Written by: Tenth Crow Creative
The first Small or Rural Organizations member meetup, sponsored by healthcare brand marketing agency Tenth Crow Creative, offered a dynamic and insightful platform for helping to tackle the unique challenges faced by small and rural healthcare organizations.
While these organizations are often the lifeline of their communities, they grapple with barriers such as limited resources, workforce shortages, and geographical isolation. The meetup provided an invaluable opportunity to share experiences and insights, discuss common challenges, and explore collaborative strategies.
Whether you attended the meetup or are catching up now, this recap highlights the key takeaways.
An Interactive Format for Insightful Discussions
The meetup was designed to encourage participation and collaboration. Facilitated by SHSMD board members Julia Yoder, Marketing & PR Director at Brookings Health, and Terri Flood, MHA, Vice President of Business Development at Wayne HealthCare, the meetup began with a brief introduction to the challenges and opportunities facing small and rural healthcare organizations. Then, attendees were divided into small groups, each tasked with discussing specific questions about strategies for communicating tough changes, partnerships and collaborations, technology, and community involvement.
Each group worked together to brainstorm solutions and share real-life examples from their experiences. Afterward, the groups presented their findings to the larger room, fostering an open dialogue where attendees could ask questions, offer additional insights, and build on each other’s ideas. This format created an engaging and collaborative environment, where attendees learned not only from the facilitators but also from their peers.
Building Bridges in Small and Rural Healthcare
The meetup reinforced a key idea: collaboration is essential for overcoming barriers and improving outcomes. Whether it’s partnering with larger health networks, forming alliances with neighboring facilities, or leveraging relationships with community-based organizations and influencers, success in small and rural healthcare often comes down to working together.
Participants shared examples of how their organizations have fostered collaboration, including initiatives like shared management agreements, regional coalitions, and provider programs with larger hospitals. These strategies highlight the power of partnerships to pool resources, share expertise, and ultimately deliver better care to patients.
Communicating Tough Changes: Transparency Builds Trust
One of the first questions tackled by the groups was how small and rural healthcare organizations communicate difficult changes to their communities. From service reductions to staff transitions, these moments require careful planning and a clear, empathetic approach. Groups shared best practices such as:
- Engaging Early and Often: Hosting town hall meetings or virtual forums to explain decisions and address community concerns (one member mentioned their “coffee with CEO” gatherings at different places throughout their communities).
- Using Diverse Communication Channels: Leveraging social media, email newsletters, and local media outlets to reach a broad audience.
- Partnering with Local Leaders: Collaborating with trusted community figures and civic groups to help convey key messages and build support, which also helps control the narrative traveling the inevitable grapevine lines of communication.
The group discussions underscored the importance of transparency and proactive outreach. As marketers and communicators, we play a critical role in shaping these conversations to ensure that trust is maintained, even during challenging times.
Success Stories: Partnerships That Work
The groups also tackled the question of successful collaborations between small and rural healthcare organizations, as well with larger healthcare systems. Some examples included:
- Partnering with other providers through joint management agreements to minimize costs and improve efficiencies.
- Working with larger healthcare systems to implement telehealth programs, enabling patients to consult specialists without leaving their communities.
- Collaborating with other providers, large or small, to share resources like diagnostic equipment and training programs, reducing costs while improving care.
- Encouraging the exchange of knowledge with large and small providers through things like mentorship programs or hosting joint training sessions.
These stories sparked thoughtful conversations about how to structure partnerships and measure their success, as well as the importance of positioning these partnerships as vital to the healthcare ecosystem, emphasizing the value they bring to rural communities.
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Technology: A Game-Changer for Rural Health
When discussing how technology can enhance services, the groups highlighted the transformative potential of telemedicine and other technology, such as, remote patient monitoring, and digital health tools. In rural areas, these innovations are breaking down barriers to care, from improving chronic disease management to enabling access to specialists.
Participants also emphasized that adopting new technologies requires effective communication and education. Communities need to understand how tools like telehealth work, and clinicians need training to use them effectively. As marketers, we can lead the charge in promoting these tools, demonstrating their value, and building trust among patients and providers alike.
Community Involvement: The Heart of Rural Healthcare
The groups all agreed that community involvement is critical to the success of small and rural organizations, as engaging the community builds trust, loyalty, and a shared sense of purpose.
Attendees shared creative ideas for fostering community engagement, such as patient advisory councils, periodic meetings with civic organizations, and partnering with nonprofits.
Overcoming Barriers to Collaboration
While the discussions highlighted many success stories, they also addressed the barriers to collaboration, such as limited resources, geographic challenges, and differing organizational cultures. The groups brainstormed strategies to overcome these obstacles, including:
- Regional Alliances: Pooling resources and advocating collectively for funding and support.
- Investing in Infrastructure: Expanding broadband access and upgrading digital tools to enable seamless collaboration.
- Fostering a Culture of Trust: Building relationships through transparency, open dialogue, and shared decision-making.
The solutions offered during the meetup reinforced the importance of creativity and perseverance in overcoming challenges.
A New Resource: The Small or Rural Organizations Group
One of the most exciting outcomes of the meetup was the formation of the Small or Rural Organizations group in the MySHSMD Online Member Community. Participants felt that this group would be valuable resource, providing a dedicated space for SHSMD members to continue these conversations, share best practices, and collaborate on solutions tailored to the needs of small and rural facilities.
Facilitators and co-Chairs of the new group, Julia Yoder and Terri Flood, encourage all members to join the group and take an active role in shaping its future. By contributing ideas, experiences, and insights, members can ensure that the unique perspectives of small and rural organizations remain front and center within SHSMD.
Looking Ahead: A Shared Commitment
The meetup’s interactive format created a strong sense of community among attendees, and the energy in the room was palpable as ideas flowed and connections were made. Let’s carry that momentum forward. Join the Small or Rural Organizations group on MySHSMD, share your perspectives, and help shape the future of healthcare for small and rural communities. As SHSMD members, we have the expertise and networks to make a difference, whether by crafting effective messaging, supporting innovative partnerships, or championing new technologies.
Together, we can turn challenges into opportunities and create a brighter future for the rural and smaller communities we serve.