Social Media Commenting Policy and Terms of Use

Social Media Commenting Policy:

The Public Affairs and Communications department at Pembroke Regional Hospital monitors all comments and reserves the right to remove your comment. We also reserve the right to block or remove access to repeat offenders of this policy.

Comments of the following nature (and other deemed inappropriate) will be removed:

• Trolling, spamming, or postings that are of a promotional nature
• Material copies from other sources (exceptions include the use of brief quotes where the source is acknowledged)
• Personal attacks and name calling
• Comments that are threatening, obscene, profane and that contain hate speech, degrade others or are abusive
• Libellous statements, such as allegations of criminal activity or comments that unfairly harm a person’s reputation
• Use of an offensive username or of four language

Personal Information:

Please refrain from including personal information such as your address or phone number in your comment.

Please review our Terms of Use.

Terms of Use:

The Pembroke Regional Hospital has established a social media presence on Facebook and YouTube, in addition to its website, and is committed to expanding involvement to other social media platforms going forward, as part of the hospital’s communication strategy.

Given the nature of our business, we need to be particularly careful about how we use social media to exchange information and interact. We appreciate you taking the time to visit this page and interact with us on social media. We would also appreciate your support for Terms of Use, which we’ve adopted from other health-related sites and modified as appropriate.

The Pembroke Regional Hospital (referred to as PRH) makes this social media tool available to you subject to these Terms of Use. By using one of our social media sites, you agree to these terms of use:

Maintaining a Positive Atmosphere:

Please post messages that are respectful of other individuals. Unpleasant personal remarks are hurtful. Highly critical comments can make other members wary of expressing their opinions. So please feel free to disagree, but please use respectful language in all comments.

Share your Experience, Not Your Advice:

Do not provide medical advice. Let’s leave that to the medical experts through information posted on our website (www.pembrokeregionalhospital.ca).

Seek Professional Help When in Crisis:

This page is not intended to provide crisis support. If you are in crisis, we encourage you to get professional assistance so that you can get the care you need. If you are experiencing an emergency situation please call 911. Telehealth Ontario is another great place to get healthcare advice: 1-866-797-0000. The toll-free Mental Health Crisis Line is also available 24-hours a day: 1-866-996-0991.

Use Caution and Common Sense:

Virtual discussion groups are a great way to connect with other people. However, keep in mind that people may not always be what they seem. Remember that you should not share personal identifying information online.

Remember that information posted on any social media site could live in cyberspace forever. Consider the implications of that before sharing any information.

Be Respectful:

Discriminatory comments are not permitted. Discriminatory comments are those that refer to race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political persuasion, body type, physical or mental health and/or access issues.

Comments of a discriminatory or libellous nature, or that create privacy concerns, will be removed. Repeated comments of a discriminatory or libellous nature may cause the author to be blocked from the PRH Facebook page.

No Endorsements:

No commercial advertising or solicitation of any kind.

Privacy:

Be respectful of the privacy of patients, families and staff by not using names when posting comments, or provide any identifying details. You are responsible if you post any private details about yourself or your family.

Authenticity of Content:

Information you post about yourself must be true. Do not impersonate, falsely represent, or otherwise misrepresent yourself. If you post content, you must have the right to do so and must not violate any copyright laws.

Third Party Content:

You acknowledge and agree that PRH is not responsible for any content or comments posted on the site by a third party.

Age of Consent:

You must be age of majority. If you are not, you must receive parental permission before participating.

Liability:

Under no circumstances would PRH, or its representatives, be liable for any damages arising from or related to use of PRH’s social media activities. You agree to indemnify PRH, and its representatives, and hold them harmless from any and all claims and expenses related to the use of PRH’s social media activities. You acknowledge that you are personally liable for the content of your posts and the consequences thereof.

Specific Concerns?

If you have any concerns about care received at PRH, please contact the Administration Office at (613) 732-2811, ext. 6172 or by email at patientrelations@prh.email in order to be put in touch with our patient relations representative.

At Pembroke Regional Hospital, we take great pride in the high level of care we deliver to our patients and their families. We encourage you to share your experiences and feedback, whether positive or suggestions for improvement, with us. By communicating with us, we can best address any concerns you may have in a timely manner and also work on improving our care.