A long time leader in community health, Care Ring is passionate about creating a community where everyone has access to affordable, high-quality health care. More than 7,000 Mecklenburg County residents each year are able to access care through their signature programs, including a low-cost clinic, a Nurse-Family Partnership that serves mothers and babies, and Physicians Reach Out, a network of providers that donate comprehensive healthcare for low-income, uninsured residents.
The Way We Do Healthcare is Changing
Recent policy changes at the national and state level are rapidly shifting the face of healthcare for providers, social service organizations and Medicaid beneficiaries. With little existing information about the impact of these changes and no clear, user-friendly source of education, communities are unprepared for the changes and Medicaid beneficiaries are unsure how policy changes are impacting the way they access and receive care.
Care Ring secured a grant from Kate B. Reynolds Foundation to produce a community education and listening campaign to learn more about the impact of upcoming policy changes to Medicaid and NC’s healthcare system.
A Clear, Collaborative Message.
Care Ring partnered with Next Stage to produce a brand and marketing campaign that would provide an engaging, easy-to-understand guide to changes. Care Ring began by hosting a series of strategy sessions with six collaborating organizations, led by Next Stage. The outcome of the sessions was a clear, unified message aimed at a diverse cross-section of the community, including beneficiaries, healthcare providers and social service organizations.
The collaborative, multi-agency approach to the project led to a simple, accessible brand called the “NC Health Playbook” that was endorsed by each agency. The brand and accompanying marketing materials was originally designed to be deployed at 30 community events. While a suspension in policy changes and COVID-19 put the events on hold, the campaign offered tangible next steps and a source of up-to-date information for community stakeholders.
An Easy-to-Understand Health Playbook
The final campaign included a brand platform, bilingual landing page and postcard, and an ebook, each produced by Next Stage, in partnership with Care Ring.
Content on the landing page is designed to be brand-consistent and easily updated as new developments are announced and deadlines change.
Postcards and other marketing materials were produced in both English and Spanish to meet the needs of a diverse audience.
The team also designed a one-pager, designed to break complex policy changes into actionable, clear information.
“Next Stage has been an essential strategic partner for Care Ring. Their commitment to taking the time to understand our unique role in the nonprofit playing field – opportunities on the horizon but also emerging threats to our business model – guided us to think in new and different ways about how we can make the biggest impact. Next Stage challenged us to think and act more boldly about the important role we play in Charlotte. Our initial steps toward repositioning our agency as a community thought leader and agent of change for an improved system of care are already yielding positive results, including a significant new grant from a major NC foundation. So grateful to Next Stage for positioning our agency to adapt and lead.”
