This summer, one of the most popular press release topics that have landed in my email inbox is hospital-sponsored farmers markets—a trend that kicked into high gear a few years ago and has been increasing ever since.
After a little digging it becomes clear that farmers markets are not all these organizations have in common; they are just one of the ways hospitals are working with their communities to improve population health.
Gundersen Lutheran Health System in La Crosse, WI, is a leader in the effort. While it does not have one of those ubiquitous farmers markets, it does have a diverse array of initiatives and partnerships aimed at population health.
Like most hospitals, Gundersen has long been committed to the health of its community and has traditionally engaged consumers in health and wellness by offering health fairs, screenings, and other types of patient education.
But with the changes brought on by healthcare reform, Gundersen has retooled its marketing approach to population health.
"We must to align our work to help our healthcare systems reduce the cost of care through focused marketing strategies that engage consumers in getting and staying healthy, and in building a relationship with their primary care team through medical homes," says Pamela Maas, chief business development and marketing officer.
While in the past Maas' key collaborators have been Gundersen service line leaders, future partners and areas of focus will include chronic disease management priorities, dietitians, therapists, wellness coordinators, and public health experts. Community partnerships and non-traditional care providers, such as chiropractors, will also play key roles as marketing partners in engaging consumers in health and wellness, she says.
In early 2012, Maas and her team launched a campaign called "Balance Your 7" aimed at positioning the hospital as the place to go for wellness by engaging consumers in their health through valuable, fun, and interactive wellness and prevention tools.
"This campaign uses an interactive website and content portals, leverages digital marketing as well as traditional marketing venues, and includes primary clinic integration and local event components to increase consumer involvement at the community level where our primary care practitioners interact with patients and the community," Maas says.
"Due to resource limitations, this effort has not been fully developed, but it will continue to evolve and our marketing efforts will continue to focus on supporting population health."
The backbone of Gundersen's population health efforts have been several strong community partnerships that it has developed over the years. Here is a summary of the most successful endeavors they've launched across many industries.
Local businesses
Gundersen partnered with Stansfield Vending, Inc., to ensure that at least 30% of the items in hospital vending machines are healthy snacks. These healthy items are offered at a reduced price—about 75 cents—and unhealthy items get an increased price—about $1.25. Point-of-purchase reminders, such as green buttons, aim to persuade individuals to make healthy choices. More than 70 businesses have adopted the healthy choices program for their vending machines.
Local and national restaurants
Gundersen has developed a healthy-eating program, branded as the 500 Club, in which its registered dietitians work with local restaurants (including several national chains), convenience stores, vending companies, and grocery stores to recommend certain menu items as healthy—about 500 calories or less and controlled in fat. These health menu selections are tagged with the 500 Club icon for easy identification by patrons, and can be found throughout six states and more than 170 individual locations.
Schools
The hospital has also joined forces with its county health department and five public school districts in La Crosse County to partner in its Farm2School program, which features food demonstrations provided by Gundersen Lutheran Chef Thomas Sacksteder. Using locally grown foods, Chef Thomas teaches children how to cook healthy food options using locally grown fruits and vegetables. In 2011, he reached out to more than 3,000 students, offering more than 20,000 samples of locally grown foods.
Media
Each year, Gundersen's Community & Preventive Care Services department works with local media to engage the community in a free six-week community physical activity challenge called Minutes in Motion. Consumers are asked to commit to 30 minutes of physical activity each day, or a total of 1,260 minutes in six weeks, and are eligible to win prizes. In 2011, participants from 14 communities were represented in the challenge.
Gundersen Lutheran is currently seeking Patient Centered Medical Home accreditation at all of its primary care clinic sites and hopes to achieve that goal by the end of the year. Its pediatric clinics are already accredited and anecdotal feedback suggests that pediatric families have already noticed the benefits of the nurse being part of the team, easier access, and less need for follow-up questions.
Similarly, its community engagement in population health initiatives has been embraced by many.
"The rising cost of healthcare, health reform, and other regulatory requirements, as well as a basic interest in the well-being of our communities are key drivers," Maas says. "As for consumers, often it comes down to a personal commitment and desire to focus on healthy choices and improved health."
Marianne Aiello is a contributing writer at HealthLeaders Media.