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EmailPosted on November 13, 2014 by Fraser Ratchford
In the words of our President and CEO, Michael Green, “in today’s digital world, there are many ways to deliver a message”. When I worked in Public Health [a few years back], I was always an advocate for using digital health. Back then, social media was not yet on the radar. That said, it is inspiring to see that public health organizations from across Canada have embraced this innovative way of reaching their audience.
It’s with this spirit that we launched the ImagineNation Public Health Social Media Challenge, an initiative where we called upon public health organizations in Canada to use social media in creative and innovative ways to improve public health.
Digital Health Week is a timely opportunity to announce the results of the campaign.
A panel of judges was tasked with reviewing all of the entries and select the top three choices and one campaign they deemed as the most ‘innovative.’ Twenty-nine teams showed off their social media savvy and succeeded in furthering their missions. And the awards go to:
First Place: $30,000 award
Toronto Public Health - condomTO
The condomTO campaign helped to decrease the stigma of condom-use, rates of STIs/HIV and unplanned pregnancies.
Second Place: $20,000 award
Sudbury District Health Unit - Childhood Immunization
The Childhood Immunization campaign promoted awareness, exposure and education among parents with respect to childhood immunization.
Third place (Tie): $10,000 award
Canadian Blood Services - GiveBlood Mobile App
The GiveBlood Mobile App campaign increased the number of blood donation appointments booked electronically using the GiveBlood Mobile App – in an effort to increase the amount of blood available for Canadians when they need it.
Third place (Tie): $10,000 award
The #StopTheClock campaign increased awareness of preventable injuries as a public health burden, and reflected on the social, physical and economic consequences of injuries in the Canadian population.
Judges’ Award for Innovation: $10,000 award
Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit - Talk Sex with a Nurse
The Talk Sex with a Nurse campaign met the educational needs of men who have sex with men and encouraged the adoption of safer sex practices.
All participating Challenge teams were given the opportunity to attend Expert Forums to help guide their forays into the sometimes complex world of digital health and social media. We were thrilled to see the enthusiastic response and high demand for these forums, and therefore hosted a second Expert Q&A session to help the organizations further.
We’d like to say a big Thank You to all who entered and congratulations to the award recipients!
Are you looking to start or expand your digital health social media presence? Watch a webinar of the Expert Q&A session as well as a Social Media Tip Sheet to get you started!
Have a comment about this post? We’d love to hear from you.
Fraser Ratchford is a Senior Director at Canada Health Infoway and works with Infoway’s partners to electronically connect citizens to their health information, to their care team, and to other virtual health services and tools. Prior to his role at Infoway, Fraser held a number of leadership positions in health care. His major focus over the past 30 years has been digital health, working in various sectors including government, hospital and public health.
