Pair local health promos with national dates
Public interest increases with media coverage
During the annual Great American Smokeout sponsored by the Atlanta-based American Cancer Society in November, volunteers at the Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center in Albuquerque, NM, handed out "stop smoking kits" to patients who came to the medical facility that day.
The kits were designed to educate patients about the hazards of smoking and provide tips on how to quit. They were created by volunteers who used paper sacks printed by the sponsoring organization and filled them with brochures and anti-smoking paraphernalia such as buttons and stickers produced by the American Cancer Society.
"The kits were designed to get people’s attention," says Carol Maller, MS, RN, CHES, patient education coordinator at the VA Medical Center.
Piggybacking community outreach efforts onto nationally recognized dates, such as the Great American Smokeout, provide a good opportunity for education, says Maller. Often community outreach efforts are more successful when they coincide with nationally recognized dates, agrees Karen Hathorn, RN, MSN, community education manger for Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, LA. Network news and national magazines, such as Time and Newsweek, provide coverage that make more people aware of the health problem. (For more on Rapides’ efforts, see story, p. 38.)
"Our prostate cancer screenings in September are very popular. We could do them in March, but there would be no national link, and therefore we wouldn’t get as much free publicity. We still advertise, but national news on prostate screening awareness enhances those ads," says Hathorn.
Also, to help foster participation, the screenings are free to the public. (For a partial list of nationally recognized health observances and information on where to obtain calendars, see story, p. 38.)
Link promotions to the nationally recognized dates that fit your patient profile, says Hathorn. For example, Rapides has a lot of seniors in its service area; therefore, Hathorn teamed with a local optometrist to conduct free glaucoma screenings at the local mall. The medical center promoted preventive health measures for seniors, and the optometrist had a chance to gain a few new patients. The screenings took place in January, which is National Glaucoma Awareness Month.
Involve expert’ staff in outreach
Because the VA Medical Center has a large patient population with diabetes, Maller worked with the diabetes educator and nutritionist to teach diabetics about food choices and help them gain a better understanding of carbohydrate counting.
To teach the lesson, Maller provided samples of 15 gram carbohydrate food portions. They included a 15 gram brownie, cookie, fruit cup, and bagel. To provide the bagel, the medical center worked with a local baker because the bagel portion was one-third of the original size.
The food samples were located in the learning center, and Maller had additional literature on diabetes available as well.
In addition to targeting its patient population, Methodist Hospital in Omaha, NE, targets dates that pertain to the expertise of staff. For example, several physicians specialize in oncology medicine; therefore, cancer is one of the hospital’s main focuses. During October, Methodist Hospital embraces National Breast Cancer Awareness. To make the most of the outreach efforts, staff focus on underserved patient populations, such as those who are economically disadvantaged or non-English speaking. To reach this patient population, they set up breast cancer screenings in neighborhood clinics.
"We tried to pick sites within our own health system that would reach the people we needed to reach," says Mary Wolcott, RN, MSN, patient education coordinator at Methodist Hospital. One breast screening clinic was held in a Hispanic neighborhood and another at a clinic run by the hospital at a Salvation Army facility.
When Methodist Hospital offers screenings, Wolcott works with the marketing department to orchestrate them. Marketing does the advertising, coordinates the screening, and schedules appointments so people don’t arrive at the same time. (For further information on promoting community health events, see story, above.)
Marketing staff also make up a simple chart for each person being screened to record what was done and the results. If a person needs further medical care following the screening, it is noted on the chart. A nurse from the hospital’s 24-hour hotline calls the patient to ensure that he or she followed through with the medical intervention.
Wolcott provides the education during the screening by showing films, teaching, and providing literature. "I always bring a lot of related material. For example, at breast cancer screenings, I will bring menopause information and brochures on estrogen replacement, taking medications, and how to talk to a doctor. It’s a good time to reach people," she explains.
Although it’s difficult to measure outcomes when doing community outreach pertaining to nationally designated dates, it is well worth the effort, says Hathorn. If one case of breast cancer is detected early enough to save a life, the outreach was successful, she says.
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