A Statewide Effort to Spread The Heart Truth:  Mississippi Heart Truth
A Case Study

Objectives

1. Establish a statewide campaign to spread the message that heart disease is the #1 killer of women in Mississippi.
   
   
2. Increase awareness among women in the State of Mississippi that their greatest health risk is heart disease.

Overview

Baptist Health Systems (Baptist) in Jackson, Mississippi created the statewide "Mississippi Heart Truth" (www.mshearttruth.com) campaign by spearheading a partnership with the Mississippi State Department of Health, MS Hospital Association, MS State Medical Association, MS Nursing Association and Foundation, and the American Heart Association Mississippi.  The campaign utilizes the national Heart Truth campaign materials.

Campaign Activities

• Mississippi's Governor signed a Proclamation declaring 2004 as the "Year of Women and Heart Disease Awareness."

• Mississippi's First Lady was secured as the Honorary Chair of the Mississippi Heart Truth campaign.

• Mississippi Hospital Association created a Web site to serve as the central communication point to access information about the campaign.  The site is branded as the Mississippi Heart Truth (www.mshearttruth.com.)

• Mississippi Hospital Association promoted campaign participation to hospitals across the state.

• Mississippi Heart Truth recruited Mississippi businesses as corporate partners of the campaign. All corporate partners are represented on the campaign Web site.

• Baptist hosted a campaign kick-off luncheon for corporate partners, participating hospitals, and community associates on January 30, 2004; 500 people attended. A selection of the designer red dresses from The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection was featured.

• Baptist hosted a community health fair on January 31, 2004, at a local shopping mall featuring The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection.  Community partners and several luncheon sponsors displayed tradeshow booths.  Approximately 600 people received free blood pressure screenings and one participant won a drawing for a $500 shopping spree.

• Baptist and the MS State Department of Health worked to educate statewide media about the Mississippi Heart Truth campaign, and distributed flyers encouraging female television anchors to wear red while broadcasting on National Wear Red Day.

• The local NBC affiliate, WLBT, ran NHLBI's The Heart Truth public service announcements and developed local news stories about women and heart disease.

• Many of the corporate partners sponsored National Wear Red Day promotions.

• Mississippi designer Donna Kennedy Sones designed the Mississippi Red Dress, which was displayed at the campaign kick-off luncheon with the red dresses from the national Red Dress Collection.  Cardiovascular Associates and the Cardiovascular Surgical Clinic sponsored the creation of the dress.  The dress is now displayed at various MS Heart Truth events.

• Baptist created its own women and heart clinic called Baptist Women's Heart.  Baptist launched a print ad campaign mirrored after the national print ads utilizing employees that have heart disease to launch this program.  For details about the Baptist Women's Heart program, visit www.mbhs.org.

Contact:
Robby Channell
Baptist Corporate Communications
rchannell@mbmc.org
Phone 601-974-6289

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