Celebrating Healthcare Heroes During the Pandemic
Established in 1975, SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) is one of the nation’s largest and most historic Native-run health organizations. SEARHC offers medical, dental, behavioral and community health services across 27 communities in Southeast Alaska, where it is often the sole healthcare provider. The service area covers 42,000 square miles and is sparsely populated with limited road connectivity and heavy dependence on water and air travel. SEARHC’s mission is “Alaska Native People working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities.”
Get people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine
Implementing measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic was an urgent priority. In anticipation of the FDA’s approval of vaccines in late 2020, SEARHC launched a campaign to encourage its staff and the public to get vaccinated.
SMART Goals
JSR Strategies created SMART goals to ensure that multiple objectives were met with the campaign.
- SMART – Specific – Encourage all Southeast residents to register for their COVID-19 vaccinations.
- SMART – Measurable – Get 50% of SEARHC’s population to register for the vaccine.
- SMART – Achievable – It was unclear if this goal was achievable, due to limited information about the availability of vaccine supplies in 2021. However, sometimes goals are challenging, and JSR utilized a strong paid digital and traditional plan to accompany efforts.
- SMART – Relevant – COVID-19 was SEARHC’s responsibility to solve, as the leading (and often only) healthcare organization in the region.
- SMART– Time-Bound – It was essential that a large portion of Southeast Alaskan residents become vaccinated in time for tourist season, which would begin in May 2021.
Message Strategy
To encourage community action without using vaccine-specific language in a typically anti-vaccine community, the campaign’s key message was Be Part of the Solution. This umbrella allowed JSR to push messages about safety, distancing, masking, cleanliness and vaccines – with a focus on encouraging social sharing of vaccines.
Communication Channels
JSR launched a multi-channel campaign to educate the public (ages 16+) about the vaccines, including print, radio, organic social, paid social, flyers, stickers and phone calls.
Provide Information
A COVID-19 webpage on SEARHC’s website provided regularly updated key information. Its URL, covid19.searhc.org, was widely promoted through press releases, press briefings and subsequent media coverage, social media, waiting room screens, newsprint ads and the channels of partner organizations. Patients received vaccine fact sheets with FAQs, which were also adapted for the web page.
Encourage Social Sharing
Be Part of the Solution handouts solicited individual testimonials about why they were vaccinated, and these were shared on social media. Social media, newsprint ads and press coverage helped keep the issue top of mind for local communities.
Community Response
An added benefit was an enhanced sense of community and shared sense of pride among Southeast Alaska residents about taking steps toward protecting their families and communities against COVID-19. A radio listener posted this comment on the 800/94.9 KINY website on Jan. 20: “I got my vaccine today at SEARHC (thank you) and was in a room full of beautiful and resilient elders. Socially distanced. Getting vaccinated. Telling jokes. Being brave. … It was truly moving to see them all coming out as survivors of this.” These sentiments were also reflected in numerous positive comments from locals on social media, underscoring the fact that when given the necessary information and tools, communities step up to protect public health and safety.
83,367 impressions and
11,856 engagements
On COVID-19 Social Posts Over Five Weeks