EMERSON HOSPITAL
Strengthening a Community Hospital’s Vital Signs

Emerson Hospital is a full-service, non-profit community hospital that provides advanced medical and surgical services to more than 300,000 individuals in 25 towns. Emerson was beginning a critical capital campaign to fund a new cancer unit and improve its Critical Care Unit (CCU), but like many Massachusetts community hospitals, Emerson lived in the shadow of large Boston teaching institutions. To support its campaign, the Hospital needed an effective public relations program that could quickly boost its visibility in the dozens of communities it serves.

The premise of the campaign was that the public would be more likely to donate to the expansion project if first reminded about Emerson's continuing contribution to their communities. The campaign's public phase was launched with an event, the "CAREnival," a family fun fair where potential donors and patients could visit the Hospital and learn more about its services. Uplifting stories were presented to the media, featuring Emerson staff and volunteers on topics from diabetes to pediatrics, compelling information on advanced procedures such as interventional radiology, and updates on the capital campaign's progress and the Hospital's fiscal responsibility.

Generating tremendous local and regional media coverage, the campaign educated potential donors about Emerson's successes and the importance of its upcoming goals to improve patient care facilities. As a result, Emerson raised a total of $9.1 million to fund the capital campaign, surpassing its goal of $8.7 million. With the new funds, the hospital was able to add the new cancer unit, renovate the CCU, and purchase other much-needed equipment.

This case history describes a program created by the principals and senior staff of Solomon McCown & Company while we were members of a prior agency co-founded and managed by Helene Solomon.