Situation

Hallmark Health System was a newly created group of four hospitals, nursing school, medical practices, and home health agency. After the consolidation and mergers, it quickly fell on hard financial times, requiring numerous cuts to services and the closure of two hospitals. The community members and leaders were furious. 

 

The cuts stressed the remaining staff on the receiving end of the ire.  A nursing leader said, "I just want to go to the grocery store without 3 people stopping me to complain about Hallmark."

 

How could we create extensive outreach into the five core cities in its catchment area without adding staff?
 
A new model of community outreach

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I immediately took on the community outreach challenge, recognizing that strong community relations shouldn’t rely on just one person. 

 

True engagement happens when multiple team members are involved, ensuring relationships endure beyond any single individual. Having more faces in the community doesn’t just humanize the organization—it creates a deeper, more authentic connection that lasts.

 

Community Teams
I proposed and got approval to create employee volunteer teams - one for each city or town in our area. I was on each team yet appointed a different leader, so it is not perceived as a marketing effort but a Hallmark initiative.

 

The teams were responsible for:

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• Identifying the values of that community - education, emergency response, policing, recreation, and healthcare to name a few.

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• The teams set the priorities for outreach each year, which became activities they would sponsor. Activities included attending the citywide celebrations, contacting elected officials to provide updates, and honoring key groups within the community for their dedication.

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• Identified which sponsorships requests to support within a small annual budget.

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