Meet Children’s of Alabama

With a staff of more than 5,500 people, Children’s of Alabama is one of the largest pediatric medical centers in the US — and one of the 10 busiest pediatric hospitals in the nation — caring for children from every county in Alabama. With a growing population of younger, digitally native employees — and many frontline workers without regular desktop access — the communications team needed a more modern, mobile-first way to reach and engage their workforce.

The challenge: Building a secure space for employee connection

Before Blink, teams at Children’s of Alabama were already seeking ways to connect socially — sometimes even launching unauthorized private Facebook groups and workarounds to fill the gap. The communications team knew they needed a secure, centralized way to facilitate community-building without relying on public platforms.

They also struggled with critical campaign engagement — particularly around time-sensitive initiatives like flu shots and benefits enrollment — due to lack of access and visibility for frontline staff.

“We had people asking for their own private Instagram or Facebook — and some had already created their own. We needed a safe, centralized place where people could connect and build community.”
_{‍Garland Stansell - Chief Communications Officer at Children’s of Alabama}

Why Blink: Built for hard-to-reach teams

When Garland and the leadership team evaluated communication tools, Blink stood out for one clear reason: It was purpose-built for frontline engagement.

Other platforms either felt like traditional social media (which raised privacy concerns) or didn’t offer the ability to segment communication down to department-level communities. Blink checked both boxes — offering a secure, mobile-first platform that supported top-down messaging and grassroots community-building.

“Blink felt like a real app experience, not just another social media feed. It was clear it was designed with frontline workers in mind."
_{‍Garland Stansell - Chief Communications Officer at Children’s of Alabama}

Blink’s integration capabilities were another selling point — allowing Children’s to link out to their benefits portal, intranet, and scheduling systems from one place.

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Unlocked: A connected culture of empowerment

Children’s launched Blink on a tight timeline — going live in late September 2024, just in time for key campaigns like open enrollment and flu vaccinations in October. Despite the quick turnaround, adoption reached 78% in the first several months.

Much of that success came from department-level champions — directors and managers who embraced Blink as their go-to tool for shift coordination, celebrations, and team updates.

To keep adoption high, the team has focused on onboarding and access: providing user guides for new hires, quickly resolving login issues, and empowering more content creators across departments.

The comms team also closely monitors department-level adoption patterns and uses this data to target underperforming areas — working directly with managers to offer support and encourage participation. Regular reminder emails, QR code access, and orientation-day prompts help ensure new employees are looped in from day one.

“The directors who are using it are using it well. They’re posting in real time and getting engagement within their departments — it’s working.”
_{Katie Garfinkle, APR - Lead Coordinator, Marketing & Internal Communications at Children's of Alabama}

The hospital now has over 15 active department communities, each with its own cadence and style. Some use Blink for operational coordination, while others lean into fun. Two lighthearted but wildly popular examples?

Community spotlight: Soup Watch

Originally created as a joke, the “Soup Watch” community has become a must-check feed every morning. The food services team posts daily updates about the cafeteria’s soups, and if the update isn’t live by 9am, employees start asking.

Community spotlight: Golden Girls

Not far behind in popularity is the “Golden Girls” group — the hospital’s two therapy golden retrievers, Wanda and Sydney, who each post under their own aliases. From hallway rounds to holiday appearances, their updates spark joy and engagement across the hospital.

Beyond departments, employees have also created micro-communities based on shared interests — including alumni groups for Alabama, Auburn, and UAB grads, allowing team members to connect over their college pride.

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Looking ahead: Scaling with purpose

With their first year under their belt, Children’s is refining their content strategy — especially around the use of notifications. After enthusiastic early engagement led to high notification volume, the team is now reintroducing notifications in a more strategic way for strategic campaigns like flu shots and benefits enrollment.

They’re also planning to grow engagement through community-driven content, including fun traditions like 4th of July department photos and “superhero month” celebrations. These kinds of seasonal touchpoints have proven effective at reviving feed activity — even for users whose day-to-day engagement may be lower.

The goal for year two? Shift the perception of Blink from a niche tool to a daily habit — especially for teams whose directors aren’t yet active posters. With continued support from Blink’s customer success team, strategic training, and a growing bench of engaged users, Children’s of Alabama is well on their way.

“It’s encouraging. People are on there. They’re reading. They’re asking about it in the hallways.”
_{Katie Garfinkle, APR - Lead Coordinator, Marketing & Internal Communications at Children's of Alabama}

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