Health Disparities

What Marketing Teams Can Do to Bring Awareness to Women’s Health Disparities

wendy-margolin-headshot

“When it comes to women’s health, there’s a lack of attention, funding, research, and education,” writes Wendy Margolin in a recent article. “From the moment we start menstruating, it’s a secret. Girls are often embarrassed to tell their mothers, which is partly what makes Judy Blume’s book and recent movie, Are You There, God, It’s Read More

Women’s Health Is Less Discussed, Undertreated, and Underfunded

wendy-margolin-headshot

What health care marketers can do to bring attention to women’s health disparities. // By Wendy Margolin // When it comes to women’s health, there’s a lack of attention, funding, research, and education. From the moment we start menstruating, it’s a secret. Girls are often embarrassed to tell their mothers, which is partly what makes Read More

Marketing’s Role in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Victor Reiss, vice president— Consumerism & Insights, UNC Health

DEI is about more than representation. It’s all about creating an environment where everyone feels heard, respected, and empowered. No other industry has more of an imperative to embrace DEI than health care as the path to a healthier future for everyone. At this year’s Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit (HMPS23) in Austin, Texas, Read More

Best Practices for Bringing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to Life

Deb Pappas, chief marketing and communications officer and executive champion for DEI Education & Awareness Pillar, Connecticut Children’s

Executives from Connecticut Children’s, UNC Health, and Stanford Health Care share how they integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into the organizational culture. // By Susan Dubuque // DEI is about more than representation. It’s all about creating an environment where everyone feels heard, respected, and empowered. No other industry has more of an imperative Read More

Improving Health Equity: A Framework for Sustainable Change

Whitney Haggerson, vice president of health equity at Providence

Getting access to care has been difficult in many parts of the country for years. Even in densely populated urban areas, a shortage of physicians and clinicians often made setting appointments for primary and specialty care a frustrating experience. And then 2020 hit. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the staffing shortage and further restricted access. Today, Read More

Healthcare Equality Index: How Does Your Health System Measure Up?

Tari Hanneman, director of the health and aging program at the HRC

The Healthcare Equality Index defines industry best practices for LGBTQ inclusion and recognizes progress achieved by health care organizations to reach their health equity goals. How does your health system measure up? Health care is a necessity. But not everyone has equal access to medical services, which can negatively impact a person’s long-term health outcomes. Read More

Health Equity and Access: Addressing a Challenge That Too Many People Don’t See

Alan Shoebridge is associate vice president, National Communication for Providence

Providence commits significant financial resources and maps out specific actions to address health inequities. // By Alan Shoebridge // Getting access to care has been difficult in many parts of the country for years. Even in densely populated urban areas, a shortage of physicians and clinicians often made setting appointments for primary and specialty care Read More

Improving Access to Care: How Health Systems Can Overcome the Obstacles

Lindsay Resnick headshot

Assuring timely access to care — an individual’s ability to obtain health care services — has always challenged payers, providers, and without doubt, consumers. The industry’s constant back-and-forth blame game over cost and access must end. Customers are listening, and so are competitors. Recent market moves are making care more widely available than ever before. Read More

Access Will Be Profitable — If Health Care Movers and Shakers Are Right

Access Will Be Profitable — If Health Care Movers and Shakers are Right

Retail providers are expanding, and health insurers are profiting, but timely access to needed care remains elusive for many. // By Lindsay R. Resnick, MHA // Assuring timely access to care — an individual’s ability to obtain health care services — has always challenged payers, providers, and without doubt, consumers. The industry’s constant back-and-forth blame Read More

Better Health, One Haircut at a Time

Althea Fung

Barbers across the country are helping their customers identify and prevent health problems. For Black men, these trusted relationships can be a lifesaver. // By Althea Fung // We all know the trope — men don’t like to visit the doctor. Unfortunately, for Black men, the cliché has all too real consequences. Black men avoid Read More

For Health Care Marketers, SHSMD 2022 Was a Chance to Reflect and Recharge

Jane Weber Brubaker

The art of planning a conference involves taking the pulse of an industry, reflecting on the major themes, and creating a program that recharges attendees with inspirational ideas and the opportunity to build deeper connections with each other, and challenges them to think differently and consider fresh perspectives. At this year’s SHSMD Connections, it was Read More

SHSMD Connections 2022: An Industry Reboot

Suneel Gupta headshot

Four keynote speakers encourage conference attendees to rebalance, reassess, rebound, and reset. // By Jane Weber Brubaker // The art of planning a conference involves taking the pulse of an industry, reflecting on the major themes, and creating a program that recharges attendees with inspirational ideas and the opportunity to build deeper connections with each Read More

Monigle Survey Ranks the Most Humanized Health Care Brand Experiences

Althea Fung

When providers demonstrate warmth and an empathetic, human view of health care, it matters to consumers. // By Althea Fung // People respond to people. But with the rise of technology in marketing, many brands sound less and less human. This is particularly true in health care, where organizations haven’t traditionally been consumer-centric. But some Read More

Building a Web of Trust to Overcome Health Disparities

Terris King, Sc.D., CEO of the Lukan Group, and pastor of Liberty Grace Church of God in Baltimore

This is a tale of three cities, or more accurately, two cities and a state, where partnerships between faith-based organizations and health systems — built on trust and mutual respect — are solving some of health care’s toughest challenges. // By Jane Weber Brubaker // An article titled “COVID and Race” appeared in the New Read More

A Medical Career Spent in Service of Improving Health Disparities

CommonSpirit

Growing up, Lloyd Dean saw the impact of health disparities in his own community. His experiences motivated him to use his formidable leadership abilities to change things for the better. He will retire this summer after a long and impactful career. “Imagine 11 people in a house of three bedrooms and being on welfare when Read More

A Champion for the Common Good

Lloyd Dean, president and CEO, CommonSpirit Health

View from the C-Suite, with Lloyd Dean, President and CEO of CommonSpirit Health // By Jane Weber Brubaker // Growing up, Lloyd Dean saw the impact of health disparities in his own community. His experiences motivated him to use his formidable leadership abilities to change things for the better. He will retire this summer after Read More

Looking Into the Root Causes Underlying Health Inequities

Ndome Yvonne Essoka

The “Three C’s of Health Equity” aim to enhance providers’ knowledge about the cultures or groups usually defined by racial/ethnic or sexual minority groups, says attorney Ndome Yvonne Essoka. Here’s an excerpt from her new article: In recent times, buzzwords like “cultural competence”, “cultural humility,” and “cultural safety” have grown in popularity and become rooted Read More

Beyond Cultural Competence: Cultural Humility, Cultural Safety, and Recommendations for Better Communication

Ndome Yvonne Essoka

// By Ndome Yvonne Essoka // The “Three C’s of Health Equity” aim to enhance providers’ knowledge about the cultures or groups usually defined by racial/ethnic or sexual minority groups. Safety and humility are key. In recent times, buzzwords like “cultural competence,” “cultural humility,” and “cultural safety” have grown in popularity and become rooted into Read More

Social Media Initiative Focuses on Positioning Advocate Aurora Health As a Provider of Choice Among Growing Hispanic Market

Sarah Scroggins, director, social media, Advocate Aurora Health

// By Brian Griffin // One of the Midwest’s largest health systems is effectively using social media to reach its Spanish-speaking population with information about COVID-19 and important health services for the community. As diversity, equity, and inclusion continue to increase in importance, Advocate Aurora Health has been making strong progress in connecting online with Read More

One Top Trend for 2022: Health Care at Home Is Booming

Wunderman Thompson Health

“The ability to attract, activate, and guide consumers through health care’s labyrinth depends not only on reimagining the business of health care but building relationships of value and trust that result in inspired, confident customers,” says Lindsay R. Resnick of Wunderman Thompson Health. Here’s an excerpt from his new article: Health care transformation was all Read More

Six Impact Trends for 2022: Health Care’s Transformation Journey Continues

Lindsay Resnick

// By Lindsay R. Resnick // The ability to attract, activate, and guide consumers through health care’s labyrinth depends not only on reimagining the business of health care but building relationships of value and trust that result in inspired, confident customers. Health care transformation was all the buzz throughout 2021. To be transformed means to Read More

Industry Leaders Reflect on the Unique Challenges of 2021

Mark Klein, senior vice president, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, Dignity Health

“For two years, marketing and communication professionals have faced the excruciating crisis of a pandemic nothing fully prepared us for,” says Rhoda Weiss, president of the Rhoda Weiss Consulting Group. “We’re changing how and from where we work, balancing dichotomies of layoffs and staff shortages, experiencing colleague and personal burnout, dealing with new and conflicting Read More