Buddy Check 22 Facebook group: Life-saving through crowd-sharing

David Woolery was in the Marine Corps in eastern Afghanistan in 2004 when a bomb exploded under a convoy he was in, injuring some of the men.  He got through that with the help of his fellow Marines, but the return to the U.S. was more unsettling. 

“Out here is every man for himself,” he said.  People back-stabbing.  It’s all me, me, me.”

In 2015, Mr. Woolery started a Buddy Check 22 Facebook group for his unit, which was “a big lifeline” that later expanded to other veterans.  They shared stories of combat, spoke the same language.  Recently, a member dropped a screen shot of a veteran’s suicidal remark into the group’s page and wrote, “Let’s find this guy.”

“The man had said his good-byes and was about to kill himself,” Mr. Woolery said.  But word spread, and eventually people tracked him down and sent help.  It was lifesaving through crowd-sharing.


Why the name “Buddy Check 22?”  To thousands of veterans and active-duty soldiers, the 22nd of every month is a reminder to make a suicide prevention spot-check on former comrades.  A Department of Veterans Affairs study in 2012 said an estimated 22 veterans committed suicide every day in 2010.  While other studies calculated a lower tally, closer to one or two per day, the number 22 has taken on potent symbolism on social media.

Advice to veterans:  Join this group.




Read another suicide prevention story.  Thanks to Christine Hauser of the New York Times for the source article on April 24. 

The Opposite of Rocky: Hospitals' Use of Social Media

As a grown man, this hurts to admit, but I cry at movies. Some of them. A little. Like when the very battered and bloodied underdog, Sylvester Stallone, having gone all out to become a contender but of course, having lost nobly, cries out for his loyal girlfriend Adrian! to comfort him in the ring. And she, overcoming shyness and any prissiness at getting her nice coat soaked with blood and other bodily fluids, struggles up to comfort him there.

Now, even at that moment, while tearing up, I also feel some self-disgust, for I know Sylvester has been toying with me, peppering me throughout the movie with left jabs (she's homely but he loves her anyway!) and rights (they took away the big lunk's locker!) to set me up for the emotional knockout. And then I fall for it.

That scene came to mind after my recent research for a white paper on hospitals' use of social media. I came across one of the Facebook pages of Children's Hospital of Boston. The page shows at least 69 comments by family members, thanking Children's Hospital for caring for their children. It was my job to read all of them, moving me to tears more than once. These children overcame dreaded diseases, through their grit, and the skill and compassion of their doctors and nurses. Most of them had improbable Hollywood endings. May the others rest in peace, in loving memory.

That page has been liked by 700,000 people. The hospital's leaders recognize the importance of creating a favorable public impression among the parents of sick children. If the hospital's reputation is spread far and wide, the staff will be able to treat and save the lives of even more children. That's good for business, too. They've topped the page with the US News & World Report's headline that Children's ranked #1 in more specialties than any other hospital. That's fine; if you were in their place, you'd do the same thing. They've also used some tricks of the trade that Sylvester might admire. For example, to even get to some of the pages, you have to Like them first. That boosts the number of Likes, the coin of the realm.

Yet I admire Children's, and Sylvester. What's not to Like?

To read the free, three-page white paper with examples of hospitals' use of social media to improve patient safety, go to Swisslog's Facebook page.

Thanks to Swisslog for sponsoring the research.

I see seven!: Use of social media by seniors with multiple chronic conditions

A story from Debbie Scammon, PhD:

We are trying to reach our most fragile patients, the ones with multiple chronic conditions, who have extra needs for supportive care. I led a focus group a couple of weeks ago with ten patients, all over 60, all with at least one chronic condition. We thought people like that might be especially hard to reach with a patient portal. But every one of them HAD been on our portal, which we've had only since the Fall 2010. Nearly all of them had been looking up their test results there, after an appointment, to check the posted test results, because, they even said, they wanted to put them on Facebook! Why? I think so they could show off to their friends, even small successes, like: "I got my blood pressure under control!" or "I walked an extra mile," or "I lost five pounds!" They'd look forward to getting congratulated by their peers, getting accolades; they want that pat on the back. It might be more meaningful to them when it comes from someone who understands the situation they're in, even more than from a doctor.

Later on in that same focus group, one patient who'd been a patient advocate in a community organization raised the possibility that patients with similar conditions could start a peer support group. It was notable to me that they weren't dependent on healthcare providers for that; they wanted to be there to support each other. The information shared was that vital to them. For example, one member of the focus group had said, "I wish my care team didn't ask me what meds I was on every visit." Another member of the group responded, "That's because you only see one doctor; I see seven!" So the light bulb came on for the one who was objecting to the medication reconciliation; she said, "Now I get it!" They're able to explain to each other in understandable terms why things are happening with their conditions and their care. That's really powerful. That's the whole basis of social networking.

There's a great positive opportunity for using social media, especially electronic media, more generally to engage patients and facilitate their communication with each other.

Debbie Scammon's advice to seniors with several chronic conditions: Learn to take advantage of the "power of many" available from your peers both on- and off-line.

Thanks to Debbie for our interview in June 2011. See the executive summary of one of her recent articles.

I'll do anything to save money: Patient testimonials for face-lifts

For Dave Gibson, 53, a New York actor, who had his Lasek surgery in May, posting a video on Facebook and YouTube was a no-brainer. He even added his own blow-by-blow narration. ("The first thing the doctor does is place a round apparatus in the center of my eye…") At the doctor's request, he also sent an email message to 100 of his closest friends, racking up a $1 credit for each one. As soon as the doctor had mentioned the rebate, Dave thought to himself, "I'll do anything to save money."

Another patient asked to remain anonymous because he is still undergoing treatment for an operation he had done about six months ago. Never mind that the video went up almost immediately, before he had time to heal. "Regardless of whether I'm happy – that's not going to stop me from posting," he said. "It's money in my pocket." As it turns out, he isn't satisfied with his results, but he hasn't taken down his glowing endorsement.

Advice: Take patients' testimonials with a grain of salt.

Read another plastic surgery story.

Thanks to Abby Ellin for the source article in the NY Times of June 26.