Leveraging Marketing Strategies to Support Healthier Communities

Written by David L. Callender, MD, president and CEO, and Amalia Stanton, SVP, Chief Strategic Communications & Marketing Officer

Houston is a city like no other. The fourth largest city and most diverse metropolitan area in the country, it is home to the largest medical complex in the world, internationally recognized for leading-edge health care offering the latest in medical advances and innovation.

However, Houston also faces significant access to care and public health challenges. Nearly one in four residents lacks health insurance, making our region home to the largest uninsured population among the nation’s most populous cities.  Also, there are significant health disparities among different segments of the city’s population. For example, there is a 19.3-year difference in life expectancy between the ‘’healthiest” and “unhealthiest” ZIP codes in the Greater Houston region.

As a nonprofit health system with a more than 100-year history of service to the region, Memorial Hermann’s vision is to create healthier communities, now and for generations to come. To achieve this vision, Memorial Hermann must not only improve access to care to prevent illness but also address the social determinants of health –– food insecurity, un- and under-employment, educational attainment, loneliness, health-related behaviors, and housing –– that account for 80 to 90 percent of health outcomes.

Memorial Hermann’s marketing team plays an essential role in achieving this vision, working to raise awareness of the health system as a leader and trusted resource across the Greater Houston community and deploying both traditional and non-traditional communications and influence strategies to effectively and efficiently reach communities most likely to benefit from the system’s programs and services.

Building Upon Longstanding Community Engagement.

In 2021, Memorial Hermann joined the Healthcare Anchor Network to serve as an anchor institution to improve the long-term health and well-being of the communities it serves. As the only hospital anchor system in the region, Memorial Hermann applies multiple levers as a community partner, employer, neighborhood institution, purchaser, philanthropist, and, of course, health care provider to tackle the social, economic, and environmental factors that, if ignored, can inhibit health and drive-up health care costs, or, if meaningfully addressed, can empower health, and keep those costs contained.

It’s not enough, however, to invest in such initiatives if our communities are unable to access the information and act. That’s why the marketing team uses a variety of methods to reach people through multiple channels and settings in culturally appropriate ways.

The team works to connect people directly with personalized resources– through TV appearances by medical experts, targeted advertorials, blogs, e-newsletters featuring information on specific conditions and treatments, and a digital toolbox – reaching beyond hospital and clinic walls to redefine health care for all Houstonians. In the coming year, the marketing team also will deploy radio advertising, along with public service announcements, broadcasting information to Houston’s radio audiences whose primary language is Spanish.

Part of the team’s proactive approach is making it as simple and convenient as possible for consumers to find and access care. Through digital “Contact Us” forms, consumers are connected to specially trained care coordinators who guide them to the most appropriate services for them. In addition, Memorial Hermann’s Nurse Health Line provides free 24/7 triage and guidance from licensed nurses in multiple languages to callers from anywhere in Texas. Thanks in part to support from marketing and public relations efforts, the Nurse Health Line receives 170,000 calls annually from people looking for information about their health concerns.

A second example of Memorial Hermann’s work to promote more timely access to care and address social determinants of health was the establishment of Neighborhood Health Centers that provide preventive, acute and chronic care and work with individuals or families on legal, housing, food, and other social service needs. Memorial Hermann’s marketing publicizes these clinics through a print and social media campaign that contributed to a 54% increase in unique individuals served year over year.

Memorial Hermann also leverages its first-of-its-kind partnership with Houston’s NBA team, the Houston Rockets, to reach a wide audience with important messages about health, wellness, illness, and injury prevention. For more than a decade, the Rockets and Memorial Hermann have teamed up to present the “Be Fit Challenge,” which rewards students for healthy nutrition and physical activity. More recently, the organizations unveiled two newly refurbished basketball courts at a north Houston community center. The courts are a place for community members to be active through basketball, exercise classes, children’s activities and more — one of many neighborhood investments focused on improving health and well-being.

Marketing is also instrumental in helping shape healthy nutrition and exercise habits, which can be foundational for preventing illness. For example, every January, Memorial Hermann’s Resolution™ program offers four weeks of personalized approaches to wellness designed to help people build a customized pattern of well-being that fits their individual needs. This web-based microsite features free meal plans and fitness routines, mindful meditations and group events organized with corporate partners. Last year, through the Resolution program, Memorial Hermann’s customer relationship management system received over 8,100 inquiries — community members looking to sustain healthier, more centered lives.

Measuring Success in the Quest to Create Healthier Communities.

By helping people access timely care and addressing the non-health care factors that nonetheless affect health and well-being, the marketing team’s efforts have resulted in increased recognition of Memorial Hermann’s role in addressing health holistically and year-over-year growth in reputation, intent, advocacy, and familiarity key performance indicators.

However, the true measure of success for Memorial Hermann will be a healthier Houston. Everyone deserves equal access to high-quality health care and to be empowered to lead the healthiest possible lives, which is why Memorial Hermann will continue to prioritize marketing and strategic communications to reach and inform audiences and create meaningful pathways for taking action.