Virtual events help Outreach connect with referents, members of the community

05/22/20 02:53:pm

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Rogers’ Outreach team was accustomed to in-person meetings and conferences, continuing education seminars, and other events that required being in close proximity to others. But when social distancing guidelines took effect and states began implementing stay-at-home orders, the team had to get creative to develop new ways of connecting with referring providers and members of their community.

“The Outreach team is missing the face-to-face meetings and events with our clinical partners and community,” explains Michelle Kalz, director of business development for the Midwest and Eastern regions. “But the current circumstances have also allowed us to discover new methods of communication that we will continue to use in the future.”

Over the past few months, the Outreach team has conducted virtual open houses, support and consultation groups, meet and greets with clinicians, and webinars to maintain and grow relationships with referring providers and members of the community.

“It’s more important than ever to stay connected during this time, so it’s been exciting to see how everyone has embraced virtual events,” Michelle says. “In addition to the support we’ve received from our referent community, we’re so grateful and appreciative of the Rogers intake and admissions team for their support and hard work during this time to help connect patients to care."

Webinars reach a wide audience

While Rogers has long hosted in-person continuing education seminars Rogers, webinars have presented the opportunity to reach a greater audience from throughout the country.

Beginning with the first webinar series launched in April, each webinar has quickly reached its maximum capacity of 1,000 registrants. In response to the overwhelming demand, Rogers has worked to now be able to increase attendance to 3,000 registrants.

“It’s been wonderful to see the webinars reach their capacity each week, often within 24 hours of launching promotions,” Michelle says. “The webinars have been so successful that we have decided to continue weekly presentations through mid-July, and plan to do monthly CE webinars going forward.”

Each series of 90-minute webinars has focused on the unique challenges and opportunities providers may face when treating patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rogers’ experts from locations throughout the country have presented on OCD, depression, trauma, and eating disorders, with plans to launch a series on mental health and addiction as well as depression and anxiety in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the coming weeks.

Facebook Live connects Rogers with the community

A recent Facebook Live Q&A was held this month with the San Diego clinic’s Dr. Sanjaya Saxena. After discussing how Rogers Connect Care allows patients to continue treatment from their own home, Dr. Saxena answered questions from members of the community on topics including a typical day in telehealth treatment, the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, and how medication is used in treatment. The video is still available on Rogers’ Facebook page. Additional Facebook Live broadcasts are currently being planned.