Hospital Certificate of Need Campaign
Public Strategies coordinates a grassroots campaign to win approval for a new hospital

The Situation

A growing nonprofit hospital system sought to build a state-of-the-art hospital to keep pace with rapid growth, but found its application for a certificate of need turned down by the state regulatory agency. The hospital system hired Public Strategies to design and manage a public campaign to gain greater community support for the new facility and affect the decision-making process.

Public Strategies' solution

Public Strategies began by conducting public opinion research to gauge the level of support, understand reasons for opposition, test potential messages, and identify key audiences and allies. The research findings enabled us to develop a set of messages that would resonate with the public, address common concerns, and make a compelling case for a new hospital.

The messages became the basis of a comprehensive strategy for a grassroots campaign that included an advocacy Web site, a petition drive and letter-writing campaign, advertising and direct mail campaigns, and a media outreach initiative. The media outreach included publishing op-ed articles and letters to the editor by respected community leaders in daily and weekly newspapers, as well as earned-media events to build momentum and create a sense of inevitability for the project.

The campaign also included a series of town hall meetings organized by Public Strategies to give the public an opportunity to learn more about the hospital proposal, ask questions and offer their support.

Client Benefits

The grassroots campaign built and mobilized a team of thousands of supporters and produced significant positive media coverage and favorable editorials. Bolstered by this widespread public support, the hospital system reapplied for a certificate of need and won approval from the state regulatory agency. The new hospital will open in 2009.