On December 14, 2020, a glimpse of light appeared at the end of a long, dark tunnel. That day, Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York, became the first American citizen to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. After nearly a year of quarantining, losing jobs and mourning the loss of too many friends and loved ones, there was hope that we could fight back against this deadly virus.
As the calendar turned to 2021, essential workers, the elderly and at-risk in our communities soon were able to receive their shots. Simultaneously, private companies continued to expeditiously research and fund development and production of safe vaccines so that more people could receive a vaccine. This quickly led to enough being produced for hundreds of millions of Americans. Fast forward to late spring and every American citizen ages 12 and up can receive a Pfizer vaccine.
According to the CDC as of June 8, 2021, 51% of the entire American population has received at least one shot, with 42% being fully vaccinated. While this is incredible progress, we haven’t crossed the finish line. There are many in our communities who are unsure about their access to the vaccine and have concerns about its safety.
As part of its COVID-19 Response initiative, The Patterson Foundation began promoting vaccine education and access throughout the greater-Sarasota, Florida region. That’s when the Foundation turned to MagnifyGood, its strategic communications partner, to connect with people in ways that would encourage them to get the shot.
MagnifyGood researched the best publications to use to reach the largest amount of the local underserved population. Once the media outlets had been chosen, attention turned to who would create the content that would raise awareness about the safety of vaccines. To that end, MagnifyGood reached out to Dr. Washington Hill of the Gulf Coast Medical Society for his medical expertise and opinion. His life’s work and passion has been dedicated to helping the underserved community. Dr. Hill’s a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist with CenterPlace Health and Sarasota Memorial Hospital. He’s been an obstetrician-gynecologist for 55 years, with 30 of those years in Sarasota, Florida.
By coordinating with media outlets to connect with underserved populations throughout the region, MagnifyGood created opportunities to provide timely medical information from Dr. Hill and his colleagues while encouraging people to get vaccinated and move one step closer to a post-COVID world. MagnifyGood worked directly with the physicians of the Gulf Coast Medical Society to share their guidance in the following ways.
Print Advertorials
After extensive conversation and deliberate planning, Dr. Hill and members of the Gulf Coast Medical Society wrote a series of advertorials. An advertorial is paid media that’s similar to an editorial you’d read in your local newspaper, but it’s placed by an organization, in this case by The Patterson Foundation. These short essays were created to discuss vaccine developments, the safety of vaccines and how to keep yourself and your family safe from the virus.
After the authors and their content had been established, attention turned to where these would be published. With MagnifyGood’s help, The Patterson Foundation secured full-page ads with outlets reaching specific audiences. Through this strategic approach, these advertorials would connect with people of multiple socioeconomic statuses in several counties — particularly BIPOC communities and underserved populations.
Radio Spots
While the written advertorials succeeded in connecting to a large audience, there remained the opportunity to expand and provide the Gulf Coast Medical Society’s trusted COVID-19 information to Spanish-speaking members of the community. Through a strategic media partnership with Spanish-language radio stations broadcasting in nine counties in Southwest Florida, each advertorial would be read in Spanish and aired on several stations over several weeks. Dr. Hill connected MagnifyGood with several Spanish-speaking doctors in the Sarasota area who could record the spots and provide their own valuable medical input on vaccines and the pandemic, with special consideration for challenges facing the Latinx community.
By connecting with these trusted media outlets, MagnifyGood has enhanced The Patterson Foundation’s vaccine education initiative and outreach among tens of thousands of people across Southwest Florida — making this a potent element of the Foundation’s effort to help our region move beyond the disaster of COVID-19 toward a stronger tomorrow. For every person that gets vaccinated, the light at the end of the tunnel glows brighter.
MagnifyGood is dedicated to creating communications strategies that will elevate your efforts in the community. If you’re curious about how you can improve your organization’s message or want to better connect with donors, schedule a quick call or email us today. We would value a conversation.
