Who We Are
Each of Covenant Health’s 6,000 employees, and more than 1,200 employed physicians, focus on executing the mission of ‘providing healing and care for the whole person, in service to all in our communities. Founded 40 years ago, with roots dating back more than a century, our health system includes three hospital campuses as well as several skilled nursing, senior care, assisted living and independent living communities.
Information for Media
We’re proud to provide the media with accurate and timely information and access to our health care facilities. In return, we ask you to respect our obligation to protect our patients’ well-being and legal right to privacy.
Our team is available to assist you with inquiries about any of our hospitals, senior care facilities, clinics, physicians, patients and programs as well as comment on the latest health care topics. Our goal is to make accessing our facilities and expert medical staff efficient, while complying with federal regulations such as HIPAA and American Hospital Association guidelines.
Media Resources
Covenant Health wants to provide you with the information and resources you need to support your work as a media member. In addition to providing a high-resolution version of each of our member organizations’ logos, we’ve also included some approved photography of our facilities. If what you need is not available here, please feel free to contact a member of our media relations team for assistance.
Guidelines
To protect our patients’ well-being and privacy, we ask you note and adhere to the following guidelines:
- Obtain information through designated media relations staff only.
- We can not provide information that violates the confidentiality, privacy or legal rights of patients.
- All visits to our facilities must be approved in advance by designated media relations staff.
- Access to patients will be arranged if the patient or patient’s guardian is willing and their condition permits.
- All interviews with patients must be approved in advance by designated media relations staff.
- Identifiable photographs or video of patients taken on any Covenant Health property may not be published or aired without permission of the patient or patient’s guardian. Media relations staff can help obtain this permission.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) establishes privacy standards that protect the information we can provide about hospital patients. Under this law, individuals entering our hospital for any type of treatment have an opportunity to opt in or opt out of the patient directory.
- If the patient “opts in,” we can release a one-word condition (see below) about their status upon request from the media. The reporter must provide the patient’s first and last name.
- If the patient “opts out,” or if you can not provide a first and last name, no information may be provided.
Patient Conditions
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- Undetermined
- Good
- Fair
- Serious
- Critical
- Treated and released
- Treated and transferred
In the event of a crisis, patient care will remain our top priority.
All media requests for information and interviews must be made to Covenant Health’s media relations team. In addition, media on Covenant Health or member organization property must be accompanied, at all times, by an authorized representative. Please be sure to contact the media relations team prior to arriving at any facility.
When reporting on a Covenant Health owned or managed facility, please follow these steps:
- Check-in with a Covenant Health representative, show media identification or identify the media outlet you represent.
- Media will be escorted to a designated staging area and asked to wear an identification badge to wear at all times while on Covenant Health premises.
- A staff member will act as official spokesperson, unless a specific subject matter expert is necessary, in which case, an appropriate spokesperson will be designated.
- Covenant Health media relations staff will release information in scheduled intervals or as news occurs. Information will be distributed to media verbally, in print and/or email. Updates will also be posted on the Covenant Health’s website.
- To expedite access and information flow, media will be asked to remain in the designated media staging location at all times, except for meals and personal necessity, unless escorted by a Covenant Health media relations representative to pre-approved interview locations.
- Covenant Health adheres to HIPAA regulations and the American Hospital Association Guidelines for release of information.