March 19, 2019 – The next stop on my itinerary was at Rady Children’s Health Services (Plaza), where the Marketing & Communications and Business Development teams are located. These teams work closely together, so they decided to split my visit into two action-packed half-hour segments.

For my first stop, the camera was rolling as I walked right into a mock press conference, where I was the guest of honor!  Fortunately, I didn’t have to field any tough questions; instead I learned about all the ways the Marketing & Communications team shares our stories internally to staff and externally to the community.

This team of nine, led by Marketing Manager Karen Clayton, is responsible for the Hospital’s online presence, which includes managing and developing content for the website and the blog (Kite Insights); the intranet; and our social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  (By the way, are you following @TeamRady on Instagram?  You can see more photos from my visits and keep up-to-date on all the amazing things your Rady Children’s colleagues are doing.)

This team also develops and distributes internal communications like Did You Know?, Team Rady Bulletin, In the News and the all-user messages that are emailed to staff. Marketing & Communications also handles the Hospital’s media relations efforts (sharing Rady Children’s stories in TV, print and digital news outlets), as well as graphic design, photography and videography. It is amazing that a small team like this accomplishes so much.

The work they do helps uplift the entire organization and connect everyone to our mission. At the end of my visit, they presented me with a comprehensive San Diego travel guide filled with the team’s insider tips, and they stamped my passport with a wonderfully creative stamp.
They even serenaded me with an original song set to the tune of the “Brady Bunch” theme song (except this time it was “The Rady Bunch”).  What a creative team!

Next, I was traveling on the Rady Railroad for a whistle stop tour of Business Development with my guide “Conductor Korn” (aka Director Kathleen Korn).

At the first platform, I learned about all of the outreach this team does, both to patient families at community events and to physicians throughout San Diego, southern Riverside and Imperial Counties. They distribute informational brochures, magazines and flyers and have some great giveaways! I filled my bag with a bunch of them.

This team works closely with physician groups including Rady Children’s Specialists of San Diego and puts together two newsletters for physicians: The Vital Connection and The Specialist.

I then stopped at Platform 2, where the team’s business analysts quizzed me on data they track, such as the Hospital’s market share and other important facts and figures (it was a tough quiz!). Next was Platform 3, which had a Hawaiian vibe. Here, I met our specialty care coordinators who, among other important tasks, support international and out-of-area patients and their families.

Every year, families come to Rady Children’s from around the world.  Finally, Platform 4 featured the Customer Service superheroes that provide information, support and referrals to our patient families.

They are basically the “4-1-1” for Rady Children’s and field about 500 phone calls — compliments and the occasional complaint — every month. Whatever the inquiry, most are resolved within seven days. These employees definitely earned their superhero capes!

I certainly had no customer complaints after they presented me with my first California burrito! It seemed like it weighed about three pounds. I split it with my son at home later, and it was delicious. The whole Business Development team does such important work, much of it behind the scenes, to support Rady Children’s and our patient families. I am so grateful for their contributions.