Livermore – Protect Our Hospitals

While ancillary to the core healing mission, healthcare providers are increasingly forced to pay attention to public affairs and political forces that can, if left unaddressed, control their organizational viability. A case in point: in the middle of preparing to launch its sparkling new multi-billion dollar hospital, Stanford Health Care found itself under simultaneous ballot-box attack in two of the cities they serve—both attempts to create new local healthcare regulatory agencies with broad reaching powers. Initial voter research showed the threat was real and the probability of an adverse outcome was high. And, that the best messengers to defuse these time bombs were doctors and nurses who could credibly address the consequences for patient care. The creative challenge: turn medical experts into television stars in the context of advertising that would break through a jammed campaign season.