Recently, hospitals have started incorporating social media in how they reach the general public. Organizations that cater to a younger audience, like Planned Parenthood, have been using social media for quite some time now. It was only a matter of time before their counterparts caught up to them. According to this article 410 hospitals nationwide are using social networking sites, be it Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. These hospital organizations are using these sites as tools to reach out to the general public to establish a stronger relationship with the people they serve. No only can people tweet health questions they may have to their local hospitals, but hospitals can reach larger audiences with public health concerns. Patients can also watch live surgeries on YouTube, which may ease some patient’s concerns on their upcoming medical procedures. Being able to follow a local hospital on Facebook or Twitter allows people to have constant information in relation to their health and the health of their families. With growing concerns over lack of healthcare in the United States, hospitals may use social media outlets to reach their patients and answer their questions on such a complicated issue.
Sites like grouploop.org offer online support groups to young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer. A hospital using social media will be able to connect it’s patients to online communities like grouploop where people can share their experiences with others in similar situations.
Hospitals in Connecticut that use social media include Backus Hospital in Norwich, Bridgeport Hospital, Danbury Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Hartford Hospital, and Yale New Haven.
Here’s a clip from William W. Backus Hospital’s Cancer Survivor Day
