Public awareness is key to the success and viability of your program. Although NMHM is a national effort with a well-recognized logo, the members of your community will only join efforts that are custom designed to meet their very specific needs. There can be significant assistance from media and advertising persons whose interest is in communicating with your population. This may be an area where you want to get assistance from the national office of MHC, Inc. prior to making media decisions.

It is important for you to make concerted efforts to attract the media either by releasing significant local data, writing editorials or creating a relationship with the local news station. There is slight degree of awareness of the disparity that we plan to expand through this recognition month. What is missing is the perspective that these diseases are preventable.

One strategy is to give your local area or your city a report card on the health of the minority community, based on your data collection. Another strategy is the use of Public Service Announcements involving entertainers, athletes, and victims of the disparity. About ten years ago, the government published a manual that concludes the media can have programmatic benefits, raise public awareness of the problem, inform people of community programs and build support for programs and other initiatives. The key is being familiar with the audience and having well defined, simple goals. If you are unable to think of the perfect PSA or your level of expertise demands outside intervention, there are marketing companies that are willing to give pro bono advice and direction to deserving causes.

Read books about getting media attention, including a list available on www.nmhm.org