Media Center
Tips for journalists
Let’s face it. Healthcare reporting can be complicated.
The goal of this page is to clarify some basic dos and don’ts for
reporting about Good Samaritan and healthcare in general. Should you
have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact:
Jennifer Aalgaard
Media & Community Relations Specialist
Office: 253-697-2029
Cell: 253-219-1715
media@goodsamhealth.org.
What is Good Samaritan?
Good Samaritan, a part of the Multicare
Health System, is a private not-for-profit healthcare organization based
in Puyallup, Wash. For a complete description, please see our About
us section.
Is Good Samaritan affiliated with any other organizations by
the same name?
No.
Should I call it “Good Sam"?
No. Although
some people refer to our organization as “Good Sam," journalists should
refer to us as Good Samaritan.
Should I call it Good Samaritan Community Healthcare?
Good
Samaritan’s legal name is Good Samaritan Community Healthcare. However,
we do business simply as Good Samaritan. Good Samaritan Community Healthcare
is the parent organization of entities including Good Samaritan Hospital,
Good Samaritan Surgery Center, Good Samaritan Family Medicine and others.
What
is JCAHO or “The Joint Commission"?
JCAHO is the
acronym for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations,
the nation’s predominant standards-setting agency in healthcare.
JCAHO evaluates and accredits more than 16,000 healthcare organizations
and programs in the United States. Good Samaritan Hospital and
Good Samaritan Home Health and Hospice are fully accredited
by JCAHO. The Good
Samaritan Surgery Center is fully accredited by JCAHO.
What does the Associated Press say about healthcare reporting?
The
Associated Press’ annual stylebook includes many entries relating to
healthcare reporting including doctor, Medicaid, Medicare and others.
To order an AP Stylebook, visit the Associated
Press Web site.
