Hospitals Tie In to Olympics' Goodwill

With the 2012 summer games officially kicking off this Friday, the Olympics hype machine is in full swing. You can hardly turn on the TV without catching a profile of a gold-medal hopeful, hit the water cooler without hearing which events colleagues are planning to live-stream during work, or scroll through Instagram without seeing the U.S. gymnastics team posting photos of their new hot pink leotards. (Just me?)

For most people, the Olympics just makes us feel good—perhaps because it's the best thing on TV, or because it renews our sense of patriotism, or because it reminds us of a time when our biggest worry was perfecting that cartwheel. (Again, just me?)

Whatever the reason, there's nothing wrong with healthcare organizations piggybacking off that goodwill. And three in particular are doing a great job of it.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center and K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital

These two Meridian Health hospitals, both based in Neptune, NJ, have played U.S. Olympic soccer star Christie Rampone to their advantage this summer. She is publicized as Hovnanian's official spokesperson, and the two hospitals honored Rampone, defenseman and captain of her team, with a pep rally in late June to wish her well in London. The event at Jersey Shore University Medical Center drew hundreds of attendees and featured speeches, autographs, photos, and music.

Rampone partners with the hospitals because she believes in promoting wellness, exercise, safety, and healthy eating for kids.

"I have lived in Monmouth and Ocean counties for most of my life, and delivered both my daughters at Jersey Shore University Medical Center," she said in a release before the rally. "I am grateful for the opportunity to be the official spokesperson for K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital, and can't wait to meet my friends and supporters at the pep rally!"

K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital has also posted several videos of Rampone on YouTube, which have received several hundred views each.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center and K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital successfully took an Olympic connection and turned it into a rallying community event. Now, when many local residents watch Rampone play on TV over the next few weeks, they'll think of the two local hospitals with which she's affiliated.

Orthopaedic & Spine Center of the Rockies

This specialty center, which has offices in Fort Collins and Loveland, CO, isn't sending off a celebrity spokesperson to the Olympics—it's sending one of its own employees. The organization is temporarily saying goodbye to Athletic Trainer Erika Rice, who the U.S. Olympics Committee chose to work with athletes in London.

"I've never been to England," Rice said in a very well-constructed press release. "I'm so excited to work with the athletes. I never thought the Olympics would be a possibility. Now to be chosen to work there is unbelievable."

OSCR's marketing team was smart enough not to stop there. The press release goes on to detail Rice's past international experience, such as working as a trainer with the U.S. women's wrestling team in China and Mongolia in 2011 and 2012, as well as her local experience, including driving to high schools, colleges, and pro rodeo events in Colorado.

Marketers went on to point out that Rice's upcoming international experience continues a tradition for OSCR's sports medicine staff. Another of its athletic trainers worked at the Summer Games in Athens in 2004 and the sports medicine outreach director worked with athletes in Beijing in 2008.

Rice's Olympic experience reflects well on Orthopaedic & Spine Center of the Rockies, its clinical team, and their worldly expertise. What healthcare organization wouldn't want to claim that its trainer worked at the Olympics?

Arroyo Grande Community Hospital and Central Coast Sports Institute

Orthopedic Surgeon Jonathan Fow, MD, chief of staff at Arroyo Grande (CA) Community Hospital, is also heading to London to support U.S. athletes—beach volleyball team members, to be exact. Fow, who has worked with professional beach volleyball teams in California covering tournaments across the country for 10 years, also works at Central Coast Sports Institute.

Fow furthers his professional work by explaining how developing an elite sports medicine team has taught him to appreciate a multidisciplinary approach to sports medicine.

"I prefer to offer a multi-level approach of care to all my patients whether they're athletes or my local patients on the Central Coast," he told a community website.

Fow's Olympic story was also picked up by the local NBC affiliate, which mentions his local work as team physician for two nearby high schools.

Highlighting how Fow's Olympic experience benefits his work at his two home organizations is a smart move. It shows that the physician isn't going to the event just for fun or to boost his ego; it is going to help him better care for patients back home.

These three examples can help you think creatively when it comes to promoting your organization and staff. Even though Rampone, Rice, and Fow aren't representing their hospitals per se in London, their presence reflects positively on those healthcare organizations.