Why you should be promoting national eye health observation holidays

Editor’s Note: Welcome to “Eye Catching: Let's Chat,” a blog series featuring contributions from members of the ophthalmic community. These blogs are an opportunity for ophthalmic bloggers to engage with readers with about a topic that is top of mind, whether it is practice management, experiences with patients, the industry, medicine in general, or healthcare reform. The series continues with this debut blog by Julie Gough-Nelson, marketing director at Shepherd Eye Center in Las Vegas, NV. The views expressed in these blogs are those of their respective contributors and do not represent the views of  Ophthalmology Times or UBM Advanstar.

 

National left-handers day and hot dog appreciation day, do you know when these are recognized? A quick Internet search and you’ll have a plethora of webpages at your fingertips devoted to the recognition of health, lifestyle, and even food observances.

Julie Gough-NelsonWith such readily available lists, it’s worth stepping back and taking a look at what you are doing in your practice to leverage health observances in your strategic marketing plan:

 1. Where can I find help?

There are many different avenues for obtaining listings of health observances. Health care companies (for-profit and nonprofit), insurance companies, government agencies, and blogs often make listings or calendars available on their websites. Check out healthline.com and cdc.gov, for example, for inclusive listings across the healthcare industry.

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For a more detailed look at implementing a health observance in your practice check out the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website, healthfinder.gov, where you can access the “Tips for Promoting a National Health Observance” page that can guide your marketing plan.

Within this guide, HHS draws attention to the fact that National Health Observances or (NHO’s), “present an opportunity to educate the public, energize co-workers and community members, and promote healthy behaviors.” This approach points to the multi-faceted nature of promoting NHO’s. It is not enough to simply promote to your patients or potential patients, but you must also look for opportunities to get buy-in from all staff, while looking for ways to engage and partner with community organizations with common goals.

For more eye-specific health observances, the American Academy of Ophthalmology provides its’ own of list of health observances. Keywords within the list that are highlighted provide links to more information about these terms on AAO’s getsmart.org website.

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