Mercyhealth has a variety of doctors and medical experts who can discuss a wide range of topics with the news media.
Members of the media may contact Marketing and Public Relations Monday-Friday, 8 am-4:30 pm.
Media contact: Therese Michels
Phone: 815.971.5421
Email: tmichels@mhemail.org
For media inquiries outside of normal business hours or on weekends, call (815) 599-7000 and ask for the public relations representative on call.
Please note that the complete and current name of our regional healthcare organization is FHN. "Freeport Health Network" should not be used; please use FHN in all references.
• Press must identify staff by their credentials and FHN title in stories related to the staff member’s work or role.
• Press are asked to use the proper FHN name when referring to FHN facilities, services, physicians, employees and patients. (Ex: FHN Family Healthcare Center – Burchard Hills; FHN Memorial Hospital)
• Advance notice of on-site interviews is necessary so media relations staff can arrange for a room for media interviews or photoshoots, notify the patient care areas involved and get permission from patients and families.
• Prior to interviewing, filming or photographing patients on-site, a signed patient release from must be obtained prior to the interview.
• To ensure patient confidentiality and privacy, a member of the FHN Media Relations team will accompany all reporters, film crews and photographers at all FHN hospitals, clinics and facilities.
• Reporters inquiring about a patient condition should contact FHN Memorial Hospital at 1-877-6000-FHN (346), with the individual’s full name. HIPAA privacy laws prevent us from providing additional patient information, other than a one-word description – Good, Fair, Stable or Critical. In some cases, you may be given a response from staff, “We have no information on that patient.” This can mean the patient has been transferred to another hospital, they are not a patient of FHN, the patient and/or family has asked no information be released, the patient is under the age of 18, family has not been notified of the incident, or there is a pending criminal investigation.