Everyday Heroes: The Puget Sound Blood Center
Mount St. Helens Eruption on May 18, 1980
Over the course of the last two years, I have pushed hard for local healthcare facilities to begin adopting the new social media communication technologies that were coming down the pike into common public use. This specifically included training senior leadership staff to use SMS text messages and Twitter messaging services and actively engage with Seattle’s social media community to create ready-made networks and alliances. Although these efforts were recognized by the technology and education communities, I am sad to report that in healthcare, my pleas fell on deaf ears. They weren’t listening.
Fortunately, one heathcare provider IS paying close attention to changes in the communication technology landscape: the Puget Sound Blood Center! Through the organization’s visionary leadership, they promoted Sean DeButts from their outreach call center program to develop and deploy the first multichannel social media presence for community engagement supporting their blood donor and apheresis programs. It is the first program of its kind in the United States and a model in the blood donor and non-profit organization communities. I had the privilege of presenting with Sean DeButts and Jeremy Bertrand from Washington State’s Department of Transportation to another first-of-its-kind program in Kathy E. Gill’s Masters in Communication and Digital Media class on Twitter at the University of Washington, which was held last July (2009). Sean, Jeremy, and I talked about our respective programs and how Twitter and other social media tools were being developed and deployed to communicate and engage community in novel and useful ways. Sean’s program has Twitter channels devoted to specific blood types while Jeremy’s WSDOT tweets alert drivers to alternative routes in the event of traffic congestion in a specific area. In a disaster, these two organizations can communicate effectively with a variety of individuals and are deeply integrated within Seattle and Redmond’s tech community that can push their updates further out into the surrounding environment in regard to vast personal networks. They are, in effect, ”ready to roll” in the event of an emergency in our area. Is your organization?
Jeff Shuey is another everyday hero. Last November, Jeff decided to forgo the usual presents and obligatory birthday celebration by challenging and requesting that his friends and family donate blood or food to the Puget Sound Blood Center (PSBC) in his honor. Many of Jeff’s close friends and family showed up to the blood drive, and many more, myself included, donated at PSBC’s Seattle location on Jeff’s behalf.
We are very fortunate to have individuals like Jeff and Sean, who work tirelessly every day on behalf of our greater Seattle community. They are truly the everyday hero by whose efforts we all benefit when we need it most. If an emergency comparable to the 2001 Nisqually earthquake or Mount St. Helens happens in our own fair Seattle paradise, you can be assured that lives would be saved through the tremendous proactive efforts of these two remarkable individuals; I know they won’t leave us stranded.
It is with a sincere and humble heart that we send our blessings to our brothers and sisters in their time of tremendous challenge and need in Haiti. Our prayers are with you. I hope we in Seattle will listen and learn from your devastating pain.
~~ Jeris JC Miller @dakini_3
