Oceanside’s Tri-City Medical Center was honored recently with 18 awards from the Health Care Communicators of Southern California for community outreach and its public engagement efforts.
Each year, the awards recognize the best health care marketing and communications teams, but, according to Tri-City, this year’s awards were especially meaningful for recognizing the medical center’s dedication to going above and beyond to inform and guide the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Top Prize
Tri-City Medical Center won the award show’s top prize, “Best in Show,” for its brand identity campaign that modernized the medical center’s brand to better reflect the communities it serves.
The three interlocking rings in Tri-City Medical Center’s logo are used to represent the three cities which came together to form Tri-City Healthcare District.
Aqua represents Carlsbad and its shallow lagoons, blue represents the deep waters of Oceanside’s harbor, and orange represents the sunny climate of Vista. By refreshing colors, fonts and guidelines, the medical center was able to take their visibility to a new level with refreshed collateral that more deeply resonates with its stakeholders.
“We’re committed to keeping our community informed while empowering them to proactively manage their health,” said Steve Dietlin, CEO of the medical center. “Our communication and outreach are crucial to the health and safety of our community. We’re proud of the tireless dedication our team shows day in and day out to delivering on our commitment and are honored that those efforts are being recognized through these awards.”
Community Connections
Tri-City’s Community Connections e-newsletter has become an important tool for providing timely, accurate information directly to the community. The newsletter was recognized with a Gold Award. The e-newsletter showcases the quality and convenience of the services offered by the medical center while also providing health and wellness information to subscribers.
However, with constant new developments and information related to the pandemic in 2020, Tri-City utilized its newsletter to share pandemic response updates, recognize front-line healthcare heroes, and spread the word about vital community resources.
The medical center’s efforts utilizing additional digital media channels were also recognized. Its social media program was honored as a Gold Award winner for how it informed and engaged the community throughout the year. The social media program regularly publishes digital content highlighting health tips for the community, recognizing staff members, sharing patient success stories and showing appreciation for community partners. The community response to Tri-City’s social media program has been great, with significant increases in followers and engagement metrics that further amplify the medical center’s digital reach, according to the medical center.
Tri-City’s community relations efforts supporting its new COASTAL Commitment initiative, which stands for Community Outreach and Support Through Active Leadership, also won a Gold Award.
The program is a wide-ranging outreach initiative with nearly 60 partner organizations that formalizes the medical center and its staff’s support and leadership in community improvement programs. This initiative integrates the medical center’s financial contributions, programmatic support, leadership involvement, volunteerism, and fundraising for community projects.
The medical center’s COASTAL Commitment focuses on data driven initiatives that align with the findings of the Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties’ (HASDIC) Community Health Needs Assessment and includes Access to Care, Community & Social Support, Economic Security & Education, and Homelessness & Housing Instability.
Other Awards
In addition to these awards, Tri-City Medical Center also won Gold for Print Advertising, Outdoor Advertising, Health and Wellness Advocacy, and Giveaway Items. They also won Silver Awards for initiatives including Overall Campaign, Internal Communications, Multicultural Relations, Special Publications, Internal and External Video Programs, and Single Day Event. They also won Bronze Awards in the Ad Campaign and website redesign categories.
Tri-City Medical Center has served the Carlsbad, Oceanside, and Vista communities for 60 years and is one of the largest employers in North County. It is a full service acute-care hospital with five primary and specialty care clinics and more than 500 physicians practicing in 60 specialties.
