News conferences and community events for healthcare advocacy

PR Tools for Specific Strategy

The public relation tools that are essential for this strategy are news conference, and community event. These tools are the most essential since they will reach the targeted population effectively while at the same time they are cost effective, especially the news conference which costs so little. In order for these tools to work effectively towards attaining the organization's goals then proper organization is required during and prior to their happening.

Organizing a news/press conference

A news conference, commonly known as a press conference, is usually carried out having a number of goals in mind. The intention of the organization is to host an event that is visible and shows the depth and breadth of support for the healthcare program being presented while at the same time illustrating the effect of being uninsured. It also aims at demonstrating a community wide commitment to solving the problem of the uninsured, gaining local press coverage that drives attention to the campaign's messages and activities, putting a human face on the issue by sharing specific stories about the uninsured, highlighting the range of activities that will be carried out, and promoting local enrollment events.

To ensure success for a press conference, the organizers need to create a budget for the event that comprises items such as materials reproduction, event signs and staging, and audio-visual equipment. It is also necessary that a timeline is created for the event and sites that are easily accessible to the media are identified and secured. The organizers should also identify and help prepare press conference spokespersons; work with coalition partners to build attendance; coordinate the release of research; develop, tailor, copy and assemble print press materials; prepare talking points for spokespersons; provide media training to uninsured spokespersons and others needed; work with spokespersons to ensure they are able to participate; call reports to publicize the press conference and to encourage coverage and attendance at the event; and set up the venue. It is important that individuals and organizations be contacted for ideas during the organization process these may include medical professionals, hospitals, health clinics, community health centers, uninsured people, teachers and other school officials. All these events occur before the event but at a sequence with some happening as early as four weeks before the event and others a day to the event, it is thus necessary to organize them in the right order (Well Stone, 2010).

Since this is not going to be the last event for the organization it is essential that follow ups are made to help evaluate the success of the event and make sure it is completely successful. It is necessary to follow up with media representatives who requested additional information or who showed interest but were not able to attend. Thank you notes should also be sent to all speakers and coalition partners who participated and also ensure that any rented equipment is returned. It is also advisable to track and update media lists, and to organize folders and files for future use (Well Stone, 2010).

A short speech by the CEO

Recent statistics indicate that up to eighty percent of the citizens of this nation are uninsured; more than twenty five percent of these uninsured populations are in working families. More than 9 million of them are children. More than eight out of 10 are in working families. They are our neighbors, friends, and colleagues who are forced to speculate every day that they won't get sick or injured. A health insurance cover is a necessity for all of us and no one should take a risk of living without it. The new health care insurance product offered by our organization is an effort to try to reach to the uninsured who can afford to pay for it and comes as a solution to the middle income earners of this nation. We know that reaching the goal of affordable and stable health care will require changes in a number of insurance policies and we have started by doing exactly that, this includes raising awareness and coming up with affordable insurance plans. Our work is making a difference and the time for change, from insuring the rich and ignoring the poor to die, is now. This is the period to build upon this momentum to amplify diverse voices on behalf of the uninsured and get everyone covered.

Use of internet

The internet can be used to exchange messages, deliver information, persuade potential clients, and to extensively access audiences for strategic research opportunities. To create awareness about a new product, the first step would be using the World Wide Web sites and then use electronic mail to spread the same message. The other important step would be reaching the media through the internet to get them help in spreading the message about the new product; this offers the fastest way to reach the media. Additionally, tools such as blogs, podcasts, and social networking are very important in public relations when appropriately applied (Mitchell, 2007).

Questions concerning the tools

There are government regulations through agencies that with regard to commercial speech in the interest of public health, safety, and consumer protection. This affects both the press conferences and community events with regard to the contents presented during such events. Other laws that may affect press conference are invasion of privacy, copyright law, and defamation. A community event can directly affected by law on trademark and that on liability for sponsored events. Press conference would need the use of internet and satellite transmission which will assist in communication with media houses. Computers would also be necessary in organizing for community events as they are good personal organizers and information storage tools, the internet can as well assist in carrying research about a place.

When applying these tools, it is advisable to desist from taking any political positions as this may cause some potential clients to shy away from becoming part of the organization due to their difference in political affiliation. Both of these tools would help create a healthy relationship between the organization and the society, press conferences will ensure that necessary information is passed to the society while community events help the organization extend their help and get closer to the society. Both tools are cost effective, press conferences are free thus the organization only spends in the planning process, additionally community events meet the targeted group directly thus much resources are not wasted in trying to reach a wide unnecessary population.