NEW YORK (March 10, 2008) –
Engaging new media tools and tactics to reach changing audiences in
today’s “Cross-Generational/Cross-Cultural Landscape” will be the
focus of the annual conference of the Public Relations Society of
America’s (PRSA) Health Academy. The conference will explore both sides
of the equation — fundamental changes in target audiences as well as in
the media vehicles used to reach them. “Health Care Communications
Strategy: Boomers, Xers and Nexters” will be held at the Marriott
Downtown Magnificent Mile in Chicago on April 2-4.
“Today’s
practitioners have to be sharper and more sophisticated about their
audiences and the means to reach them than ever before,” said Garland
Stansell, conference chair. “The media environment is evolving as fast,
if not faster, than the rapidly changing field of health care. How and
where you say something is becoming nearly as important as what you
say,” he added.
More information and registration available at www.healthacademy.prsa.org.
Intensive Programming
Like
the technologies driving the changes, this three-day conference will
deliver vast amounts of information in a short time. Sessions will
include:
Communicating About Health Care Reform in a Web 2.0 World:
How
the fragmentation and proliferation of media will shape the debate
about national health care reform, and how this change in the media
landscape, in turn, will affect institutions and organizations and
those who communicate their messages.
Running Multicultural Pharma Campaigns:
How
to identify when a multicultural program becomes a “must have” instead
of an “add on,” what makes good business sense and what steps will
effectively execute and measure these results.
Social Media in Health Care:
Internet
communities have sprung up to serve visitors seeking to share stories,
answer concerns and offer support. Attendees will hear how
practitioners ethically penetrate these communities to build
relationships and get health care messages out, and the critical
importance of transparency and disclosure in all interactions.
Understanding Boomers and Matures:
Exploration
of research results among 30,000 Boomers and Matures and a
comprehensive overview of these demographics’ thoughts, attitudes and
behaviors as they relate to health care.
Media Ageism:
An
examination of television as a social marketing medium for older
adults, and how to identify key communications strategies for reaching
them.
Plenary Sessions
Plenary sessions
will feature presentations by Jane Brody, longtime New York Times
personal health columnist, and Jonathan Karl, ABC News senior national
security correspondent. On Thursday, April 3, Brody will share her
perspective and personal focus on a healthy lifestyle and relate her
experiences to the state of health care in America. On April 4, Karl
will draw from his experiences as a congressional correspondent for CNN
covering Capitol Hill, the White House and the Pentagon to discuss the
upcoming political elections and the candidates’ potential impact on
health care.
About the Health Academy
Tracing
its roots to focused health-care-related activities within PRSA as
early as the 1970s, the Health Academy was formed in 1989 to promote
excellence in communications and an educational dialogue across the
entire health care industry for the professional enhancement of its
members. The Academy is not an advocate for any medical or medically
related industry position, issue or focus, but offers its members an
opportunity to address the latest issues facing health care public
relations and the health care industry. Members of the Health Academy
represent organizations across the widest spectrum of
health-care-related activities.
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
The Public Relations Society of America,
headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest organization for
public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and
student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters nationwide and 19
Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent
business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners,
military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional
services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations
Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 291 Chapters at colleges and
universities throughout the United States and one Chapter in Argentina.
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