Special Circumstances & Disaster Procedures

• Certain situations may occur when Hendrick Health System is by policy not able to provide information to the media. Hendrick Health System cannot acknowledge a patient who is a crime victim, has an assailant still at-large, is a patient identified as a victim of child abuse or sexual assault, a prisoner at Taylor County Jail, Abilene Police Department, French Robertson Unit or by other law enforcement authority.
• The response of the hospital will be, “I have no information about that patient.”  This is not meant to avoid providing information to media; it is to protect the patient. The information is not available to the Public Relations/Marketing staff member, nor is it available for the media from Hendrick. Please contact law enforcement for information.
• Celebrities, public figures and public officials are not subject to different standards than other patients when it comes to hospital policies for releasing information to the media. The hospital must seek the consent of this person, immediate family member, physician or agent, before an interview or photograph may be permitted.

• In case of major accidents or a natural disaster, Hendrick Health System will relay important information to the media, as well as community members.  
• The designated information center for media is the Meadows Conference Center in the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing located at 2149 Hickory Street on the Hendrick campus.
• All unauthorized personnel will be prohibited from entering the hospital during the time the disaster plan is in effect. Media representatives will be allowed in the media information center with proper press identification that must be displayed at all times and only if accompanied by a hospital representative