MASMA_calendar

Next MASMA Event: "Stroke Heroes Act FAST" Social Marketing Campaign in Massachusetts When: Thursday, April 17, 6:00 pm Where: Tufts School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02111 Every year in Massachusetts, 18,000 people have a stroke. Getting to the hospital immediately is crucial, yet on average a person suffering from stroke is admitted into the hospital 22 hours after the first signs of stroke. This delay increases the effects of a stroke, including moderate to severe impairment, and in some cases death. Concerned by the lack of awareness about the signs and symptoms of stroke the Massachusetts Department of Public Health partnered with Geovision to increase recognition and quick response. Please join the Massachusetts Social Marketing Association (MASMA) as we welcome Juan Mandelbaum, President and Creative Director of Geovision, as our guest speaker for the spring 2008 Social Marketing event. He will describe Geovision's FAST social marketing campaign that successfully educates Massachusetts residents about the signs of a stroke while motivating them to seek immediate medical attention if a stroke does occurs. The FAST campaign has been widely acclaimed by the health communication and social marketing community. It has been adopted by several other states in their efforts to motivate residents to be FAST in seeking medical attention when a stroke happens. The FAST program has received awards and accolades from health educators across the state, who are using it in many ways. And anecdotal information points to people calling early because they "saw something on TV"! While the program was designed for statewide use only, thirty-four other states have requested the materials and several have begun using the program. 6:00pm: Snacks/Networking. 6:30 pm: Program. $7 donation. RSVP please, to info@masma-online.org.

Previous MASMA Events: Changing Screening Behaviors in Diverse and Low-Income Communities, December 3, 2007 At a time when mammogram rates are declining nationally and minority women are not getting timely screenings, how do you increase mammogram screenings among a low-income, culturally diverse patient population? The Breast Health Initiative of Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) has used an innovative outreach campaign to reach both providers and patients which has increased mammogram rates for three successive years. Lisa Montuori, RN, MSN, MPH, CHA's Director of Community Outreach, described CHA's successful outreach efforts to increase mammogram rates among underserved communities in Boston's Metro North region. The presentation highlighted the challenges of effecting behavior change among different cultural and linguistic groups, the intricacies of getting a busy provider network involved in the campaign, and next steps as the program continues to move forward. Speaker: Lisa M. Montuori, RN, MSN, MPH Director, Community Health Outreach, Dept.of Community Affairs/Cambridge Health Alliance Listening to Your Audience: Letting Your Formative Research Guide Campaign Development, September 2007 This presentation dealt with the initial plans to develop a social marketing campaign aimed at increasing STD screening among urban youth of color, and how the campaign's health communication objectives evolved based on formative research. The process for developing and implementing the final campaign—"What's UR style?"—and the accompanying website were also highlighted. Speakers were Nancy J. Lyons, MPH, Senior Communication Associate, The Medical Foundation, and Karen Schoneman, MA, Senior Communication Associate, The Medical Foundation. Engaging American Households to Act on Climate Change, May 2007 The Low Carbon Diet (LCD), a "30 day program to lose 5,000 pounds," is a fun, easy program to help Americans dramatically reduce our carbon output. The program is the brainchild of David Gershon of the Empowerment Institute, who created the Household EcoTeam concept. The LCD can be implemented with large groups, small groups, and even individual households, and provides resources and training support. Dan Ruben, Eastern MA Coordinator for the Household EcoTeam Program, described the LCD and how it compares to other global warming programs aimed at the American household. The Massachusetts Climate Action Network has developed a three-year Low Carbon Living Program to encourage people around the state to lower their carbon footprints using the LCD model. View Dan Ruben's presentation on engaging American households to act on climate change. Shape Up Somerville: Eat Smart. Play Hard,™ February 2007 "Shape Up Somerville" came about through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to Dr. Christine Economos of the Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy at Tufts University. The project is a community-based environmental approach to obesity prevention, targeting first, second, and third graders in Somerville, MA. The interventions took place through community partnerships that created healthy eating and physical activity messages and increased opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating, specifically fruits, vegetables, legumes, low-fat dairy and whole grain products throughout the day. Jessica Collins talked about how the program has been sustained and has grown. Greenscapes, October 25, 2006 Greenscapes is intended to help homeowners and landscape professionals adopt landscaping techniques that reduce the need for water and unnecessary chemicals. Samantha Woods, Director of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association (NSRWA), and Wendy Garpow, Assistant Director of the Massachusetts Bays Estuary Association, presented the program. Greenscapes involves the active collaboration of NSRWA, the Massachusetts Bays Program, two water companies, and ten towns and cities. Three years in the making, Greenscapes features a 20-page, full-color Greenscapes Guidebook, which is mailed to more than 70,000 households each spring. A wide variety of events, materials, incentives, and outreach efforts have been developed to encourage homeowners to protect the area’s water resources. View the Greenscapes presentation (PDF file). Using Voluntary Social Marketing Programs to Control Asthma, April 2006 Laurie Stillman, Executive Director of the Asthma Regional Council (ARC), spoke about the ways in which environmental and public health concerns are often intertwined. ARC was launched in 2000 to address the environmental aspects of asthma. ARC collaborates with health, housing, education, and environmental organizations that interact directly with communities at risk for high rates of asthma. Stillman described ARC's overall mission, and talked about her success in attracting the attention of media to influence policy about asthma, public health, and related environmental concerns. She provided very specific suggestions for engaging media attention about a public health issue. View summary of ARC presentation (PDF file).
Rx for Survival, January 2006 In a world where the health of society and environment have become intertwined and must be addressed together, how can we deliver successful programs that benefit both people and the world we all inhabit? Linda Harrar, the Senior Content Director for WGBH’s acclaimed series "Rx for Survival," talked about the role of video in creative and successful social marketing programs. Portions of the video series were shown and discussed.
Best Practices for Focus Groups, September 2005 Focus groups are important to all social marketers. Richard Greif, Project Director at Opinion Dynamics Corporation, presented essential information about focus groups. Greif has over 15 years of market research and marketing consulting experience, and some of his illustrious clients include Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, MIT, Museum of Science, National Geographic, Perkins School for the Blind, and the YMCA of Greater Boston.
Think Again Think Blue Campaign, June 2005 Peter Hanlon, Outreach and Policy Coordinator for the Massachusetts Bays Program, presented the Think Again Think Blue campaign to reduce polluted stormwater runoff. ThinkBlue is a partnership between Mass Bays, a state program, the Massachusetts Bays Estuary Association, a nonprofit organization, and more than a dozen other agencies and organizations. ThinkBlue focuses on approximately 50 Massachusetts communities with direct access to the state's bays.
Activity Promotion and Obesity Reduction in Children, April 2005 Emily Zobel of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health presented an overview of research on interventions aimed at reducing TV watching by children and discussed DPH’s proposed intervention strategy.

Previous MASMA Events:

Changing Screening Behaviors in Diverse and Low-Income Communities, December 3, 2007

At a time when mammogram rates are declining nationally and minority women are not getting timely screenings, how do you increase mammogram screenings among a low-income, culturally diverse patient population? The Breast Health Initiative of Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) has used an innovative outreach campaign to reach both providers and patients which has increased mammogram rates for three successive years. Lisa Montuori, RN, MSN, MPH, CHA's Director of Community Outreach, described CHA's successful outreach efforts to increase mammogram rates among underserved communities in Boston's Metro North region. The presentation highlighted the challenges of effecting behavior change among different cultural and linguistic groups, the intricacies of getting a busy provider network involved in the campaign, and next steps as the program continues to move forward.

Speaker:
Lisa M. Montuori, RN, MSN, MPH
Director, Community Health Outreach, Dept.of Community Affairs/Cambridge Health Alliance

Listening to Your Audience: Letting Your Formative Research Guide Campaign Development, September 2007

This presentation dealt with the initial plans to develop a social marketing campaign aimed at increasing STD screening among urban youth of color, and how the campaign's health communication objectives evolved based on formative research. The process for developing and implementing the final campaign—"What's UR style?"—and the accompanying website were also highlighted. Speakers were Nancy J. Lyons, MPH, Senior Communication Associate, The Medical Foundation, and Karen Schoneman, MA, Senior Communication Associate, The Medical Foundation.

Engaging American Households to Act on Climate Change, May 2007

The Low Carbon Diet (LCD), a "30 day program to lose 5,000 pounds," is a fun, easy program to help Americans dramatically reduce our carbon output. The program is the brainchild of David Gershon of the Empowerment Institute, who created the Household EcoTeam concept. The LCD can be implemented with large groups, small groups, and even individual households, and provides resources and training support. Dan Ruben, Eastern MA Coordinator for the Household EcoTeam Program, described the LCD and how it compares to other global warming programs aimed at the American household.

The Massachusetts Climate Action Network has developed a three-year Low Carbon Living Program to encourage people around the state to lower their carbon footprints using the LCD model.

View Dan Ruben's presentation on engaging American households to act on climate change.

Shape Up Somerville: Eat Smart. Play Hard,™ February 2007

"Shape Up Somerville" came about through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to Dr. Christine Economos of the Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy at Tufts University. The project is a community-based environmental approach to obesity prevention, targeting first, second, and third graders in Somerville, MA. The interventions took place through community partnerships that created healthy eating and physical activity messages and increased opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating, specifically fruits, vegetables, legumes, low-fat dairy and whole grain products throughout the day. Jessica Collins talked about how the program has been sustained and has grown.

Greenscapes, October 25, 2006
Greenscapes is intended to help homeowners and landscape professionals adopt landscaping techniques that reduce the need for water and unnecessary chemicals. Samantha Woods, Director of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association (NSRWA), and Wendy Garpow, Assistant Director of the Massachusetts Bays Estuary Association, presented the program. Greenscapes involves the active collaboration of NSRWA, the Massachusetts Bays Program, two water companies, and ten towns and cities. Three years in the making, Greenscapes features a 20-page, full-color Greenscapes Guidebook, which is mailed to more than 70,000 households each spring. A wide variety of events, materials, incentives, and outreach efforts have been developed to encourage homeowners to protect the area’s water resources.

View the Greenscapes presentation (PDF file).

Using Voluntary Social Marketing Programs to Control Asthma, April 2006

Laurie Stillman, Executive Director of the Asthma Regional Council (ARC), spoke about the ways in which environmental and public health concerns are often intertwined. ARC was launched in 2000 to address the environmental aspects of asthma. ARC collaborates with health, housing, education, and environmental organizations that interact directly with communities at risk for high rates of asthma. Stillman described ARC's overall mission, and talked about her success in attracting the attention of media to influence policy about asthma, public health, and related environmental concerns. She provided very specific suggestions for engaging media attention about a public health issue. View summary of ARC presentation (PDF file).

Rx for Survival, January 2006
In a world where the health of society and environment have become intertwined and must be addressed together, how can we deliver successful programs that benefit both people and the world we all inhabit? Linda Harrar, the Senior Content Director for WGBH’s acclaimed series "Rx for Survival," talked about the role of video in creative and successful social marketing programs. Portions of the video series were shown and discussed.

Best Practices for Focus Groups, September 2005

Focus groups are important to all social marketers. Richard Greif, Project Director at Opinion Dynamics Corporation, presented essential information about focus groups. Greif has over 15 years of market research and marketing consulting experience, and some of his illustrious clients include Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, MIT, Museum of Science, National Geographic, Perkins School for the Blind, and the YMCA of Greater Boston.

Think Again Think Blue Campaign, June 2005

Peter Hanlon, Outreach and Policy Coordinator for the Massachusetts Bays Program, presented the Think Again Think Blue campaign to reduce polluted stormwater runoff. ThinkBlue is a partnership between Mass Bays, a state program, the Massachusetts Bays Estuary Association, a nonprofit organization, and more than a dozen other agencies and organizations. ThinkBlue focuses on approximately 50 Massachusetts communities with direct access to the state's bays.

Activity Promotion and Obesity Reduction in Children, April 2005

Emily Zobel of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health presented an overview of research on interventions aimed at reducing TV watching by children and discussed DPH’s proposed intervention strategy.