Healthcare crisis communication: a guide to authentic messaging under pressure
Co-authored with Kayse Dahl
Every health system faces a moment when its credibility is on the line. Whether the potential crisis is a data breach, leadership shakeup, or reputational fallout from a payor dispute, trust is always at stake.
These critical moments test more than your response plan. They test your ability to lead with clarity, empathy, and transparency. And with two-thirds of Americans reporting a lack of trust in the U.S. health system, the difference between further erosion or reassurance often comes down to one thing: authenticity.
What authentic healthcare communication looks like in a crisis
You can plan for a crisis, but you can’t always prevent one. What you can control is how you respond. In healthcare, that response must be rooted in authenticity — saying what matters, in a way that reflects who you are as an organization. During a crisis, authentic communication means being:
- Truthful: Share facts clearly and without distortion.
- Timely: Don’t make people wait and wonder.
- Transparent: Acknowledge what you know, what you don’t, and what you’re doing.
- Human: Speak like a person, not a press release.
- Grounded in values: Let your mission guide your message.
This approach doesn’t mean softening the facts. It requires meeting your audiences — patients, staff, partners, media, and your community — where they are and with the respect and transparency they deserve.
The cost of getting it wrong
In our comprehensive 2025 survey of 1,000 healthcare decision-makers, 56% of respondents said they define authentic behavior in a health system by its ability to put patients first. Transparency and compassion followed close behind — proving that people value honesty over polish, especially in moments of uncertainty.
When communication feels evasive or delayed, people notice. And in healthcare, where emotions and stakes are high, the consequences are steep:
- Reputational damage: Don’t let the brand equity you’ve built collapse overnight. Real or perceived missteps in what you say, or fail to say, have lasting consequences.
- Internal confusion: When employees don’t have clear direction, fear and rumors fill the gap. Internal staff can be highly effective, external messengers but without proper guidance and context, they can also fuel speculation.
- Community fallout: Patients and partners lose faith, often publicly.
Healthcare brands that try to manage perception over truth rarely recover quickly. Those that respond with clarity and empathy are more likely to preserve trust — even when the news is hard.
The data backs it up.
Three key principles of authentic healthcare crisis communication
- Lead with what’s true. Drop the corporate speak. Avoid empty reassurances. Focus on facts, action, and the impact of both.
- Acknowledge impact. It’s not enough to say what you’re doing. Say why it matters. Define what the disruption is. Empathize with the fear, frustration, or confusion people may be feeling.
- Let your values show up in your voice. Crisis messaging should feel like it came from your organization, not any organization. If you’re a faith-based system or mission-driven nonprofit, allow that identity to guide how you communicate.
In a crisis, internal alignment drives external credibility
While patients are at the center of your mission, your employees are often the first to carry your message forward — or contradict it. In a crisis, they need clarity as much, if not more, than your external audience.
- Make sure leaders are visible, aligned, and prepared to lead from the front.
- Equip managers with talking points they trust and can share with their team.
- Communicate frequently, even if updates are small or evolving.
Consistency between internal and external communication isn’t just a best practice — it’s a trust multiplier. If what your team hears privately mirrors what the public sees, credibility deepens. When it doesn’t, skepticism grows.
Communicate authentically across channels
Authenticity needs to show up in how you communicate, not just what you say. That means tailoring the message while keeping the core consistent, internally and externally. You must go to where your audience is — and social media is a necessary channel.
When a crisis arrives, the anchor to all of this — your communication plan, the platforms you use, and the protocols in place — is authenticity. Without this anchor, you play a dangerous game in the public domain with your credibility.
The bottom line
The popular saying “Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it” applies here. How you handle a crisis is a tell-all about your leadership, your values, and your brand.
Did you have a plan in place for the inevitable? Was it substantive and flexible or were you caught off guard as the crisis further evolved? Was authenticity a roadmap or an afterthought?
Staying true to your organization’s mission during a crisis isn’t about being perfect or flawless — nor does anyone realistically expect this. It’s about being real, responsible, and responsive. In healthcare, you don’t get to fake it. No one needs a bloodhound by their side to sniff out artifice. When people are scared, angry, or anxious, they remember who showed up with honesty and care. They remember if your mission statement was a lived philosophy or an empty tagline.
Showing up authentically isn’t a PR tactic — not before, during, or after a crisis. It’s a leadership imperative to remain true to your core beliefs and mission, and it’s your best tool for building and retaining long-term trust.
Unlock Health is a full-service marketing communications agency that helps healthcare organizations make authentic connections with patients and communities. Every minute of every day, someone books services they need as a result of our work with clients.
