Online news program to expand communication: Sullivan
Wednesday August 27, 2003 Sheri Fiegehen

Karen Sullivan Executive Director OLTCA

The month-long pilot project, which begins in September, will give the association a taste of daily online news coverage. Articles about the association and its member homes will be written and posted each day, along with other articles and information of interest.

If the pilot project proves useful and effective, the OLTCA will consider adding it to their communications program for an extended period of time, says Karen Sullivan, executive director.

“We wanted the opportunity, or the medium, to tell our good news stories from homes across the province,” Sullivan says in a phone interview. “It will give our members a chance to say what’s going on and to share with their colleagues.”

She adds the news program will also reach consumers “who tend to only hear about the negative perceptions (of long-term care homes) from other media. This gives us the opportunity to highlight the good things that are going on.”

And that’s not all, she adds. “We also have objectives around accountability and transparency, so this will help us all understand more of what is going on in the homes.”

The OLTCA’s current communications program is geared more toward issues identification and management, says Sullivan, as well as advocacy and education. Communication is now achieved through fax, e-mail, an education publication, and a magazine.

“That’s a typical communications program for this kind of organization, so this (online news) is different from anything we’ve ever done before. We have lots of forums for advocacy and education, so this is something new and exciting, with broader consumer appeal. We see it as an enhancement to our communications.”

The online news program ties in nicely with the OLTCA’s goals and objectives, notes Sullivan.

“Social marketing is one of our objectives,” meaning, enhancing the image of long-term care to the aging population and baby boomers, she says.

Another OLTCA objective is to help educate its members. “And part of that is sharing,” she explains.

For example, she says, staff from a home in London may read about some great initiative going on at an Ottawa home, and may be inspired to implement something similar.

In addition, she adds, management can use the news to help identify challenges and issues, and to determine if any changes need to be made to policies.

“For the most part, we (staff at OLTCA head office) sit in our office. We interact with our members at board meetings and events, but we’re not out there as much as we wish we could be. This (news program) will give us a greater sense of what is going on (at the homes).”

Sullivan foresees some challenges with the implementation of the pilot project. Simply getting people to go the site will be a challenge, as will educating the OLTCA community on how the site can be used as an effective management and communications tool.

“Also, the interview process will be a new experience for many. I know they love to talk about what they do, so I’m sure they’ll quickly get adjusted to the process.”

The OLTCA is currently working on ways to evaluate the effectiveness of the news site.

“The number of hits will be tracked, but we’re also thinking of ways to get feedback. Evaluation is definitely a big part of this, so we can decide whether to continue beyond one month.”

The site will be written and produced by Axiom News Services, based in Peterborough, Ontario. Once the OLTCA news site address is established, updates will be available on the Axiom news site.