Communicating Public Health News & Services

Case analysis of digital health communication efforts in three mid-size Massachusetts cities: Cambridge, New Bedford, and Newton

Common Challenges:

 Attract city residents as regular users  Keep the news and information current  Focus information on city-specific concerns and events to ensure relevancy  Over-reliance on print-style materials  Build an audience so it is more useful in emergencies  Invest time and money in communicating with the public

Public Health in New Bedford

Demographic information

 Population: 95,183  English is primary language in <60% of households  Median household income: $36,172  Health & Human Services Department budget for FY 2014: $1.1 million* *Budget for Health Department-only spending not available

City of New Bedford

Mission:

Bedford .” “The Public Health Division is responsible for promoting general good health practices in the City of New

Target audience:

City residents and business owners

Digital strategy:

 Limited to a Web site for conveying information to citizens about public health threats, regulations, and licensing for certain small businesses  A platform for distribution of traditional print materials, such as flyers and FAQs

New Bedford SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Useful information on a host of potential health problems for residents such as EEE and Lyme disease • Many fact sheets also available in Spanish and Portuguese • Straightforward navigation via drop-down menus

Opportunities

• Links to consumers for city’s healthy dining initiative • Expansion to social media • Destination for health information in Portuguese community with few other resources

Weaknesses

• Overview page is too long, too much scrolling • Directed to other-language fact sheets in English only • Main page is relatively static • Contact information is missing or hard to find

Threats

• The PHD web page is not easy to find from city home page • Much of the information on the site can be found elsewhere • Limited funding

Recommendations

 Optimize page design for use on mobile devices  Establish a presence on Facebook  Emphasize seasonal health concerns on Facebook and Web site  Redesign main page so that it is more concise and relevant  Configure content for use by sub-groups, such as parents, teens, older residents, small businesses, etc.

 Underscore New Bedford-specific initiatives and information

City of Newton

Demographic Information

 Population: 86,945  English is primary language in >70% of households  Median household income: $107,696  Health department budget FY 2014: $3.2 million* *Budget for Public Health-only spending not available

Public Health in Newton

Mission:

“The mission of the department is to protect, promote and sustain the health, harmony, and well-being of all Newton residents, in a culturally-sensitive, customer friendly manner. Our focus is on prevention.”

Target audience:

City residents and business owners

Digital strategy:

Limited to a Web site with information on health concerns, schedules for free screenings/immunizations, and some newsworthy content.

Newton SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Simple navigation via drop down menus • Some attempts to add information based on news events (talking with children after traumatic events)

Weaknesses

• Limited information • Fresh content is linked from Health & Human Services overview page; can’t be found if navigating directly to Public Health

Opportunities

• Serves a mostly wealthy, wired community • Good sources of local information on Recreation Department’s portion of the site (farmers’ markets, wellness programs, etc.)

Threats

• Health care providers can offer much of the same material • Relevance to Newton residents • Limited funding

Recommendations

 Add Facebook presence  Expand content on Twitter to include information aimed at residents  Create a “newsier” top page for Public Health  Emphasize Newton-related health information, such as summer health maintenance clinics, and list as events on Facebook  Remove outdated information  Create single list of contacts

City of Cambridge

Demographic information

 Population: 106,038  English is primary language in <60% of households  Median household income: $64,865  Public Health Department budget for FY 2014: $6.5 million

Public Health in Cambridge

Mission:

“The mission of the Cambridge Public Health Department is to improve the quality of life of residents and workers by reducing sickness and injury; encouraging healthy behaviors; and fostering safe and healthy environments in homes, schools, and workplaces .”

Target audience:

City residents and business owners

Digital strategy:

Web-based presence that highlights news, events, and Cambridge-specific programming

Cambridge SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Lively main page • All information grouped into four categories • Newsworthy events displayed more prominently • List of contacts is extensive and easy to find

Opportunities

• Expanded use of social media • Strong sponsorship from multiple partners • Strong local programming

Weaknesses

• Content is repeated in multiple places • City Public Health services are hard to find • Material is in English only

Threats

• Branding confusion (Cambridge Health Department and Cambridge Health Alliance) • Multi-lingual, diverse socio economic community adds to expense, challenges

Recommendations

 Link Twitter (Cambridge Health Alliance) to Web site  Create Facebook presence for Men’s Health League and other programs  More material adapted for use on the Web (Cambridge in Motion)  Highlight calendar on Web site and create Facebook events

Other Cities on Facebook

Tend to highlight a specific program or set of programs. For example:  “Healthy San Francisco”  “Eating Healthy NYC”  “NYC Condom”  “NYC Quits Smoking”  “Philly Flu”

 nycHealthy

On Twitter

 HealthyBoston

San Francisco