Whether you are at the airport, in line at the grocery store or in a hospital waiting room, nearly everybody is focused on their smartphones or tablet-surfing the Web and scrolling their personalized news feeds from a variety of websites and social media feeds. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest are go-to sources of information in the form of photos, videos, stories and more.
Adventist Health launched its first website in the 1990s. The system began engaging on social media sites in 2008 as another opportunity to reach out to patients, volunteers, community members, employees and church members. Adventist Health’s 19 hospitals in Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii launched a new systemwide website in July that unifies design and functionality for all sites.
The new site features a comprehensive list of physicians, location search, and health library with videos, podcasts, health calculators and more. Visitors to the site will find information that reflects the mission “to share God’s love by providing physical, mental and spiritual healing.”
“Our website is the virtual front door to our hospitals, clinics and other services that are important to sharing our message of achieving optimal health and wellness,” says Rita Waterman, assistant vice president of corporate marketing and communication. “Our online presence also promotes our church affiliation and provides links to other church resources.”
In addition to the new website, Adventist Health facilities have embraced social media as a real-time communication tool to promote local activities and events, news announcements, health tips, inspirational quotes, and Scripture. “We appreciate [that] partners such as the North American Division which shares our posts on their Facebook pages. This increases our visibility and enables us to reach more people around the world,” adds Waterman.
"Social media is important because it allows us to connect with people where they’re at," says Adam Lee, Northwest regional Web/digital marketing manager based at Adventist Medical Center in Portland, Ore. "We hope that by providing value to those in our social networks we will be able to positively affect their lives in a small way even when they’re not physically with us. It also provides an important platform for feedback from our community. Many people feel more comfortable reaching out online rather than in-person, and if we weren’t available online then we wouldn’t be able to meet that need."
Connect with Adventist Health facilities by visiting our new website, liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.
Visit us on our new website and social media:
- Adventist Health: AdventistHealth.org
- Adventist Medical Center: AdventistHealth.org/nw
- Tillamook Regional Medical Center: AdventistHealth.org/tillamook
- Walla Walla General Hospital: AdventistHealth.org/walla-walla
Facebook:
- Adventist Health
- Adventist Medical Center
- Tillamook Regional Medical Center
- Walla Walla General Hospital
Twitter:
