As many of my readers know, I generally do not follow stories, preferring to draw lessons from events rather than to report them. However, the story of the missing patient found dead at San Francisco General Hospital several weeks ago continues to evolve and to offer some excellent examples of different approaches to crisis communications.
As you may recall from my previous posts, a woman patient went missing from her room in SF General at around 10:15 AM on September 21. The hospital implemented a search protocol which included a search by Sheriff's Deputies who provide security at the hospital that failed to locate the patient. Her body was discovered seventeen days later during a routine maintenance check of a little-used fire-escape stairwell.
In contrast to the pro-active actions of the hospital (see my blog of 10/17) the Sheriff's Department has been silent on the incident. There have been no public expression of sympathy or any word of immediate corrective actions or changes to protocols. At the same time, continuing news coverage raised concerns over the actions of the Deputies and the thoroughness of the search.
San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi finally broke his silence at a news conference yesterday, detailing numerous errors made by his Deputies - incomplete searches, failure to pass on information, confusion over the race of the patient. His briefing was professional, focusing on the facts of the case. The Sheriff did include an apology of sorts, stating, "We are eager, like everyone else, to get to the bottom line of what happened to (the victim)." He did not take questions but did provide copies of his statement.
Clearly, this incident is far from over and there's no question that there will be a lawsuit. In this light, Sheriff Mirkarimi's willingness to present the facts in this case is commendable. By avoiding the temptation to defend his department or to gloss over mistakes, he may have recovered somewhat from his long silence. However, the lack of a strong apology and a failure to demonstrate any level of corrective action (e.g. protocols have been changed, additional training has been provided) are major negatives.
Remember that in a crisis the public is looking to see real empathy for the victim, immediate corrective action, and a commitment to finding the facts.
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