The DanceBetween

Communications and Policy

…or how the magic that ensues when both work

together

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nate_c/491216715/

Going Backstage on Social Policy

Seeing through the issue…

An inside look at self-administered colon cancer

screening.

The Policy Challenge

Reduce mortality from colon cancer through early detection and screening through use of FOBT in

50+ population

Colon Cancer Facts

Colon Cancer - The Good News

If you’re 50 or older, in order to prevent this….

A cancerous colon polyp

…we would like you to get this...

…and do this

The Research

What do people know?

The Bottom Line

The Solution

22

Strategic Insight

Insight: There are usually no warning signs that you have colon cancer.

Key Message: You don’t know what’s hiding up there but your health care provider can help you find out.

23

The Magic Idea

You’re not see-through, so get your insides checked

out.

The Ad

The Results

• Incidences and Intention to Screen– Awareness about CRC and screening

increased (10%) and with it, intent (75%)

• Which screening method?– FOBT kits usage quadrupled– Colonoscopy dropped 10%

Translating intention into action

Nearly 1 million Ontarians screened with the icky ‘home kit’ and they lived to tell the tale!

Pass it along…

Playing catch-up with vaccination

Getting youth to get their mumps shot

The Policy Challenge

Mumps Facts

Vaccination Model• No clinics to piggyback• One-shot deal• Who will administer the shots?

Target Availability• At school• Away from doc, home

Attitude• They perceive themselves as invulnerable• Mumps is nothing to worry about

Timing• Short window of opportunity to move our target from

awareness to action

Budget• Reduced at last minute

Objectives

The Research

Insight

Get mumps and you’ll have to spend 9 days in…

isolation

The Solution

Low Income Dental Program

Bringing an Oral Health Policy to Life

The Facts

• Good dental health is directly linked to good overall health

• Cavities are the number one chronic disease of childhood

• Almost all oral/dental disease is preventable

• A significant portion of the population does not have access to regular dental care

• 25% of children experience 80% of all dental decay

• Lack of access to regular dental treatment directly impacts overall health and socioeconomic success

The Gap

The Policy

The expansion of this program means more kids will have access to dental care so they can grow up healthy and strong, and have the best possible

opportunities for success.

Minister Deb Matthews

Program Design

• A provincial program designed to create better access to regular dental care but allow for local promotion of the program:– 36 public health units to deliver the program across

Ontario

– 36 individual health units would handle eligibility

– 36 individual call centres

– 36 individual websites for information

– All dental services were to be delivered at public health unit dental clinics

The Research

The Research

The Research

• Visit ontario.ca/healthysmiles• Or Call:

Toll-free:1-866-532-3161TTY toll-free:1-800-387-5559

The Research

Parental Influence Peer Influence

Kids0-5

Kids6-10

Kids11-13

Kids14-17

As children age, parental influence diminishes and a stronger sense of self emerges

The Approach

The Approach

The Approach

Place logo ‘HERE’.

Scalable communication toolsto help raise the profile of the public health unit in their community/through their channels of influence

Minister’s announcements at a public health unit.

The Dance continues

• Fully integrated with the policy, end to end

• Critical success factor is research (of the topic/target) and evaluation (of the results)

• Demonstrate ROI

You can show ROI

• Flu campaign has impact

• Media mix influences shots in arms

Thank You.