Social Media Commenting Policy and Terms of Use
St. Joseph's Health Care London and St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation are committed to operating social media channels effectively in order to communicate and engage with patients, volunteers, donors, employees and other key stakeholders. The following guidelines govern how St. Joseph's, and its Foundation (referred to as St. Joseph’s throughout this policy), communicates and engages online through social media.
By using one of our social media sites, you agree to the following terms of use. Please also review our Website Terms and Conditions of Use.
User Conduct
St. Joseph's reserves the right to remove any content considered inappropriate at its discretion. If necessary, the offending users will be reported to the respective online service provider and removed, blocked or banned from our social media for violating these social media commenting guidelines:
- Profane language or inappropriate comments, including any that are threatening, obscene, bullying, that degrade others or are abusive;
- Inaccurate or misleading information;
- Trolling, spamming, or posting that are of a promotional or commercial nature;
- Reveals personal information or personal health information of others;
- Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, colour, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation;
- Inappropriate sexual content or links to such content;
- Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;
- Information that may tend to compromise the safety, security or privacy of patients, systems or employees of St. Joseph's;
- Content that violates legal ownership interests of any other party;
- Commercial endorsements or solicitation and/or sales, such as contests, sweepstakes, barter, advertising without prior written consent;
- Express political views;
- Any content that violates the terms of policies, guidelines or procedures of St. Joseph's;
- Materials that are owned/copyrighted by St. Joseph's, including but not limited to images, screen shots, video, and any other information unless approved by Communications and Public Affairs at St. Joseph's Health Care London.
Seek professional help when in crisis
St. Joseph's social media accounts are not intended to provide crisis support.
If you are experiencing a crisis or urgent situation, call 911 or go to your nearest Emergency Department or Urgent Care Centre.
Other medical contact information:
- Telehealth Ontario: 1-866-797-0000
- Poison Information Line: 1-800-268-9017
- 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline is available to all Canadians to call or text for help. It is a toll-free hotline, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 9-8-8 is a safe space for anyone who is thinking about suicide, or who is worried about someone they know. Learn more at 988.ca.
- Contact Reach Out crisis response line if you are experiencing a mental health crisis: Call 519 433-2023 or 1-866-963-2023 or go to the CMHA Crisis Centre located at 648 Huron St. in London, ON, 519 434-9191
Monitoring social media
Social media channels are monitored intermittently during business hours. For all time-sensitive requests, please email @email or phone at 519-646-6100 ext. 66034.
Patients, Family members and Caregivers: comments or concerns about your care
Our Patient Relations team is here to support you through your experience and assist you with questions or concerns. Patient Relations can be reached by phone at 519 646-6100 ext. 61234 or email @email.
Visit our Patient Relations webpage for more information.
At the discretion of St. Joseph's, communication may be redirected from social media to phone or email channels. The reasons for this request would include, but are not limited to, privacy concerns, relevance, or the amount of detail required to reach a resolution.
Medical advice
It is inappropriate to offer medical advice or patient appointment information through social media channels. In most cases, referral from a family physician is required to request an appointment at St. Joseph's Health Care London. Please visit the Areas of Care section of our website for details and contact information. If your inquiry is urgent, proceed to your local Emergency Department or Urgent Care Centre.
Third party content
Content posted by third parties does not represent the views of St. Joseph's. St. Joseph's cannot and does not guarantee users’ privacy on third party social networking websites, as users are subject to the terms and conditions of the specific application on that website. Users should review and agree to the third-party terms and conditions prior to participating.
St. Joseph's will not be responsible for any losses or damages suffered as a result of using third party social media sites. Those using social media participate at their own risk and for their own benefit, and in so doing accept that they have no right of action against St. Joseph's related to such use.
Online disclaimer
By engaging on St. Joseph's social media channels, users acknowledge and consent that their comments or messages may become part of the public record.
A link between St. Joseph's social media channels and any other website does not imply an endorsement or sponsorship by St. Joseph's of that website, or the creator of that website.
St. Joseph's is not responsible for the authenticity or suitability of content posted to its social media channels by other users.
Liability
Under no circumstances is St. Joseph's, or its representatives, liable for any damages arising from or related to use of St. Joseph's social media activities. You agree to indemnify St. Joseph's, and its representatives, and hold them harmless from any and all claims and expenses related to the use of St. Joseph's social media activities. You acknowledge that you are personally liable for the content of your posts and the consequences thereof.
Privacy statement
Please see St. Joseph’s Website Privacy Statement.
Definitions
For the purpose of this policy, “Social media” refers to all online (social media or web) tools used to produce, post and interact using text, images, video, and audio to communicate, share, collaborate or network. This includes, but not limited to blogs, podcasts, discussion forums, on-line collaborative information and publishing systems that are accessible to internal and external audiences i.e. blogs, social networks, wiki’s, videos and photo file sharing, information sharing, tagging, podcasting and vlogging, and other similar tools (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.).