Healthcare has always been more than just a business and sometimes everyone in the industry needs a good reminder of that fact. In July 2013, one of the largest healthcare systems in the country Dignity Health created a campaign called Hello humankindness, which included the creation of a website called Hellohumankindness.org.
At Wound Care Advantage, our creative marketing team is a big fan of creating unique campaigns that leave impact on the patient community. I am always on the look out for organizations doing something innovative and unique. It was extremely refreshing to see Dignity Health, a 20-state network healthcare system of nearly 9,000 physicians, 55,000 employees, and more than 380 care centers creating such great work.
What exactly is Hello humankindness?
“Humankindness is an unexpected act of humanity or kindness,” according to Mark Viden, Vice President of Brand Marketing at Dignity Health. “It can take the form of profound feats of heroism or it can be small, refreshing gestures of generosity.”
He said above all, it demonstrates the thoughtfulness of one human being toward another.
“It feeds, and potentially heals, the human spirit,” Viden said. “It is demonstrated through empathy, listening, connection, selflessness, thoughtfulness, and respect.”
Where did this idea come from?
According to Viden, it is the culmination of a lot of conversations and research with employees, physicians, and the public.
“What emerged from that work was the foundational belief that humankindness has the potential to heal the people we serve and the world we share,” he said. “This belief is rooted in the work that began when eight Sisters of Mercy arrived in San Francisco in 1854 and began caring for the sick, regardless of their ability to pay.”
The Sisters of Mercy went on to be the founders of Dignity Health. They opened the first private hospital on the West Coast, and went on to open 10 more hospitals.
“More than 100 years later, that mission involves the practice of humankindness in our hospitals and care centers,” Viden said. “Dignity Health is working to improve how healthcare is delivered by putting in place policies that strengthen the human connection between doctors, nurses, caregivers, and patients so every patient and family member feels welcomed, safe, comfortable, listened to, and respected.”
After a lot of conversations and research Dignity Health discovered that authentic human connection is what people most want in a health care experience.
“It represents a distinct, culturally relevant expression of Dignity Health’s mission that transcends our current business model; it will serve us for decades,” he said.
The purpose of the website
The website Hellohumankindness.org was designed and produced by a company called Eleven Inc.
“It is meant to facilitate easy viewing of the hundreds of curated acts of kindness and to encourage posting of original content by any user,” Viden said. “Hellohumankindness.org was designed to create a digital home for stories related to the power of humankindness. We wanted to remind people that kindness is happening all around them, and to hopefully inspire them to be more kind as a result.”
The site offers users the ability to post, view, and share stories of humankindness and seeks to inspire and propagate more acts of humankindness. It also curates stories of humankindness from across the globe.
“Recently, the site was enhanced to allow users to organize content by popularity, create original posts, connect to local volunteer opportunities, purchase goods from the Dignity Health Hello humankindness e-store, and view videos from our Rise&Smile alarm clock app,” he said.
Posting on the site
Everyone is encouraged to post stories in text, video or graphic form to the website.
“These stories may include big feats of heroism or charity, or small, unexpected gestures of generosity or thoughtfulness that one person does for another,” Viden said. “Posts may also offer thoughts that remind us of the value of human connection and kindness, and inspire us to appreciate the humanity in all around us.”
The volunteer section of the website is powered by Volunteer Match and can easily match an interested user with a volunteer opportunity in their local community. Hellohumankindess.org was created to inspire people to act with humankindness in their own lives and through the Volunteer Match partnership, the site can also empower users with the tools to take action,” he said.
Not shying away from the heart
Dignity Health is making a big statement by its support of acts of human kindness.
“We believe that humankindness has the potential to heal the people we serve and the world we share,” Viden said. “The Hello humankindness campaign was designed to be a catalyst for a national conversation around kindness, both in healthcare and society.”
Dignity Health is a unique organization in healthcare because it doesn’t shy away from acts of the heart.
“Highlighting acts of humankindness helps steer a divisive debate back to this common purpose, so our industry can implement reform in a way that brings the healing power of humankindness back to healthcare,” he said. “We’re asking everyone to commit not-so-random acts of humanity and kindness among their family, friends, neighbors, and perfect strangers, because we believe these acts are the best antidote to the spread of cynicism and incivility in our society.”
