Thai Restaurant Serves Up Safe Sex
A restaurant chain in Thailand that serves up "spicy condom salad" is making safe-sex messages more appetizing. Soon the anti-AIDS campaign will make an international debut at the Olympics.
Health communicators in the United States who are looking for fun ways to broach this subject should take note.
Thailand's family planning association established the Cabbages & Condoms restaurant 18 years ago to publicize population-control efforts. More recently, it became a major component of Thailand's anti-AIDS initiatives, according to restaurant owner and anti-AIDS campaigner Meechai Viravadhya, who is planning to have a presence at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
There are six restaurants in Thailand, one in Shanghai and soon one in Beijing.
Meechai, known in Thailand as the "Condom King," told Reuters that condoms are as easily found as vegetables in a village. This access is critical to slow the rate of the epidemic in Thailand where 900,000 Thais are infected with HIV, according to Public Health Ministry figures.
The restaurants promote the importance of safe sex with a combination of subtle and non-so-subtle messages, including floral arrangements made from colored condoms instead of flowers to a menu that reminds guests of the importance of safe sex. Oh, and don't expect to get an after-dinner mint or chocolates. You'll leave instead with something that's much healthier - a condom.
Contraceptive Bandwagon Has Political Appeal
Unequal insurance coverage for contraception is catching on as an issue with more politicians who want to earn brownie points among their female constituents. Some health plans have come under scrutiny for covering prescriptions for Viagra, Pfizer's popular treatment for erectile dysfunction, but not contraceptives for women.
So far, legislators from 28 states and Puerto Rico are trying to balance the scales by considering 69 bills that would require insurers to provide some form of contraceptive coverage, according to Scott-Levin, a pharmaceutical consulting firm in Newton, Pa.
Last year, eight states enacted legislation covering contraceptives, including Delaware, Maryland, Missouri, New York and New Jersey. This year, Georgia passed a contraceptive- coverage law and bills are awaiting action by the governors of Hawaii and Vermont.
Last year, Scott-Levin analysts monitored the progress of more than 7,000 pieces of legislation that affected the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.
(Scott-Levin, Theresa Ragan, 215/860-0440; [email protected])
Fox Launches Health Network
Next month, Fox will be flexing its network muscle in the health arena with its new media company, The Health Network. The program is the result of Fox's recent merger with America's Health Network, a national health and medical cable network and AHN.com, its consumer Web site division.
The Health Network will launch on cable and the Internet (http://www.thehealthnetwork.com) in mid-July with 17 million cable and satellite subscribers. It will feature daily health news and programs designed to attract large communities of health-conscious consumers.
The cable network and Web site will be heavily promoted through Fox cable networks and Web sites.
(The Health Network, Karen Bowling, 407/224-6967)
Internet Marketing Tools
Looking for ways to flex your Internet marketing muscle and expand your online resource toolbox? Here's the latest in point-and-click healthcare software and programs:
- Population Health Management:
- High-Speed Research:
- Reaching Women Online:
ThinkMed and CIMRO Medical Management recently partnered to provide a comprehensive claims-based decision support tool for planning, assessing and implementing targeted health initiatives. Physicians can search, analyze and filter patient data by disease category, level of risk, employer and provider. (ThinkMed, 414/287-6000)
Recently, IMS Health launched FASTview, a high-speed online research tool that allows pharmaceutical and healthcare organizations to perform physician research over the Internet and obtain survey results within 24 hours.
The program is useful for testing a new promotional message among physicians and gauging their attitudes about and usage of a new product. IMS Health provides market research for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry and has offices in more than 90 countries. (IMS Health, U.S., Nancy Duckwitzm 610/834-5338)
Netpulse Communications, that reaches an upscale, health and fitness-oriented audience and iVillage Inc., a leading online women's network, recently completed a partnership agreement that targets busy women with healthy lifestyles. (Netpulse, Adam J. Handelsman, 212/396-4128)