Driving great coverage, building morale

Situation:
Before G2 kicked PR into high gear at Eden Medical Center in the Bay Area, CA, the hospital was bedeviled by press coverage of labor union attacks, disgruntled physicians from its sister hospital and controversy over Eden’s plans to seismically retrofit its hospital or build a new one from scratch. Media relations served to control the damage when reporters called; marketing produced brochures, newsletters and advertisements; and events and seminars were held to educate the locals. News releases went out on occasion but with lack of follow up coverage was spotty. Opportunities to counteract controversial news with positive stories were slipping through the cracks.

Solution:
Yet, historically Eden had held a positive image in the community, with an excellent trauma center, one of the only acute care rehab centers in the region, and high retention of medical staff and satisfied patients.

G2 sought to “fill the cracks” with positive news by building an image campaign around restoring enthusiasm, trust and confidence in the communities served, as well as instilling pride among hospital staff. By talking to administrators, supervisors, physicians and nurses, and taking an inventory of potential stories, G2 filled a calendar with monthly news announcements and feature story ideas tied to health calendar observances, healthcare trends, Eden events, etc. G2 maintained a steady drum beat of positive news and timely stories each month, and also arranged with local newspapers to run three monthly health columns under the moniker, The Doctor Is In.

Results:
With a rolodex of regional and medical press contacts, an increase in monthly press releases and feature story pitches, G2 averaged seven to eight positive stories per month in local daily and weekly newspapers and TV stations. G2 interviewed physicians and ghostwrote columns, which won reader loyalty and enthusiasm from the doctors. The columns also brought new patients and helped fill community seminars. One OB-GYN received so many calls from patients who read her health columns she had to refer the overflow to colleagues. G2 also managed to convince ABC to produce two news segments that ran a week apart. One segment on EdenFit, a supervised fitness program for elderly and post-op patients ran on two separate occasions and yielded nearly 40 inquiries and 20 new members, with more awaiting physician approval.

Client testimonial