As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began to spread, children’s hospitals across the U.S. launched widespread communication initiatives spanning a variety of media channels to arm parents with updated information relating to the virus. Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) in Richmond, Virginia, was no different, attempting to reach parents through videos, blog posts and social media. But the public relations and marketing team at CHoR also focused on communicating to children directly.
“It’s confusing enough for adults, but we know that kids have faced a lot of changes too—changes in schedule, school being canceled and maybe being stuck at home with mom and dad while they’re trying to work,” says Kate Marino, senior public relations and marketing specialist at CHoR. “We wanted to explain to them what this is all about and what’s going on in a way that they’ll understand.”
