Healthcare Crisis Communication:
Why It’s Never the Wrong Time to Revisit Your Plan

When a crisis strikes, patients and providers don’t pause their needs, so neither can your communications team.

We all know that in healthcare jobs, the unexpected is expected. Hurricanes, ransomware attacks, viral rumors, and even protests on the hospital lawn can unfold without a lot of warning. The question then becomes: How do you communicate in those first moments? Because how you respond can determine more trust, alignment, and sometimes even safety.

For many health systems, a crisis communications plan exists somewhere on paper, in a drawer, or on a server. I bet it’s in a binder somewhere on a shelf.

The problem is that the world it was written for has already changed. Five years ago, misinformation spread slower. Employee communication flowed through email, not private Facebook groups or encrypted chats. TikTok wasn’t a crisis platform. Today it is.

At COHN Marketing, we’ve supported hospitals and health systems through fires, floods, pandemics, and protests. We know the best outcomes start with two things: a plan and a team ready to use it.

This guide explores why now is always the right time to revisit your crisis comms strategy, what most plans miss, and how to strengthen your approach before the next emergency arrives.

Why Revisit Your Crisis Comms Strategy Now

Most organizations have a plan tucked in a binder or saved in a folder. But healthcare doesn’t stand still, and neither do the risks you face. Post-pandemic fatigue, rising cyberattacks, and the relentless spread of misinformation have reshaped the communication landscape.

A healthcare crisis communication plan isn’t just about damage control. In fact, it’s really more about preserving trust, maintaining alignment, and providing clarity to staff, patients, and community stakeholders when it matters most.

Add regulatory pressure to the mix, and the urgency grows. HIPAA compliance, Joint Commission requirements, and state-level mandates all introduce complexity. If your plan hasn’t been updated in years, it may not account for today’s expectations or today’s rules.

Consider a hospital navigating a wildfire evacuation. The difference between chaos and calm often comes down to effective communication: who knew what, when they knew it, and how clearly it was conveyed. That’s not an abstract exercise. That’s lived reality for teams across the country.

What Most Healthcare Crisis Plans Miss

Even well-written plans can have gaps. We often see:

• Outdated or incomplete documentation that doesn’t reflect current threats.
• Unclear roles and responsibilities leave staff confused in the moment.
• Missing or misunderstood metrics make it impossible to measure effectiveness.
• Messaging that ignores modern platforms leaves teams vulnerable to rumor cycles.

A plan written even a few years ago may not account for viral misinformation, electronic health record downtime, or how fast a TikTok video can outpace official channels. And no matter how detailed the plan, it’s only as strong as the last time it was rehearsed.

What Makes a Crisis Plan Work

From our work with health systems, three pillars separate effective plans from dusty binders:

1. Cross-Functional Teamwork

Crisis communication strategy is not a PR-only exercise. It requires seamless partnership with clinical, IT, HR, and operations teams. When everyone knows their role, confusion is reduced and decisions move faster. Internal dry runs or quarterly tabletop exercises keep this muscle memory sharp.

2. Strategic Pre-Planning

A strong plan outlines escalation paths, message templates, approval workflows, and stakeholder maps. It includes a multi-channel approach (email, SMS, intranet, social media, media outreach, etc.) and backup protocols if systems fail, whether during natural disasters or unexpected digital outages. Pre-planning doesn’t eliminate chaos, but it creates clarity when every second counts.

3. Measurement and After-Action Review

During a time of crisis, you need real-time dashboards to monitor message reach, engagement, sentiment, and speed. Afterward, you need a structured debrief: what worked, what didn’t, and what needs updating. The cycle of review and refresh is how healthcare organizations build resilience.

Leadership & Empathy Matter

More than facts and lawyer-written statements, patients and communities just want humanity. The public looks for credible leaders, not just press releases. Tone, empathy, and presence preserve trust in ways that numbers alone can’t. Showing leadership in a crisis directly impacts the patient experience and reinforces confidence in patient care.

Culture Over Binders

Finally, crisis comms isn’t a document. It’s a living, breathing culture of accountability. When teams see communication as part of daily readiness, not a one-time exercise, they respond with more confidence and consistency. And because trust and credibility are at stake, effective crisis planning is directly tied to healthcare reputation management.

Avoiding the Pitfalls That Erode Trust

In a crisis, missteps compound quickly. The most damaging pitfalls include:

• Delays in communication, which create information vacuums that rumors fill.
• Inconsistent messaging, which erodes credibility across departments.
• Neglecting internal comms, leaving staff in the dark and fueling confusion.
• A lack of empathy or clarity, which triggers public backlash even if facts are accurate.

At COHN, we help clients prevent these mistakes by building adaptable message templates. These frameworks let teams move fast while balancing speed with sensitivity, and consistency with humanity.

How to Start (or Refresh) Your Crisis Comms Plan Today

Strengthening your crisis communications doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with small, actionable steps. Begin by auditing your current plan with input from department leads, then schedule a simulation to stress-test roles and workflows. Refresh your templates and messaging matrices so they align with today’s platforms, and establish a feedback loop that ensures each crisis response informs the next update.

You can also explore monitoring dashboards and secure messaging tools to enable real-time visibility. Even one step forward improves readiness, and the worst time to test your plan is during the emergency itself.

Crisis Communication Is an Ongoing Commitment

In healthcare, there’s no quiet season. The best time to revisit your crisis communications plan is before you need it. To protect patients, staff, and community trust, health systems must keep their strategies current, rehearse them often, and empower every team member to act with clarity.

Post-COVID-19 pandemic, both healthcare professionals and the public expect accurate information delivered quickly and transparently. That’s why key stakeholders across departments must view crisis readiness as a long-term responsibility, not a one-time project.

At COHN, we specialize in helping healthcare organizations prepare for the moments that matter most. From role planning to message mapping to post-crisis reporting, we build plans that protect reputations and empower teams under pressure.

Contact COHN to audit and stress-test your crisis comms plan today.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a hospital emergency communication plan?

A hospital emergency communication plan is a structured framework that outlines how healthcare organizations will share accurate information with patients, staff members, and key stakeholders during a time of crisis. It covers communication methods, roles, and escalation paths to ensure clarity and safety.

2. How does crisis communication protect healthcare reputation management?

Effective crisis communication preserves patient trust, strengthens public health outcomes, and ensures healthcare organizations are seen as reliable sources of accurate information. Strong communication strategies are directly tied to long-term healthcare reputation management.

3. Why should healthcare organizations revisit crisis comms strategies after the COVID-19 pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped patient expectations, communication platforms, and misinformation risks. Revisiting your crisis communication strategy ensures your plan reflects today’s realities and aligns with modern communication methods.

4. How often should a healthcare crisis communication plan be updated?

At minimum, healthcare organizations should review and rehearse their crisis response annually, but quarterly stress tests and post-crisis after-action reviews provide stronger readiness. Regular updates keep the plan relevant to new threats and patient feedback.