As we have learnt through out our studies, Public Relations has
been generally known by people as spin doctoring or a misuse of power.
Over the first few weeks interning at Cockburn Integrated
Health (CIH) (a new state-of-the-art medical centre) it has been reaffirmed to
me that within the organisation, the idea of marketing and public relations as a
‘predatory practice’, is slowly but surely disappearing.
At Cockburn Integrated Health there is a legitimate need by
the organisations CEO and strategic officers to build and maintain its presence
as a leading health care provider and to generally improve
the lives and wellbeing of the Cockburn Community.
As a public relations intern at the organisation my role is
to help assist the organisation to build its presence and awareness – this has
been through newsletters, a service directory, establishing the organisations
Facebook page, and redesigning the website. They really do trust me and have
given me a large responsibility for an intern!
I have noticed that all employees at Cockburn Integrated
Health whatever profession work tirelessly to improve the lives and help the
community of Cockburn.
This is has had a flow on effect to how I approach the PR
work for healthcare consumers.
I’ve realised that at CIH we really need to ensure people
who really need the service find it.
I have also been doing quite a bit of work during my
internship on what the ‘competitors’ are doing and how they are marketing and
engaging with the wider community.
Little did I know the public community and health care
sector has become increasingly competitive, engaging with the public ensures
that CIH remains among the main provider options that the target market
considers.
At CIH or in any community care context, public relations is
not about exerting influence on its users. It is about assisting and
facilitating opportunities to people to achieve their health and wellness
goals.
Image: Cockburn Integrated Health
Hope everyone is enjoying their internships!
Thanks for reading, Haleh.
