Swine Flu for Dummies
After the spring outbreak of H1N1 'swine' flu, LGMC infection control practitioner Joan Stokes felt strongly this virus would make a widespread comeback in the fall. As a community hospital, the mission is to serve as a resource for all those in our service area, and we were a major source of information for the media. We felt like we could step up our education efforts and expand our outreach to lessen the virus’ impact.
Research of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) materials found that a big concern of clinicians and officials was the impact H1N1 would have on business activity. Fortunately, the CDC continually produced timely information on prevention and preparedness, which could be re-purposed with our hospital logo, and included a business toolkit. The question, and thus the objective, became how do we get this toolkit in the hands of business owners/HR leaders—to make a difference, increase positive awareness, yet not break our budget.
Strategy/Implementation: To reach the business community required a special strategy, targeted toward business owners and human resource staff. A simple seminar would not spur the interest of these busy people; we needed to entice them with a tangible benefit for attending. The toolkit, already put together by the CDC, was just such an item, with email scripts, text scripts, and flyers for the office.
So we planned an early breakfast event, September 15, and secured the support of the Louisiana ImmersiveTechnologies Enterprise, a well-known facility that provided an excellent auditorium for free. We also involved Dr. Tina Stefanski, medical director at the Office of Public Health, for Q&A following Stokes's presentation (and to add credibility). To reach our target audience, we created creative postcards (print and electronic) titled ‘Swine Flu for Dummies’. These postcards were sent to the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce membership list and the Acadiana Society for Human Resources Management (electronically), emailed to the hospital membership corporation, and hand-delivered to clients of the hospital’s occupational health and executive physical programs. We reinforced the message on the hospital website, with online registration available. With a major feature story in the city’s well-read business/entertainment weekly, The Independent, prior to the event, there was no need to run a traditional print advertisement.
Results/Evaluation: The event exceeded expectations, garnering positive media and community exposure. By re-purposing CDC material, mostly printed in-house, we were able to produce creative material that was timely, accurate, and associated with the hospital. We had about 60 attendees, representing over 40 businesses—from major oil companies like Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI) to law firms to non-profits like United Way. TV station KATC TV 3, The Daily Advertiser and The Advocate covered the event, in addition to The Independent feature.
Research of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) materials found that a big concern of clinicians and officials was the impact H1N1 would have on business activity. Fortunately, the CDC continually produced timely information on prevention and preparedness, which could be re-purposed with our hospital logo, and included a business toolkit. The question, and thus the objective, became how do we get this toolkit in the hands of business owners/HR leaders—to make a difference, increase positive awareness, yet not break our budget.
Strategy/Implementation: To reach the business community required a special strategy, targeted toward business owners and human resource staff. A simple seminar would not spur the interest of these busy people; we needed to entice them with a tangible benefit for attending. The toolkit, already put together by the CDC, was just such an item, with email scripts, text scripts, and flyers for the office.
So we planned an early breakfast event, September 15, and secured the support of the Louisiana ImmersiveTechnologies Enterprise, a well-known facility that provided an excellent auditorium for free. We also involved Dr. Tina Stefanski, medical director at the Office of Public Health, for Q&A following Stokes's presentation (and to add credibility). To reach our target audience, we created creative postcards (print and electronic) titled ‘Swine Flu for Dummies’. These postcards were sent to the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce membership list and the Acadiana Society for Human Resources Management (electronically), emailed to the hospital membership corporation, and hand-delivered to clients of the hospital’s occupational health and executive physical programs. We reinforced the message on the hospital website, with online registration available. With a major feature story in the city’s well-read business/entertainment weekly, The Independent, prior to the event, there was no need to run a traditional print advertisement.
Results/Evaluation: The event exceeded expectations, garnering positive media and community exposure. By re-purposing CDC material, mostly printed in-house, we were able to produce creative material that was timely, accurate, and associated with the hospital. We had about 60 attendees, representing over 40 businesses—from major oil companies like Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI) to law firms to non-profits like United Way. TV station KATC TV 3, The Daily Advertiser and The Advocate covered the event, in addition to The Independent feature.
Business leaders were exceptionally complimentary of the hands-on tools such as email scripts and office posters. The event had the secondary benefit of supporting occupational health’s client relations’ efforts.
