Take a look at the image above, the Center for Disease Control’s homepage (preferably on your smartphone, since that’s the way we should initially assess at most websites today), as it was on 1/27/2020.
Note how the information about the Coronavirus is so dominant? How it’s above the fold, and—at least as of the time I am writing this blog—also dominates their website’s News section?
This implies two things to me.
First, the Coronavirus outbreak has the potential to become very serious.
And second—and the topic of this post—is that the CDC sees their digital platform as a dynamic extension of their mission.
In this context, what I mean by “dynamic” is something that is easily and quickly subject to change in support of their mission.
You see—unlike many (most?) healthcare organizations—the CDC recognizes their website is the cornerstone of their digital platform and they also recognize their homepage is the keystone of their website. Therefore, it’s on the homepage where they choose to directly support their mission, and it’s here they are willing to make changes rapidly.
In addition, they also don’t ignore their social media accounts, which are highly integrated with their website. For example, their pinned tweet is also about the Coronavirus outbreak, leading directly back to their website.
So the teaching point here? Many healthcare organizations would benefit to study how the CDC thinks about their website, and how they directly apply it to their mission.