July 2005 RAM Campaign Newsletter
Want the latest news on what is happening with Remaking American Medicine? Each month the RAM Campaign Newsletter features stories about the latest things happening with local coalitions, the campaign and the production series. All previous RAM Campaign Newsletters are available here.
Download the PDF Version of this issue here.
Production News
During the past month, the Crosskeys Media® production team continued to work with numerous organizations and individuals across the country. For example:
- The team documented efforts in Louisiana to address the needs of people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and congestive heart failure. A number of compelling patient stories were captured on tape, as well as the innovative efforts of providers working to improve outcomes.
- Taping continued on collaborative efforts by a variety of institutions in Pittsburgh to fight hospital-born infections, which kill tens of thousands of Americans each year.
- The team taped patients and providers participating in efforts in Whatcom County in the state of Washington to improve communication and coordination among health care organizations throughout the community.
Later this summer Crosskeys Media will document the rollout of a new initiative designed to support consistent health care access for everyone living in the county.
Production will continue throughout summer and into early fall.
Series adds New Advisory Panel Member
Dr. Sheila A. Ryan, Professor, Charlotte Peck Lienemann Distinguished Alumni Chair and Director of International Programs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing in Omaha, NE has agreed to serve as a series advisory panel member. In this role, Dr. Ryan is providing advice and consultation to the producers. She joins a distinguished group of quality health care experts, many of whom are pioneering advances in quality care. As a panelist, Dr. Ryan will review the topics and stories intended for the series.
Campaign News
Three New Organizations Join as National Partners
We are pleased to announce that The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now a National Partner. CDC is one of the 13 major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services, especially for those people who are least able to help themselves. CDC is involved in a number of health quality improvement initiatives, many with several of the National Partners and QIOs.
Joining the CDC and 37 other Partners are The American Organization of Nurse Executives and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Nurses play a critical role in effective provider teams and their voice is essential in this campaign. We encourage you to work with their local representatives as you proceed in your coalition-building efforts.
To learn more about these new groups visit www.RAMcampaign.org and click on National Partners. You can connect to their respective Web sites by following the links.
There are now 40 National Partners participating in the campaign.
Coalition Development
Engaging consumer advocates, purchasers, providers, policy-makers, and patients and their families is central to this campaign. That is why we are thrilled that more than 250 organizations are already involved in local/regional RAM coalitions. Many of these coalitions began with the support of QIOs in collaboration with PBS stations. We are very happy to see that many local members/constituents of our National Partners are joining, including representatives of the American Heart Association, AARP, National Association of Home Care and Hospice and the American Hospital Association, among others.
Here are just a few examples of these local coalitions. Others can be found at RAMcampaign.org.
Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN)
Conway, AR
AETN is partnering with the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, the QIO, to select models of individual and institutional quality improvement efforts and local Champions of Change.
Targeting issues of chronic disease and access to health care, AETN will produce a viewer call-in television program and develop a collection of publications that will include statewide health care resources. It will also host an educational traveling exhibit that will appear at health-related conferences, workshops and professional medical trainings throughout the state to maximize the reach of Remaking American Medicine.
Detroit Public Television (DPTV)
Detroit, MI
Detroit Public Television (DPTV) and MPRO, Michigan’s QIO, are partnering to promote better understanding of health literacy and its impact on health care. The Detroit coalition includes the Henry Ford Health System, Wayne State University, Detroit Medical Center, St. John’s Health, the American Medical Association and the state of Michigan’s Surgeon General’s office.
Outreach activities will include a training conference for physicians that will focus on ways to improve patient-doctor relationships, screening events and a feature story on health literacy that will appear on DPTV’s weekly public affairs program, American Black Journal.
Here are two easy ways to get your members involved with coalition activities like those described above:
- Customize the stories and articles from the recently revised and re-distributed Promotional Kit and use within your organization’s Web site and publications to let your members know about the campaign.
- Use your communications vehicles to alert your members to RAMcampaign.org. The site contains a searchable database listing all coalitions around the country. It’s easy to find the coalition and point of contact through the database.
National Awareness Advisory Committee Launches Three Subcommittees
Coalition Subcommittee
On July 20 the RAM team will host a meeting of the Coalition Subcommittee, which is comprised of several representatives of the National Awareness Advisory Committee (NAAC). This group will provide guidance and support to RAM coalitions. The Subcommittee wants to ensure that local groups are aware of and take full advantage of the strategies and measurement and evaluative tools in the Leadership Guide (see below) as well as those provided by many of the National Partners. The Subcommittee will ensure that each coalition is “results oriented” and that the campaign delivers a powerful and well-coordinated message focused on the importance of quality health care.
Media Relations-Promotions Subcommittee
Several other members of the NAAC have agreed to provide advice and counsel to the RAM team as it begins the national media relations campaign. The Media Relations Subcommittee will review and help craft key message points, suggest expert spokespersons, assist in promotional materials and will recommend the key health care reporters – print, broadcast and online - that should be included on the campaign press lists. The first meeting is tentatively scheduled for July 27.
National Symposium Subcommittee
Co-chaired by Chris Williams, AHRQ and Richard Deutsch, AHQA, this Subcommittee held its first meeting to discuss the National Symposium in late May. The Symposium, which will take place next spring, will serve as a national premiere for the series, as well as an opportunity to feature many of the “Champions of Change” and activities that are being conducted by RAM coalitions across the country. It is anticipated that the event will be webcast in order to facilitate the involvement and participation of interested campaign supporters.
Promotional Tools
We would like to call your attention once again to several important promotional tools and resources that are available to National Partners, PBS stations, QIOs and others involved in the campaign.
RAM Leadership Guide
The goal of Remaking American Medicine is to stimulate a nationwide public dialogue about health care quality and to issue a call to action, community by community. One of the most important methods in communicating the call to action will be through the active involvement and support of local coalitions.
The Remaking American Medicine Leadership Guide was designed to serve as an informational and organizational tool that will support this important grassroots initiative. It is meant to help community-based coalitions at all stages of development. It includes recommendations on how to conduct an assessment of local quality improvement initiatives that should provide a focus for each group and contains suggestions for a range of outreach activities working in collaboration with PBS stations.
The Guide also contains background information on two specific issues that will be addressed in the series: patient/family-centered care and chronic care. National Partners and QIOs received printed copies of the Guide in May. The Leadership Guide is also available on RAMcampaign.org in PDF and interactive versions. Copies may be downloaded from the Resources section of the Web site. We encourage you to take advantage of this unique resource.
Video Clip
A 2½-minute video clip entitled “Improving the Quality of Health Care for Children with Cystic Fibrosis" is now available in the Press Room section of RAMcampaign.org. It can be downloaded and used on campaign participant Web sites or during coalition presentations. If you have any questions about the clip please call Allan Childers. His contact information is listed below.
Promotional Kit
First released in March, the promotional kit now includes revised publicity materials that we encourage campaign participants to use in organization newsletters, magazines and on their respective Web sites. The kit includes an introductory story about RAM, several sidebar stories, a RAM Style Guide, RAM logos in color and black-and-white and a number of series-related photographs. These materials will be updated on a regular basis. You need to access the password-protected area for National Partners or QIOs at RAMcampaign.org to download the Kit. You can also request a CD-ROM version by calling Ajeenah Amir (contact information listed below).
RAMcampaign.org
Content on RAMcampaign.org is updated on a daily basis. We urge you to visit the site to find out the latest developments on the series and the campaign and to access a growing list of products and tools developed by organizations that support quality improvement. The Connect with Others database continues to grow as coalitions begin to expand nationwide. Please encourage your members, chapters and local stakeholders to become engaged. Direct them to this unique database where they can search by categories of organizations as well as geographically for others involved in the campaign and for a variety of health care quality issues.
If you have press releases or announcements related to your organization’s quality improvement work and would like to have them posted on the site send your materials to webmaster@RAMcampaign.org. We are including Partner news on the home page and on the site’s News section.
There are proprietary areas on the site for National Partners and QIOs. If you didn’t receive a password to reach these areas, please contact the webmaster.
Free Spanish and English language diabetes materials developed by Lumetra
Lumetra, the California QIO, is offering free resources that will assist providers and community groups who are focusing on the issue of diabetes in the Latino community. The materials, which include patient information, as well as tools for physicians and providers, are available in Spanish and English. They can be downloaded on http://www.lumetra.com/diabetesandlatinos/resources/index.asp. There are a number of resources and helpful Web sites in addition to the materials produced by Lumetra.
Invite RAM to a conference or meeting
If you have an upcoming conference or meeting and would like to feature the series and the campaign, please let us know. Frank Christopher, executive producer, and Matthew Eisen, co-executive producer, are available for presentations, as are other members of the communications team. Our team is eager to work with you. Please contact Lee Allen, project director.
Who to call
Devillier Communications, Inc. (DCI)
Linda Devillier, President: Strategic Counsel, PBS Stations, National Partner recruitment and relationships, QIO support. Available for presentations.
(202) 833-8121 ext. 3005, ldevillier@devillier.com or lbdevillier@aol.com
Barbara Lohman, Senior Vice President: Overall responsibility for campaign management, National Partner recruitment and relationships, QIO support. Available for presentations. (951) 340-0010, blohman1@aol.com
Lee Allen, Project Director: Day to day responsibility for the campaign. Serves as official liaison with Partners, QIOs and PBS stations. Manages PBS Incentive Grants Program. Available for presentations. 202-833-8121 ext. 3009, lallen@devillier.com
Ajeenah Amir, Project Coordinator: Responds to all requests for promotional materials such as written materials, series video clips and artwork. Provides overall support to QIOs/ National Partners Program and Web site. (202) 833-8121 ext. 3024, aamir@devillier.com
Allan Childers, Webmaster: Manages Remaking American Medicine campaign Web site. (202) 833-8121 ext. 3007, achilders@devillier.com
Crosskeys Media:
NOTE: Crosskeys Media has a new address and phone number. The new office address is: 2021 Sperry Avenue, Suite #5 Ventura, CA 93003. The new telephone number is noted by Frank’s name. The new fax number is (805) 650-8304. Matthew’s telephone number remains the same.
Frank Christopher, Executive Producer: Remaking American Medicine
(805) 650-8300, fc@crosskeysmedia.com
Matthew Eisen, Co-Executive Producer: Remaking American Medicine
(619) 283-0480, me@crosskeysmedia.com
