Improving community relations

Situation:
With headlines blaring the story of labor union problems, Sutter Delta Medical Center needed to move beyond reacting to media coverage and raise its profile as a beneficial community asset that contributes to the health and well being of local residents. Sutter Delta also needed to convey the message that its medical staff could offer resources that went beyond the simple listing of hospital classes in the community calendar sections of the local newspapers.

Solution:
G2 identified a number of opportunities to raise Sutter Delta’s image but as a consultant she needed to enlist the support of the hospital directors, physicians and other medical staff. Through a proactive PR program, G2 first trained the directors to “mine for news” within their own departments and let her know about new treatments, initiatives and hospital improvement programs. She arranged with the editors of the local newspapers to run monthly health columns, which she ghostwrote for the hospital doctors. Gordon also started a “hospital heroes” program, placing feature stories about the unique contributions of individual hospital employees. She positioned Sutter Delta as a community resource with the best technology and treatments available in the vicinity.

Results:
G2’s targeted pitches resulted in Sutter Delta appearing in three to four feature and news stories each month, compared to the sporadic listing of hospital events prior to the PR campaign. Those stories appeared in all Contra Costa County papers, including the Contra Costa Times, East County Press papers and East Bay Business Times. The surgical nursing director appeared on the cover of Advance Magazine for Nurses. G2 reinforced its efforts to showcase Sutter Delta’s doctors as friendly faces in the community through medical columns every month published in local papers such as the Contra Costa Times, Brentwood Weekly, and Antioch Weekly. The G2 campaign scored a further hit when it generated television coverage from Fox affiliate KTVU for a segment on remote access technology for physicians, and coverage on NBC affiliate KNTV for a pitch about a hospital nurse who pursued nursing as a second career after retiring from Pacific Bell.

Client testimonial