Ohio Health System Develops First Steps to Wellness Campaign
by Diane Atwood
Akron General Health System shares the northeastern Ohio landscape with some big health care players, including Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals. Akron General Medical Center, a 532-bed teaching and research center, is one of several entities that make up the not-for-profit system. A major challenge, as it is for most marketers, is differentiating the organization from the competition. Another is the changing model of health care, which is evolving into one that places a greater emphasis on keeping people well and out of the hospital. It’s a model that Akron General embraces.
“It’s part of our mission to keep people away from the hospital. We’re promoting lifelong health,” explains Tom Neumann, who became Akron General’s chief marketing officer and senior vice president for strategy, marketing, and communications in July 2012. “We have a model where we are trying to engage people while they’re healthy.”
To that end, Akron General recently launched a new marketing and consumer engagement campaign centered on wellness.