“…stop and think, ‘how would I want to be treated?’ because, after all, we are all patients at some point in our lives.” - Howard Lucks @hjlucks

How can we use social media to become healthier people, engaged in our health and change the way we think about health care? Social sites can enable people with similar diagnoses to connect and share treatment stories - what works, what doesn’t. Communities develop around healthy activities and members support one another. Health support groups, hashtags and sites such as PatientsLikeMe.com mean that we can get information right from those who have experienced what ever it is that we may be going through.

Increasingly, health care providers are also joining the conversation; they are learning how patients talk about health, what their needs are and what they are like outside of the exam room. The reverse is also true. When doctors and clinicians participate they offer online communities a source of qualified information as a trusted resource. Progressive physicians are beginning to think about new ways to improve health using social media.                                                          

On April 15 Social Media Club Richmond, in partnership with Bon Secours Virginia Health System, will present a panel discussion on the healthcare social media phenomenon. Our speakers are experts in the field of online healthcare information and conversation that represent two perspectives - patients and healthcare providers. The conversation is open to everyone since at some point we all care about our health.

Dana Lewis:

Dana Lewis is an experienced consultant, writer, and strategist in health communications. As moderator of the weekly #hcsm (healthcare communications and social media) conversation on Twitter, she has developed and engaged a community of 2,500+ health care & communications professionals since early 2009. She also co-founded and organized Social Health 2010, an international unconference on social media and health. Graduating with bachelors degrees in both Public Relations and Political Science from The University of Alabama in May, she is passionate about using strategic communications to improve healthcare. She is @danamlewis on Twitter

Phil Baumann:

Phil Baumann is a non-traditional registered nurse with a background in enterprise accounting and treasury operations.  He regularly writes and speaks about the roles emerging technologies and media have on culture, health care, marketing, regulated industries and our personal lives. His the founder of the first Twitter chat for registered nurses, RNchat; a medical blogger for the Better Health Network; and runs CareVocate LLC, which helps companies develop online content and communication strategies. With his diverse background in the Energy, Financial Services and Healthcare industries, he brings a unique perspective to discussions about healthcare and social media, taking an often contrarian position in his efforts to balance hype and cynicism about the promises of the Web. He blogs at PhilBaumann.com and he is @PhilBaumann on Twitter.

Moderator: Nick Dawson

Nick Dawson bridges the gap between healthcare operations and social media. With more than 12 years experience in hospital operations, he understands what makes healthcare tick.  Nick is the Director Community Engagement at Bon Secours Virginia Health System. In addition to those duties he is also a Director on the Revenue Cycle team for the 14 hospital Bon Secours system.

Nick is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and can frequently be found posting about healthcare and cooking on his blog at www.nickdawson.net and twitter at @nickdawson. He speaks nationally and has been published on the topic of community engagement and healthcare communications. On Sunday evenings Nick participates in the #HCSM Twitter Chat.

EVENT DETAILS:

Sponsors: This event is generously supported by Bon Secours, Richmond Magazine, Theater IV, The Greater Richmond Convention and Visitors Bureau and Blue Green Dragon.

Venue: Theater IV - The Children’s Theater of Virginia. Theater IV is the second largest theater for young adults in America. The theater is located at 114 West Broad in Richmond. http://www.theatreivrichmond.org/.

Time: 6-9pm

Cost: $10

Details: Light food from Chez Foushee and a cash bar will be provided along with the program.

Donations Needed: We’re supporting SPCA this month! Please bring dry cat food to the SMCRVA event to support the Pet Pantry. The Pet Pantry is a source for pet food for Greater Richmond families that are struggling to afford food for their pets. This initiative was recently launched in our area and is already supporting 80 local families and their pets. Donations of large and small bags of dry cat food will be accepted.

Parking/Directions: You can find directions and parking information here.  http://www.theatreivrichmond.org/directions.html