For the next six months a simple but pointed message urging domestic violence victims to get help by calling a hotline will be plastered on billboards throughout Georgia,
adding a broad consumer layer to an existing three-year outreach campaign. The consumer component is the result of a major donation by LaMar Corp. which is providing 168
billboards that will appear in 23 counties for the campaign. The donated space is equivalent to more than $117,000 in advertising.
The campaign, sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSG) and the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, began as an internal communication effort among
Blue Cross' 2,300 employees. It involves:
- training the health plan's physicians on how to detect and respond to domestic violence;
- overhauling human resource policies to provide stronger support for victims; and
- providing overall employee information on how to identify and sensitively respond to domestic violence incidents.
BCBSG is tackling the domestic violence issue because of how prevalent it is in Georgia, with more than 500,000 cases reported each year. In addition to the billboards, posters
will be distributed statewide to hospital emergency rooms.
(BCBSG, Jill Gossett, 404/842-8858)