County health department eyes Twitter, Facebook

When the Salt Lake Valley public health department wants to tell residents about important developments regarding swine flu, food inspections or tips for expecting mothers, it no longer has to rely on traditional media.

Instead, it plunks down a pithy 140-character note on Twitter, the popular social networking application.

“The main thing that we’ve found is that using these social media tools, we’re able to interact with the public on a completely different playing field. People are really comfortable tweeting us or leaving a message on our Facebook page,” says spokeswoman Kate Lilja, who manages the department’s social media efforts.

Not to be left behind, the Cook County Department of Public Health is gearing up to integrate social networking into its arsenal of communication tools, which includes a newly redesigned Web site.

At last Friday’s Cook County Health and Hospital System’s board meeting, health department head Dr. Stephen Martin discussed the department’s goals in securing a $400,000 grant from the National Association of County & City Health Officials to beef up its social networking presences, specifically for emergency preparedness.

It’s a safe bet that was the first time Twitter was discussed at a health system board meeting.

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