Opinion: BC left "confused and afraid" over healthcare messaging

Written for Daily Hive by Rachel Thexton, president of Thexton PR.

Communicating at press conferences, with a variety of media questions, about a topic as sensitive as health, is not easy.

Unfortunately, BC’s provincial health leaders are learning this the hard way. They have failed to reach the public with clear, factual, and empathetic content and engagement in a timely manner.

This started with COVID-19 when public panic and a lack of knowledge were evident and understandable. BC’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, often lacked clarity and, at times, seemed unwilling to provide firm regulations on managing the outbreak and preventing further spread.

She was also criticized for delivering inconsistent information about COVID-19’s nature and spread trends, resulting in some BC residents questioning her knowledge and losing trust in our health leader.

Bonnie Henry and Adrian Dix in March 2020. (Province of BC/Flickr)

Although BC is full of smart and rational people, during an unprecedented pandemic, residents needed clear and firm facts and regulations that didn’t allow for misinterpretation or include gaps in information that had some taking specific steps to prevent the spread of the illness while others remained complacent or confused. Given the seriousness of the matter, our health officer needed to show her expertise with firm and factual advice and requirements that left no room for confusion.

Moving ahead to our current health challenges related to the flu, an overwhelmed medical system, and vulnerable children, Henry seems scattered and unprepared. This is leaving parents — and others — feeling confused, afraid, and frustrated by her lack of clear advice and knowledge on the day-to-day happenings in BC hospitals and beyond. People feel out of the loop and frustrated.

Henry needs to change her approach and focus on her communication methods, timing, and content to start building back the trust and confidence of BC residents.

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At times, Henry’s choice of words falls flat and leaves some parents enraged as they struggle with very sick children. With a resurgence of respiratory illnesses in children that started weeks ago, Henry emphasized no need for a “heavy-handed” approach to implementing a mask mandate. Regardless of your feelings on masks, with many waiting six to 12 hours at local hospitals with sick little ones — some being diagnosed with severe respiratory issues — a heavy-handed approach is exactly what’s needed to illustrate how seriously health leadership is taking the current lack of health offerings and the high number of sick children.

At an early December press conference, Henry was asked about a local child who had recently passed away due to flu-related symptoms. She told reporters that she was not aware of the specific case in question and seemed to dance around a clear answer.

Vaccination was the only solid piece of advice delivered. Henry should be thoroughly briefed before every press address so that she is aware of the latest facts and happenings, such as the tragic death of a local child. This child’s passing did not happen during the press briefing, and it’s vital that she be prepared, informed, and ready to address this tragedy clearly and proactively.

Things escalated as the media highlighted additional child flu-related deaths and an overwhelmed medical system.

Instead of acting immediately with personalized attention to each tragic passing while presenting all facts with empathy, details on steps being taken to improve the provincial healthcare system, and an authentic willingness to speak with media, she did the opposite.

Late last week, Henry held a press briefing where she went through the information, provided no reason for the delay in presenting such an important update, and then avoided engagement with the media altogether.

Media are the conduits for which many residents receive much of the health information they need, updates on what is happening, and what comes next. Regardless of Henry’s feelings on speaking with the media, as BC’s chief health officer, she must find a way to respect the media and use them as allies in her mission to educate and inform the public on serious health-related matters.

It may also be time for Henry and her team to hold several virtual question-and-answer sessions with the BC public, who likely still have a variety of questions about school environments, medication shortages, and other key issues. This kind of initiative would show an authentic effort to engage with those who are desperate for answers to specific questions.

Henry and her team are now on a mission to increase flu vaccination numbers. This is a clear focus area, yet this mission will be unsuccessful when trust is lacking, and residents feel left in the dark on key health-related details they have the right to be informed on in a timely manner.

Effective communication is a must for serious health-related matters, and BC’s health leadership team should consider improving this before they completely lose the ability to reach their audience — the BC community they desperately need trust and respect from.