Media policies

Because of its reputation for excellence, Children’s Minnesota often receives requests from local and national media seeking expert commentary on current trends in pediatric medicine, information on the latest research and technology, or stories about the young patients in our care and their families. Here our policies for interviews taking place in our facilities.

Interview requests

To request an interview with a physician, clinician or a patient family at Children’s Minnesota, please contact a member of the media relations team. We will work quickly to accommodate your request.

Condition reports

PLEASE NOTE: Since we are a pediatric health organization, the media relations team is only authorized to release a patient condition report with parental consent. We are unable to comment on or provide information on any patient without approval from a parent or guardian.

Once we have consent, the media relations team will provide the following conditions, as defined by HIPAA:

• Undetermined: Patient is awaiting physician assessment.
• Good: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Indicators are excellent.
• Fair: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious, but may be uncomfortable. Indicators are favorable.
• Serious: Vital signs may be unstable and not within normal limits. Patient is acutely ill. Indicators are questionable.
• Critical: Vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient may be unconscious. Indicators are unfavorable.

Visiting a hospital or clinic

If you are interested in visiting one of our hospitals or clinics to conduct an interview, a member of the media relations team will help you:

• Navigate the facility
• Identify physicians, staff and families for interviews
• Select a location for an interview
• Coordinate any necessary photo or b-roll shoots.

We require that any media visiting Children’s Minnesota hospitals or clinics be escorted by a member of our media relations team. Please review our visitor guidelines in advance of your visit.

Referencing our name

We request that references to the organization include the full name, Children’s Minnesota, and that interviews arranged through the Children’s Minnesota media team identify the subject by their Children’s Minnesota name, credentials and title.

Release forms

We require the parent of any patient under 18, or a patient who is over 18, to sign a consent/photo release form before granting an interview, releasing medical information or being photographed. When inside our facilities, we ask members of the media not approach patient families until a member of the media team has confirmed they have consented to be interviewed and photographed.