Carrie Harrington
Media specialist, Community Relations Department, United Health Services, Binghamton, NY
CAST member since 2003.
Former vice-president of CAST
What does your department do?
The Community Relations Department organizes and promotes community events, manages publicity and provides marketing services for the entire UHS system.
What’s your role in the department?
I place all the advertising for UHS, working with Riger Advertising and with the media sales reps. I also work on our Internet and intranet sites, gathering information specific to events, promotions and marketing and adding that material to the sites.
Tell us about the special challenges you face in your job.
Besides doing this job, I’m going to graduate school part time; finding time to fit in everything is a big challenge. One challenging aspect of my work at UHS that I really enjoy is learning about innovative ways to use the Web site. For example, we offer an online service called Patient Link, which patients use to stay in touch with health care providers and keep track of their health information.
What training and prior experience led you to this point in your career?
I have a BA in communications studies from SUNY Cortland and I’m working toward a Master of Public Administration at Binghamton University. After college, I worked as an assignment editor at WICZ-TV. I served as a public information coordinator at Broome-Tioga BOCES, assigned to the Windsor and Binghamton school districts, and then later went to work for the Windsor district full time. I’ve also worked as director of community relations at the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce.
Why do you belong to CAST?
I think it’s important to network locally with other people in the same field and learn what they’re doing. It’s a way to stay creative; it’s also a way to learn about new people in the field, such as photographers and writers, who might be able to help us here at UHS.
How have you benefited from your membership in CAST?
It’s a matter of outreach, not just to other CAST members, but to organizations we visit at some of our meetings, such as the Press and Sun-Bulletin and the Binghamton Mets. You network with other people whom you’re going to be working with in your career.
To learn more about United Health Services, visit www.uhs.net
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