The Critical Role of Communications in Health Care Reform

Tony Woolgar, CEO, Southwest Local Health Integration Network

From CEO of a large hospital corporation in the UK to CEO of a large regionalization project in Ontario, Tony Woolgar knows about reform. He'll look at the agenda of change that's moving across Canada, and offer insights into the critical role of communications professionals in all the chaos.

Communicating Public-Private Partnerships

Kathryn Hendrick, Vice President,
Communications and Public Affairs, Royal Ottawa Health Group

Jennifer Davies, Senior Communications Consultant, Partnerships BC

Whether they are called P3s or Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP), public-private partnerships are a new way of doing business for Canadian hospitals. Come and hear two perspectives on this new funding model and the communications and government relations strategies developed to support them.

Branding and Public Awareness — Hand in Hand

Christa Haanstra, Senior Director,
Communications & Public Affairs, Bloorview Kids Rehab

Jean Geary, Director,
Foundation Communications Centre for
Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Foundation

Branding is a hot topic in health but with limited budgets is it possible? Come and learn about the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's creative branding solution. It combined branding with an issues-based awareness campaign, created through primarily pro bono support. Hear about the experience and lessons learned and see the results at both CAMH and Bloorview Kids Rehab.

Risk Communications: Protecting Your Organization from Harm

Della Smith, President, Quay Strategies/Quay Life Sciences
Helen Carkner, Vice President, Communications, Fraser Health

No organization is immune from high risk situations or sensitive issues. Today's fast-paced communications vehicles, from blogs to media frenzies, have altered the time we have to effectively handle situations ranging from day-to-day issues to full on crises. Complications resulting from innocent mistakes or erroneous information can escalate in a matter of hours. Through practical information and a case study, this session will focus on effective and current tools and techniques for managing your organization's reputation when adversity strikes.

The Power of storytelling in Health Care

Jonathan Bennett, Manager, Corporate and Public Affairs,
Peterborough Regional Health Centre

Hollywood loves us. Novelists need us. Health care settings are a hotbed of human drama. This session introduces storytelling as a powerful aid in defining your organization's culture and brand — to both internal and external stakeholders. You'll learn how to develop a "storytelling habit" and take advantage of the narratives happening across your organization to help advance public relations, human resources, government relations and fundraising objectives.

Do it Yourself — Managing your Web Site Content

Vivian Nash, Co-Founder and Director of Operations, Blue Lemon Media Inc.
Judy Brown, Director of Communications, Queensway Carleton Hospital
Katherine Alyea, Annual Giving Coordinator, Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation

A Content Management System (CMS) allows organizations to maintain and update their Web site and intranet without prior knowledge of web design or programming. This two-part forum will focus on the benefits and features of working with this intuitive system, and will highlight a new addition — special peer-to-peer application that makes fundraising fun and interactive. Come and learn how the PR and Foundation staff at one hospital worked together to enhance communications by mastering the art of these electronic mediums.

The Health Care Communicators Role in Building a Safer System

John Tuckwell, Communications Manager, Canadian Patient Safety Institute
Carolyn Hoffman, Director of Operation, BC Canadian Patient Safety Institute

Health care is a high risk industry and there is a growing call by patients and providers for a systems approach to patient safety. Health care communicators in Canada can play a pivotal role in facilitating this changing environment. This session will update participants on the issues and relevant initiatives underway. Participants will learn about emerging strategies for engaging the public in patient safety initiatives.

HCPRA Meeting

The 2006 HCPRA Annual General Meeting will take place immediately following the PR education tracks. HCPRA members are invited to join us for a wine and cheese reception and the AGM from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

A full AGM package will be mailed to members in advance of the conference.