into something that we did on a daily basis through live streams.

We had our chief medical officer, our leaders, our chief epidemiologists, these individuals in front of a camera every single morning at 7:30 AM conveying the most important and latest information that our teams needed to know about. And in addition to that, at the end of every single day, we had the CEO of our entire health system put out an email.

Again, every single day saying, these are the three most important things that you need to know about. And this was just done because again, things were happening so quickly you could get information from any source out there. We recognized the need to really establish channels that our employees could go to and trust for the latest, most accurate information.

And it was a very difficult time, one that took a lot of time, a lot of strategy and a lot of coordination. But it was the best thing that we could do at that time to give our employees the best information possible.

Host: Yeah. Kathy, any thoughts to share on that?

Kathy Wilets: Just piggyback on what Paul said. During COVID, I think another approach here that worked for us is this came straight down from the top. So Paul mentioned our CEO. He was really committed to this whole idea of making sure we provided the best and most accurate information. And so he made himself very, very available during that period of time.

He did radio interviews, he did TV appearances. He worked with us in our content. At one point he was named one of the three most trusted voices on the topic of COVID in Utah. It was him, Dr. Fauci, and our Director of our Department of Health, our medical director. His name is Dr. Michael Good, our CEO.

So I think it's just that transparency and that commitment from our leaders to be a part of this, that, that really worked for us and worked in our community.

Host: So Paul, you mentioned using different platforms. So how can someone listening to this podcast develop platforms? And when you say platforms, can you explain that to us? And how can those platforms become trusted sources of truth and accurate information?

Paul Gadd: Yeah. I mean when I use the word platforms, I'm thinking of, okay live streams was a platform, email was a platform. We had another method that we used, which was a daily newscast where it was a member of our team just conveying in a visual way the information that needed to be conveyed. And so that was a daily newscast that we did.

So those are different platforms that I'm thinking of. And when you think about that, the technology is out there that anybody can develop these platforms. Obviously, you need to consider budget, you need to consider time and resources and all that. But the equipment and the technology is out there that any team can take this on and develop these.

In my opinion, where things really, really matter is do you have the commitment from leadership to be invested in the consistency in which you need to convey this information? And that is absolutely huge and, and then to piggyback on what Kathy said, we happen to have a group of leaders that were so committed to this, that we knew every single day this was a top priority for them, is to communicate to employees the most important and most accurate information.

And so, how can someone listening develop these platforms? Again, it takes some research, but you know, you think about the daily newscast that our team was doing that required a camera and a little bit of script writing and somebody to record the message and then, and put it on the internet and send it out so people could get that.

These are very easy things to do, but they do require a little bit of effort and a little bit of time. But again, I think it, it is the commitment of the individuals who are getting the information, making the decisions to do that day after day after day. Now you look at today, we're not doing this on a daily basis anymore, but we have adopted some of these platforms more on a weekly basis or a monthly basis.

But that commitment from leaders to convey information has not gone away. And so that's what I think is, absolutely key.

Kathy Wilets: I would just add for anyone out there interested in podcasting we invested in, some equipment and it was, a little bit of an expense. But we've noticed since COVID, we now do most of our interviews virtually, and the equipment is a lot different from the studio where we first started.

So, I think for podcasting and for some of these things, even video, I mean, our cameras are on our phones are actually pretty good. So it's not what it used to be. And I think for anyone interested in video podcasting, it's a time investment, but I think the costs for the equipment have gone way down.

Host: And podcasts are a great way to articulate a message and actually hear directly from the people involved. So it really is a unique communication channel and I can see where it's very valuable in combating misinformation and disinformation. And Paul, I thought you made a great point when you were talking about commitment day after day, even though you're not doing it day after day now like you were during COVID but it sounds like you've got to get out there.

You can't just sit on the sidelines, you can't stay silent when it comes to combating misinformation and disinformation. Is that right?

Paul Gadd: Absolutely. You have to be willing to put yourself out there and convey, you know, here's the information that is relevant and most accurate. And then have the commitment of teams to have the tools in place to get that word out there.

Host: Yeah. And another thing that you mentioned earlier, I think it was Kathy or Paul, I can't remember, someone said you had incredible media partners. How does the media play a role in this, in helping to provide accurate information?

Kathy Wilets: Our partnership with media is incredibly important to us, and really based on deep relationships. I worked in media for, 20 years before I went into the role that I'm in now at the university, so I have those relationships. Many people on my team have those relationships.

So I think it's, the key to that is, is deep relationships of trust and respect, and that came into play very much during COVID because we weren't allowing media inside the hospital during that time, and so we did have to have a lot of trust with each other. Media had a job to do and we had to give them the information they needed to do their job, and they had to trust us to give them that information.

So we had our own photographers go into our medical intensive care unit to gather video. We made that available whenever media asked for it. We did daily updates. We actually had meetings with media because they were trying to make a case why they should be allowed in the hospital.

And it was just our policy as well as the other hospitals in our area not to do that at that time. And so we had a very transparent conversation with our leaders with media. We discussed it. So I think the key, to good partnerships with media is just those deep relationships with trust. And then we've had instances where we felt like maybe the media got it wrong or, something happened that wasn't particularly accurate.

And so, because of those relationships of trust we have the ability to gather people together and have an open and honest conversation about that. And, we may ultimately disagree and, nothing changes, but most of the time, more often than not, we're able to either get a story corrected or maybe to see it through their perspective and realize where they were going with their story. So it really is all just about relationships, I think.

Host: Absolutely. And then Paul, you are our internal communications expert. So we were talking about leadership and having a commitment. What about the faculty, engaging faculty and staff in helping to combat misinformation and disinformation? How do you get the whole staff to stand up for truth?

Paul Gadd: Well, I wish there was, uh, I wish there was a way to say, yep here are the steps you need to take. Unfortunately, there's not. I'll tell you from our perspective, the way that we tend to look at things is that we have a faculty and staff that consists of 24,000 people. There are systems that are larger than us.

There are systems that are smaller than us, but the reality is that's a lot of people and one of the things that we really tried to look at is just how do we arm our employees with the best and most accurate information? Because at the end of the day, those 24,000 individuals are going to be going home.

They're going to be interacting on social media, they're going to be interacting with friends, family, neighbors, acquaintances, whoever that may be. They're also going to have a lot of the disinformation that's out there. And so how can we arm our employees with the most accurate information as a way for them to maybe interject in those conversations and say, you know what, I've got a source of truth.

Here's the information that I've been receiving. And, that's the attitude, just how do we arm our staff with the most accurate information, again, through those platforms, a variety of platforms to try and get that information to them.

Host: Yeah, that makes sense. Kathy, thoughts on that?

Kathy Wilets: Yeah, I'll tell you, we have some tremendous faculty and staff who are on social media. So one of the things we did, and this is another example, during COVID. They were very active in the media. These faculty, so media tended to follow them, but they in turn followed media. And so if they noticed something that was inaccurate, they would very respectfully, very gently, course correct through social media platforms to say, Hey, that's an interesting take. Here's what the science says about this topic. And so, we're really lucky in that we have people really committed to the goals of accurate information and who are active on social media and not afraid to, put themselves out there.

So that's, yet another example for the general public that our faculty was willing to get involved in.

Host: I think that's great. And in your session, will you give us tips and tricks and tactics to combat misinformation and disinformation?

Kathy?

Kathy Wilets: Yeah, absolutely. We have been doing this work for a long time. Between Paul and I, we have plenty of examples and tips to share. So we're really excited about the presentation and we hope people leave with a lot of really practical tips that they can use for their own teams.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. You'll go much more in depth on all of this during the session. So as we wrap up, I want to thank you both for your time, Paul and Kathy. Paul, let me start with you. Any final thoughts as we wrap up about your session, talking about combating disinformation and misinformation.

Paul Gadd: The thoughts that I have is, I mean, what an interesting time right now in the world of communication and just the different options, the different things, the different ways in which we consume information. It's amazing. And so I'm looking forward to sharing some time with Kathy to share our experiences, but also equally learning from others because U of U Health, while we're doing some things, we may be doing some things great, but we're not doing everything.

And I always look forward to hearing from others on what they're doing and the lessons that we can learn.

Host: Well Paul, thank you for that. We are so much looking forward to this session.

And Kathy, let's wrap up with you. Any final thoughts on your session in talking about how U of U Health engaged internal and external audiences in the age of disinformation?

Kathy Wilets: Yeah, Paul and I, we work for a very large organization and we've been through a lot of pretty intense situations during our tenure here, and so we feel like we have a lot to share and we certainly learned a lot. COVID really changed how we do our work, and it's carried through today. We feel like through trial and error, we have come up with a, with a robust system for communicating to our internal and external audiences. And so we hope people can learn from our previous mistakes and through our current experience learn from us. We feel like we have a lot we can share.

Host: Absolutely. Well, we appreciate you sharing this great information with us at SHSMD Connections 2023. Your session will be on Monday, September 11th. We are looking forward to it. Paul and Kathy, thank you so much for your time today. We appreciate it.

Paul Gadd: Thanks, Bill.

Kathy Wilets: Thanks so much, Bill.

Bill Klaproth (Host): And once again, that's Kathy Willetts and Paul Gads. Session presenters at this year's 2023 SHSMD Connections annual conference in Chicago. To attend just make sure you go to shsmd.org. That's S-H-S-M-D.org/education/annualconference to get registered. Do it now. Would you do that for me please? Thank you. And if you found this podcast helpful and how could you not please share it on all of your social channels And please hit the subscribe or follow button to get every episode.

This has been a production of Dr. Podcasting. I'm Bill Klaproth. See ya.