Reference no: EM133149449

The person has recently joined Esperanza Community Health Center (Esperanza CHC), a nonprofit community health center that works with underserved populations in the border regions of southwest Arizona. The supervisor has asked you to hit the ground running and create a communication plan that addresses one of four issues identified by the clinic as a priority for public health outreach. You have been informed that the plan will have a budget of $10,000.

To inform your work, your supervisor has provided you with a brief summarizing the results of a community health needs assessment (CHNA). This brief contains information on the demographics of the county and community served by Esperanza Community Health Center and identifies four key priorities for communications outreach, as determined by the CHNA. Your supervisor has tasked you with selecting one of these key priorities and creating a communication plan to address that need.

Part 1: Draft communication plan: The supervisor has left it to you to determine the format of your draft communication plan. However, the plan should address each of the following elements:
o Every communication plan involves key stakeholders, the people and groups of people who are responsible for both enacting the communication and receiving the communication. In your plan, begin by using the information provided to define key stakeholders of the communication plan, both internal and external.
o Once you have identified project stakeholders, define the objectives of the communication plan, including the target audience(s) for your communication project. These objectives should involve one of the four communication priorities identified by the CHNA and should be aligned with Esperanza CHC's vision, mission, and values statements.
o Once the objectives have been determined, outline strategies to support the goals of the communication plan and describe the implementation tactics (or steps) of the communication plan. These implementation steps should also include appropriate media channels for reaching targeted audiences.
o Following the strategy and tactics of your communication plan, describe evaluation metrics for measuring the efficacy of the communication project. These metrics should give you sufficient detail to measure whether or not your communication plan has reached its stated objectives.

Part 2: Cover memo: As you are drafting your communication plan, it comes to your attention that Esperanza CHC does not have a style guide and that many of your colleagues, especially your supervisor, seem to lack an understanding of the concept of a corporate/organizational voice. In order to build awareness of these concepts, you want to include some brief descriptions of these concepts, in the hope that Esperanza CHC will start to build its organizational brand and corporate voice. Additionally, you want to be explicit in connecting the vision, mission, and values of Esperanza CHC to your communication plan. In your cover memo, be sure to address the following elements:

o Using the vision, mission, and values statements provided by your supervisor, outline how the communication plan is aligned to the vision, mission, and values of the healthcare organization.
o As a communications professional, you understand the importance of establishing and maintaining a consistent organizational voice. Your memo should define the characteristics of a corporate voice and explain how a corporate voice is constructed, as well as describe the function of a style guide and how it reinforces the organizational brand.

Esperanza Community Health Center

Vision, Mission, and Values
Vision
Esperanza Community Health Center will be the premier provider of healthcare services to citizens in the border region of southwest Arizona.
Mission
Our mission is to provide high-quality care services to the surrounding community. We focus on primary care, with attention on prevention, health and wellness, and treating illness when necessary. We serve those in our community who might otherwise not have access to care and advocate for the long-term wellness and treatment of this medically underserved population, who live either at or below the federal poverty level.

Values
Our values are:
• Compassion
• Dignity and respect
• Encouraging healthy lifestyles
• Delivering high-quality care
• Honoring diversity and inclusion

Esperanza Community Health Center Results Brief
A community health needs assessment (CHNA) has been done to determine the most important healthcare needs for the county in which Esperanza Community Health Center (Esperanza CHC) is located. The population in the county is 64% Hispanic or Latino, 31% White (not Hispanic or Latino), 2.5% Native American, and 2.5% Black or African American. The rural areas of the county also house a large population of transient workers who harvest pecans, citrus, or other seasonal vegetables on county farms. Census data from the county indicates that roughly 50% of the population speaks a language other than English in the home, primarily Spanish. Roughly 70% of adult residents in the county are high school graduates. Additionally, the census has identified 20% of the population of the county to be persons living in poverty, with 15% of the under-65 population of the county lacking health insurance.

The CHNA has identified the following key priority areas for Esperanza CHC's community outreach efforts:
• Obesity & Diabetes: Approximately 35% of the population in the county is obese, higher than the national average in the United States. Additionally, estimates show that roughly 15% of the county's population has diabetes. The CHNA indicates that poor nutritional habits, a result of lack of access to nutritional foods and education on healthy eating habits, are a root cause of this issue.
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Nearly 15% of the population has been treated for a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Chlamydia makes up the vast majority of STD cases seen in the county. The CHNA indicates that there is a lack of educational resources for educating the population about these diseases. Additionally, there is a lack of resources in Spanish.
• Immunizations: The CHNA found a large number of the population lacking in basic tetanus and mumps, measles, and rubella shots. There have been several reported cases of measles, a disease that was, until recently, completely eliminated in the U.S. There appears to be a lack of awareness for the importance of getting immunized. No materials exist in Spanish.
• Flu Vaccinations: Less than 10% of the total population has had a flu shot. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some 50,000 people a year die of the flu. In addition to getting a flu shot, one of the ways to minimize the onset of the flu is to wash your hands. Little communication has occurred regarding the need for flu vaccinations so there is a lack of basic understanding of the importance of getting a flu shot. Additionally, there has been communication regarding the importance of washing (or sanitizing) your hands, especially during flu season.