Two recent and sad incidents have brought a lot of media attention to Loma Linda University Medical Center.
On February 12, two shooting victims from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department arrived via air transport following a gunfight with a suspect believed to be Christopher Dorner. Sadly, one of the deputies passed away from his injuries, while the other is still undergoing treatment. He is expected to recover.
This crisis follows not long after a tour brush crashed into a pickup truck February 3 near Yucaipa, ultimately leading to eight deaths. Five victims were initially brought to Loma Linda University Medical Center, while four more were later transferred from other hospitals. One patient died, while the others sustained non life-threatening injuries.
“These tragedies serve to remind us that news media may gather at Loma Linda University Health at any time,” says Tony Yang, assistant vice president for public affairs. “Just like any other crisis, we need to be always prepared.”
The following are guidelines for responding to members of the media if you encounter or are contacted by them.
- Do not give any information out. There’s no such thing as “off the record.”
- Even if you are an appropriate source of information, refrain from answering any questions until you complete the following steps.
- Write down the journalist’s name, affiliation, and phone number.
- Politely but firmly ask the member of the media to wait until you have contacted the media relations team at Loma Linda University Health. Either ask the operator to page the media relations specialist on call, or, during normal business hours, you can also call the Office of Public Affairs at (909) 558-7000.
- If the media representative is on the premises without authorization, politely but firmly escort her or him to an area where you can call for a media relations specialist (see above).
- If necessary, call security.
In addition to news media, these recent situations have also brought a heavy presence of law enforcement officers to our campus. Thank you for carefully coordinating our efforts with them, always keeping in mind that the safety of our patients and staff comes first.
Because situations like these can occur at any time, employees should also wear their ID badges at all times.
Your help is important in protecting Loma Linda University Health.