Pacific Coast Business Times:  “Who’s Who in Advertising, Marketing and PR”

Victoria Care Center is an independent operating subsidiary of The Ensign Group, which provides a broad spectrum of skilled-nursing, assisted-living and rehabilitative services at nearly 100 locations throughout the western United States. Housed within Victoria Care Center is the Post-Acute Rehab Center, the largest and most sophisticated facility of its kind in Ventura County.

“Webinars and video conferencing will continue to thrive thanks to their practicality and affordability, but nothing will ever truly replace face-to-face contact with customers or prospects,” says Kevin/Ross Founder and President Ross Goldberg. “Beyond the Booth allows a company to integrate all of its conference-related strategies, including pre- and post-conference activities, in a way that maximizes their participation and supports their business objectives.”

Based on more than three decades of working with trade shows and conferences, Kevin/Ross can help organizations determine which conferences to consider and the appropriate level of participation at each, such as exhibiting, sponsoring, speaking or merely attending.  Blending both strategies and tactics, Beyond the Booth then includes:

• Assistance with booth development and design.
• Pre-convention publicity to drive traffic to a booth.
• Development of speaker proposals.
• Interacting with conference hosts to maximize a company’s participation.
• Use of social media before, during and after the conference.
• Exhibit activities including what to hand out, how to attract traffic, and how to capture leads.
• Access to preferred pricing for promotional specialty items.
• Advertising in conference program.
• Arranging interviews with media who may be attending the conference.
• Post-conference follow-up, evaluation and measurement.

“A conference can really only be successful if organizations take an integrated approach to their efforts and think through how this activity fits with their overall marketing strategy,” says Goldberg. “We work with companies to not only make their conference participation as successful as possible but to assure that the messages and images they convey are consistent with their brand and industry positioning.”

CalTAF is dedicated to improving access to effective and affordable substance-use disorder treatment throughout the state. Newly created by a group of concerned California-based providers, CalTAF’s mission is to bring about insurance reform, either voluntary or mandated, so that barriers to care can be eliminated and individuals can get immediate and affordable access to the treatment they need.

Founded in 1994, Huntington Medical Foundation’s more than 70 physicians provide compassionate, quality care to children and adults from eight offices throughout Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley. The Medical Foundation also operates Pasadena Community Urgent Care, assuring local residents the opportunity to access “right care, right place, right time.”

Kevin/Ross was a double winner in the acclaimed Aster Awards hosted by Creative Images Inc. an internationally recognized firm that specializes in strategic healthcare marketing. In the competition Kevin/Ross received a gold award for a mailer created to promote Pasadena Community Urgent Care – a joint venture between Huntington Memorial Hospital, Huntington Medical Foundation and the city of Pasadena. The direct mail piece, “Right Care, Right Place, Right Time,” served to educate the community on how to most appropriately use the various healthcare resources available including the hospital, physicians and urgent care. The Aster Awards further saluted Kevin/Ross’ work on Huntington Reporter, an internal newsletter for Huntington Hospital’s employees and their families.

“Right Care, Right Place, Right Time” also was honored for excellence by the Healthcare Advertising Awards. Sponsored by Healthcare Marketing Report, this is the oldest and largest healthcare awards competition in the nation with nearly 4,000 entries received this year. Through the years Healthcare Marketing Report has honored Kevin/Ross on numerous occasions in such categories as brochure, newsletters, annual report, advertising and direct mail.

“While the nation debates issues such as access, cost and quality, all of these are ultimately insignificant if consumers do not believe that the industry operates with the public’s best interests in mind,” said Goldberg. “The medicine we provide may be the wonderment of the world, but the system itself needs fixing; and we have little time to lose in turning things around.”
Goldberg, a 34-year veteran of healthcare marketing, is a frequent speaker and author on the topic of public trust. He also currently serves as chairman of the board of trustees at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Southern California, giving him a unique perspective into the issues and challenges facing healthcare today.

In his presentation, Goldberg will outline the four essential elements of trust – integrity, honesty, promise keeping and loyalty – noting that “The individuals we consider most trustworthy all practice these qualities without flinching, but not enough organizations can honestly say that they do so day after day.” He will then discuss what forces have caused the healthcare industry to see such a dramatic decline in public trust and what can be done to right the ship.
“Trust and integrity are precious resources that are easily squandered and hard to regain,” said Goldberg. “It’s not too late, but we need to begin to focus on this now.”

The annual meeting of the New Mexico Hospital Association will be held at Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town. Joining Goldberg as keynoter speakers are Rick Pollack, executive vice president of the American Hospital Association, and Dr. Brad Nieder, who will share “Laugher is the Best Medicine.”

The economy is dreadful. Revenues are down; meeting payroll is a challenge; vendors are circling like wildfire, clamoring to be paid. Among the wrenching decisions facing hospital executives is which programs are essential and which can be cut—or even scrapped altogether—in the spirit of sound financial stewardship.

The people making these choices would be wise to proceed with caution. Some line items that seem superfluous because they don’t directly touch patients may be the very expenditures that can mean short-term success and long-term staying power.

Public relations is just such an example. The ability to manage perception and influence employer and consumer purchasing decisions has allowed many a hospital to rise above the crowd and break out of the commodity box. Yet because the profession does a poor job of properly positioning itself, public relations is often among the first cuts made in a financial downturn. This is one of the biggest mistakes a hospital can make.

Educating the Public

Just as hospitals are examining their financial state, so, too, are customers. It is in tough economic times—when purchasers are shuffling their financial cards—that customers become even more selective about what to purchase and where to purchase it. In times like this, people are not inclined to gamble on the unknown or jump to the latest carnival barker. It is the strong and trusted brands that win out.

Nothing builds and supports a brand like public relations. A good hospital public relations program relies on the four most important elements of trust: integrity, honesty, promise keeping and loyalty. A hospital with these elements as its foundation will attract new customers and keep the old. It also helps galvanize employees toward a common good as salaries freeze, benefits structures are re-examined and nervousness mounts.

A hospital that has a strong and trusting relationship with the public can also play an important role in community health by reminding the public—with credibility—of the importance of not forgoing needed care even in these tough economic times. It is far better, and in the long run cheaper, to catch health issues early on before they turn into long-term, debilitating conditions. This can best be done by reminding the public to continue with mammograms, colonoscopies, flu shots, childhood immunizations, blood pressure and cholesterol checks, prenatal care, and annual physicals.

Thinking more broadly, it is public relations that can help engage the public on some of the seminal issues with which we are grappling both as a nation and in local communities: cost, quality, access and fairness on how health care is delivered and paid for in America. An educated public is a powerful ally, and public relations is the tool that can build these alliances now and for the future.

Cost-Effective Marketing

If you don’t think you have the money for public relations, think again. Public relations is the most cost-effective way to spread your message compared with other arrows in the marketing quiver. Advertising, direct mail and other initiatives all cost more to execute than public relations. At a time when every dollar you spend matters more than ever, public relations enables you to keep your name prominent and positive while spending your dollars wisely.

A challenging economic climate allows little margin for error, making it critical that those charged with carrying out your public relations agenda have a broad and deep understanding of health care’s issues, language, textures, political environment and sensitivities. In these times, you can’t afford to pay for a long learning curve.

It also means making sure your public relations program is strategically driven and directly tied to overriding business objectives. Publicity just for publicity’s sake isn’t the answer. Successful public relations must be integrated with all other components in your marketing mix so that all of the pieces work together—in one smooth rhythm—relative to message and timing. Properly executed, public relations will allow your marketing dollars to go further. If poorly executed, you will find yourself with a Frankenstein-like assortment of disjointed pieces that just don’t fit together.

It is easy, and perhaps even tempting, to remain in the shallow end of the pool until normalcy returns to the marketplace. But nobody knows for sure when that will be or what the new “normal” will look like. The hospitals that emerge from this economic downturn stronger and better positioned will be those whose brand remains strong, whose values remain true and whose reputation remains unpolluted. Sounds like a job for public relations.

Ross Goldberg is president of Kevin/Ross Public Relations in Westlake Village, Calif., and chairman of the board of trustees of Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

“We are extremely fortunate to have someone with Ross’ breadth of experience and professional demeanor in this leadership role,” stated Jim Sherman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center. “His extensive knowledge of healthcare, hospital processes, and community relations will greatly benefit the Board.”

Mr. Goldberg has been a member of the Board of Trustees for the past two and a half years, serving as vice chairman in 2008 and chairman of its Quality Oversight Committee.

“I’m honored to serve as chairman of the Board of Los Robles at a time when healthcare is facing important challenges in the areas of quality, access, affordability and public trust,” said Mr. Goldberg, a Westlake Village resident. “I look forward to working hard to help assure that the hospital continues to fulfill its promise and potential as the leading healthcare facility in the entire Conejo Valley.”

With more than 30 years of experience in public relations and marketing communications, Mr. Goldberg has represented companies from a wide spectrum of interests, especially focusing on healthcare, education, and not for profits. Prior to founding Kevin/Ross ten years ago, he was senior vice president of communications and marketing for CareAmerica Health Plans, vice president of corporate communications for UniHealth America, and president of Pacific Media Associates, the company’s wholly owned advertising agency.

A frequent speaker and author on healthcare issues, Mr. Goldberg’s views on the industry have been published in numerous consumer and trade publications nationwide; and he has been a leading advocate on the theme of “restoring public trust in healthcare.” He is a founding executive board member of the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development and has been named by PR Week one of the “Top 50 Healthcare Agency Executives” in the country. Mr. Goldberg holds a masters degree in communications from Pepperdine University and a bachelors of arts degree in journalism from California Sate University, Northridge.

Serving with Mr. Goldberg on the 2009 Los Robles Hospital Board of Trustees is Vice Chair, Kyle Himsl, M.D., urologist; Secretary, Jim Sherman, hospital President & Chief Executive Officer; and Board members Paul David, M.D., emergency medicine; Virginia Davis, community liaison; Vishva Dev, M.D., cardiologist; Paul N. Finkel, M.D., internist; Hannah Grossman, M.D., OB/GYN and hospital chief of staff; Patricia Moore Jones, executive director, Alliance for the Arts; Rick Lemmo, vice president, Caruso Affiliate Holdings; Greg Ramirez, Agoura Hills City Manager and Redevelopment Agency Executive Director; Kenneth Saul, M.D., pediatrician; Wayne Schultheis, M.D., pathologist; and Lisa Teevan, R.N., Case Manager, Assisted Home Care Hospice.

Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center is a 277-bed acute care facility dedicated to serving the residents of Ventura County, the Conejo Valley and its surrounding communities. With over 480 physicians on its medical staff representing over 30 medical specialties, the hospital offers a full array of medical services including a 24-hour emergency department, ICU/CCU, maternity, neonatal intensive care unit, medical and surgical departments, comprehensive cancer center, heart center, same-day surgery, transitional care unit, and rehab center. Further information may be obtained at www.losrobleshospital.com.