Promoting Utilization of Neighborhood Medical Clinics

The Greater New Orleans area faced grave health care challenges after the storms of 2005. Many facilities were severely damaged or destroyed as a result of the disasters, and new clinics that arose in response to the demand for health services were underused due to a lack of knowledge of opened facilities.

LPHI’s Division of Media and Communications and the Partnership for Access to Healthcare (PATH) program recognized the importance of raising awareness among citizens of the Greater New Orleans area about the convenient and affordable medical care available right in their backyards.

With this problem in mind, LPHI’s Division of Media and Communications devised and implemented a full marketing/communications plan to address this concern. The goals of this plan were to raise awareness of PATH clinics, increase patient volume at those clinics operating under capacity, and potentially help patients establish primary medical homes for regular care.

The plan was first used in a campaign to publicize the Daughters of Charity, St. Cecilia Health Center located in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. Funded by the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), the campaign began in March 2007 and was completed in May 2007. Various promotional materials and communication channels were utilized to raise awareness of St. Cecilia Health Center, including: 

• 3,000 Direct Mail letters sent to small businesses promoting employee health care.
• 5,000 flyers distributed to neighborhood churches, civic associations, schools and businesses.
• Approximately 2,500 door hangers distributed to surrounding neighborhoods.
• 5,000 postcards mailed to surrounding neighborhoods to promote a Health Fair held at the clinic.
• A new patient survey conducted to help track referral sources and evaluate marketing initiatives in April 2007.

Data collected from the new patient surveys indicated that the tactics utilized to support St. Cecilia were successful in not only raising awareness, but in increasing patient volume. Specifically, 25 percent of new patients at St. Cecilia were tracked to the campaigns marketing efforts within the first month of the programs rollout. Additionally, postcards promoting the clinics Health Fair helped draw 100 people to the event despite inclement weather.