In spite of the exploding availability of information about preventive health and wellness via the Internet, books and the media, local communities need practical advice on how to incorporate healthy habits into their everyday lifestyles. This was the conclusion Community Medical Centers in Fresno, Calif., made after it conducted a community health assessment in 1997.
The survey found that heart disease remains the top killer, causing approximately 30% of all deaths in the region and 180,000 Fresno County residents were uninsured. The writing was on the wall - this community needed free access to comprehensive outreach on a variety of health and wellness issues.
CMC's response was Body Smart, a community wellness program launched in 1998 that used several outreach tools to educate the community about the importance of setting and achieving healthy goals. A key component of the program included a media partnership with KSEE, the local NBC affiliate, that featured weekly health segments and promotional spots. To encourage people to learn their health status, the program provided free quarterly blood pressure, cholesterol and body fat screenings. These efforts generated more than $125,000 worth of promotional TV spots and more than 4,000 new Body Smart members enrolling in the program, a 50% hike in enrollment projections of 2,000.
Body Smart's successful outcomes caught the attention of the Society of Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, which awarded the program a 1999 Banner Award in the area of new program development.
Building Healthy Relationships
To blanket the region with wellness education and tools, CMC targeted high-profile business partners that would also benefit from an association with preventive health outreach, says Mike Fleming, CMC's director of marketing/communication. KSEE and Vons, a grocery store chain, were at the top of the hit list. Striking a media partnership with KSEE was a challenging prospect given the TV station's strong relationship with a CMC competitor, St. Agnes Medical Center, on a breast cancer informational promotion. To get KSEE's promotional support for Body Smart, CMC:
- showed the station statistics on viewer interest in nutrition and wellness information; and
- highlighted the unmet demand for wellness information the station could fill.
Getting the grocery store's buy-in was an easier process because it required a minimal financial contribution. Vons provided retail space for Body Smart displays, which included breast exam cards, screenings, holiday eating guides and fast food guides at 10 store locations. The Body Smart affiliation increased the grocery store's brand awareness in a healthy context (via print and TV promotions) and consumer traffic, says Fleming.
These partnerships helped to achieve mass-reach results, says Joanna Sisemore, Body Smart program coordinator. For instance:
- More than 35,000 Body Smart healthy recipes were distributed via Vons stores and other sites like health fairs and cafeterias.
- More than 6,200 screenings were given that attracted about 8,000 participants.
This promotional mileage also has attracted unexpected interest from at least six local employers, who want to incorporate Body Smart into their health and wellness initiatives. For example, the local IRS office is interested in providing Body Smart health screenings. Because of this interest, CMC is developing an employer outreach component to Body Smart next year.
Duplicating the Program
Hospitals can develop a similar health and wellness program with minimal costs. The 1998 budget for Body Smart was $30,000, $10,000 of which was spent on media (primarily print) and the remainder on producing product displays and brochures. CMC kept costs down by recruiting promotional partners that provided free exposure in exchange for corporate promotional mentions.
To launch a similar program, Fleming suggests:
- Drafting a budget that allows for the majority of funding to be spent in up-front expenditures like production costs for campaign materials (brochures, kits, recipes, etc.). Also consider ongoing program costs like program ads, newsletter and recipe printing, postage, special projects and screenings.
- Identifying businesses that have a commitment to the health of their community.
- Building promotional strategies that support each partner's role in achieving program goals and individual expectations. (CMC, Mike Fleming, Joanna Sisemore, 559/459-1806)
Body Smart Feedback
Community Medical Centers' Body Smart program is moving the needle toward improving its community's health. In a recent survey, comments from participants validated the program's importance:
- "I exercise more and I definitely eat a more healthful diet. I have lost 10 pounds in the past year."
- "All of the nutrition information helps me keep track of the carbohydrates, which keeps my diabetes in good control and the low-sodium recipes are good if you have hypertension."
- "I lost some weight and lowered my cholesterol from 251 to 211 last time I was checked by Body Smart."
- Source: CMC