Posts Tagged ‘Health 2.0’

Kaitlin
Doody

IHSMS: The right formula for successful healthcare communications

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

The evolution of Health 2.0 in our data-driven world calls for a shift in the way health organizations locate and communicate with their target audiences. While health challenges abound in local communities and on a global scale, so does the potential within the communication tools and technology that we hold.

Spectrum’s team of health communicators from across the globe will converge in Washington, D.C. on May 18th from 9-10:30 a.m. ET to present data and reveal insight from a global listening program. The listening program was conducted in 11 countries to assess the impact and conversation around malaria. During tomorrow’s event, the International Healthcare Social Media Summit team will discuss the implications for the data found, as well as offer insight into strategies for using digital tools to benefit national and international healthcare organizations today. For more information about the summit and to register, please visit the event page. You can also view live-streaming of the summit or follow the conversation on Twitter: #ihsms.

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Lauren
Holbrook Harris

A Race Against Time: Finding a Treatment for Progeria

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

This week, Lauran Neergaard (AP) reported on a topic near and dear to our hearts: the fight to find – and fund – treatments for rare diseases. Our client, The Progeria Research Foundation, was mentioned as an example of an organization striving to find a treatment for the rare, rapid-aging disease in children, Progeria. While full of personality, children with Progeria die from heart attacks or stroke at an average age of 13, so the clock is ticking to find a way to help these children during their short lives. As Neergaard mentions, clinical trials are currently underway through a partnership with Merck and a treatment for this disease could help more than just the estimated 150 children with Progeria around the world – the protein that causes Progeria may play a role in the heart disease that affects millions of aging Americans.

We are honored to work with this exemplary organization and will continue to do our part by raising awareness of Progeria and PRF’s research journey as the organization works day and night to find a treatment for these children. To support PRF in their mission, please click here.

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Anthony
LaFauce

Can You Hear Me Now: FDA Still Not Talking

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Speak no evil

For the last few months everyone in the PR/marketing industry has been waiting for a few words from our friends at the FDA. I personally wrote about the FDA’s inability to come to terms with a social media policy back in December.

Last year the FDA made a clear statement to the world with this announcement: Our goal is to issue one draft guidance that addresses at least one of these topics during the first quarter of 2011, but we cannot comment any further at this point as to exactly when any draft guidance will issue or any specific order in which the topics will be addressed. The public will be notified officially when any guidance is issued via Federal Register announcements.”

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Arianna
Ames

Heart Health Year Round

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

While February was technically Heart Disease Awareness Month, we think it’s never a bad time to address the importance of heart health. In fact, staying physically active is one of the most important ways to keep your heart in tip-top shape—and as the spring weather approaches, the American Heart Association’s recent updates to their heart disease prevention guidelines for women become easier and all the more important to follow.

So why is heart disease such a big deal? It is a little known fact that heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the United States and worldwide. More than 82 million Americans adults are estimated to have at least one type of cardiovascular disease and nearly 2,200 Americans die from cardiovascular disease each day. This is about one person every 39 seconds.  In total, almost 267,000 women die each year from heart disease, which is six times as many women than die from breast cancer.

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John
Seng

It’s Your Wake-Up Call

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Are you or are those you know at risk for diabetes? It’s easier than you think to find out.

American Diabetes Association Alert Day is this March 22. As chair of the National Capital Community Leadership Board for ADA, I’ve deployed all my social media skills to get the word out, and that includes this contribution to The Full Spectrum Blog. (I need to set a good, virtual example, you know, and Spectrum has a great, long-standing relationship with ADA.)

It’s a one-day “wake-up” call asking Americans to take the Diabetes Risk Test to find out if they are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. I took the test and fortunately, my risk is low, as you can see in my report here. (There’s even a button to click to listen to the risk report.)

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Kaitlin
Doody

What Health Communications Cannot Do

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Last Tuesday, I attended the American News Women’s Club’s first Professional Pursuits Series program. Guest speaker of the night, Molly Mahoney Matthews, founder, CEO andPresident of The Starfish Group, is a seasoned health communication professional who has seen nearly every corner of the healthcare PR space – she has worked agency life; led communications for a hospital; built, managed and sold her own firm; and is now president of her second communications company.

While Molly was fielding questions after her presentation, I asked her to describe what healthcare communications is in two sentences. Like many PR practitioners, I have a hard time explaining what exactly it is I do each day, so I thought this would be a good question to ask of a woman who has been in the field for 25 years.

Molly gave a brief answer about influencing health behavior, but really recommended that I check out the NIH’s “Making Health Communication Programs Work” for a solid definition of healthcare communications. As a budding health and science PR professional, I knew that I should check out this resource.

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