October 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
September was a very busy month for the Crosskeys Media® production team:
- At the Medical College of Georgia we continued to document how this institution has completely transformed itself by directly involving patients and families in redesigning all aspects of care. This story will appear in program 1, The Hospital.
- As reported last month, the day before Hurricane Katrina hit we finished production in Louisiana on efforts to address the needs of people with chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure and diabetes. We are now strategizing how to include the post-Katrina recovery efforts into program 2, Chronic Disease.
- We completed production on program 3, Community by Community, in September. This program features the unique collaborative effort among acute care facilities in Pittsburgh, PA to combat hospital acquired infections throughout the city, and efforts in Whatcom County, WA to address the needs of patients throughout the community dealing with chronic diseases. A “rough cut” will soon be submitted to the programming department at PBS as they consider a national airdate for the series.
- For Program 4, Champions of Change, we documented portions of The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 100,000 Lives campaign bus tour featuring Dr. Don Berwick.
Campaign News
Coalition Leaders Call
On October 25, DCI will host a facilitated teleconference with leaders and others involved in RAM coalitions. The call will take place from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. (ET). The purpose is to share information about the outreach campaign and provide examples of some of the exciting work being planned in communities around the country. We encourage you to call in and ask questions.Several PBS stations and Quality Improvement Organizations will make brief presentations. They include Larry Jopek of WEDU/Tampa and Dave Ruscitti, Florida Medical Quality Association; Gail Thomas Strong, WFYI/Indianapolis and Ellen Murphy, Health Care Excel; Jennifer Trotter, New Mexico Medical Review Association and Tish Bravo, KNME/Albuquerque; and Jennifer Lawson, WHUT, Washington, D.C.
Marc Boutin, VP of Policy Development and Advocacy, National Health Council, and Carolyn Pare, CEO, Buyers Health Action Group, who serve as co-chairs of the Coalition Subcommittee, will also participate.
We hope you can find time to get involved in the call. Just follow the link http://www.ramcampaign.org/pages/confreg.asp and fill in the registration form. The registration deadline has been extended to Friday, October 21. Registrants will receive an agenda, call-in information and a companion PowerPoint™ presentation that can be easily downloaded.
Coalition Activities
Each month we feature several RAM coalitions and their efforts. This month we showcase groups that are underscoring the patient- and family-centered care theme through their RAM projects.
Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET), Lincoln, NE
Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) has decided to focus on patient- and family-centered care and patient safety. The goal is to inspire consumers, with a special emphasis on seniors, to be proactive in meeting their own health care needs and those of their families. The station is working with CIMRO-Nebraska, the state Quality Improvement Organization, and a coalition of 17 other organizations including the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the state chapter of AARP, the Nebraska Division of Aging, Nebraska Office of Public Health and Nebraska Association of Home and Community Health Agencies, among others.
NET will produce segments for its weekly news magazine, Statewide, and hold community screenings to engage key stakeholders throughout the state. Other activities will include the participation in health care trade association conferences, the selection and promotion of local Champions of Change and a statewide media outreach effort.
WEDU, Tampa, FL
WEDU is focusing on diabetes prevention and management within the Hispanic and Latino communities. Coalition members include the Florida Medical Quality Assurance, Inc. (FMQAI), the state Quality Improvement Organization; the American Diabetes Association; and the Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative that consists of many citywide health care organizations.The RAM campaign has involved local and statewide stakeholders, health care professionals, community organizations, non-professional caregivers and consumers. WEDU, in collaboration with FMQAI, produced Diabetes & You, a 30-minute program that addressed the dual issues of diabetes prevention and treatment. The program featured a roundtable discussion with providers and a diabetes expert from the Harvard School of Public Health and footage of patients who provided personal advice on how to manage the disease. (This program aired on September 26.) Subsequent broadcasts will include a viewer help line staffed by volunteers from the American Diabetes Association. Callers will receive a bilingual booklet that addresses questions about prevention and treatment of diabetes. WEDU will distribute the program to other Florida PBS stations.
WEDU also expects to hold community screenings and discussions, develop a statewide promotion plan and produce complementary local radio programming.
Media Subcommittee
Several members of the Media Subcommittee met with DCI in late September. They provided guidance on important campaign message points as well as reviewed key reporters and editors. They also provided suggestions for campaign spokespersons that will be selected from the National Partners. Thanks to Gillian Ray, National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions, for helping lead this effort along with Rick Wade, American Hospital Association; Richard Deutsch, American Health Quality Association; and Paul Skowronek, Alliance of Community Health Plans, for their participation in this most recent meeting.If you would like to learn more about the media relations activities please call or email Barbara Lohman.
Campaign Newsletter
We appreciate your help in spreading the word about RAM. In fact, the number of newsletter subscribers is steadily growing. If you haven’t already done so, please forward this newsletter to your members, colleagues and friends and ask them to come on board!
RAMcampaign.org
Another easy way to introduce RAM to your members and colleagues is to suggest they visit RAMcampaign.org to learn more and get involved in this initiative. On this site we make a point of featuring the important work of our National Partners. For example, we are constantly updating the RAM Calendar of Events to include educational and training opportunities National Partners are conducting around the country. The News section also features press releases and other Partner information. If you have anything you feel would be appropriate for the site, please contact our webmaster, Allan Childers.
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.comBarbara 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.comMatthew Eisen, Co-Executive Producer: Remaking American Medicine
(619) 283-0480, me@crosskeysmedia.com
