I oversaw Club Red for five years in my role as the marketing/public relations specialist for the Heart and Vascular Center.  Club Red was a free, wellness program for women with two objectives: 

 

• Raise awareness of heart disease risk factors 

• Increase preference for UVA Health among women in the community

 

I was responsible for the strategy and day-to-day management of the program.  Club Red was established when preference among women in our primary service area lingered around 18% despite being the only academic medical center in the region. This was concerning because research shows that women make the healthcare decisions for the family and our competitors were making inroads with this important demographic.

 

Club Red was a public health program that served as a friendly and compassionate introduction to UVA.

Approach: I developed a high-touch program that combined digital components such as a website, direct mail, blog and facebook with a variety of in-person events to make clinical education engaging. Some of the highlights included a Hoop for Your Heart hula-hooping event, free lectures followed by a guided Zumba lesson, discounts at community partners and cooking demonstrations.  

 

Results: In the five years that I ran the program, membership doubled to over 7,000 women and preference for UVA Health among women 35-64 in our primary service area grew from 18 to 26% at the expense of our competitors.