Marianjoy Wins Gold Aster Award for Texting & Driving Awareness Campaign

WHEATON, Ill.,  May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Marketing Healthcare Today Magazine and Creative Images, Inc. announced today that Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital has won a gold 2011 Aster Award for its "Don't Text and Drive" public awareness campaign.

The idea for the campaign was initiated by Kathleen Yosko, Marianjoy's President and Chief Executive Officer, and developed internally by Marianjoy's marketing team. As a leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation, Marianjoy often provides rehabilitative care for people who are injured in car accidents. The campaign's purpose was to generate awareness on the dangers and consequences of texting and driving and ultimately help to prevent distracted driving accidents.

The "Don't Text and Drive" campaign integrated a radio advertisement formatted as a public service announcement, a customized insert with a non-slip strip which is easily applied to back of a mobile device to encourage hands-free talking, and a landing page on Marianjoy's website (http://www.marianjoy.org/Newsroom/TextingandDriving.aspx) with resources and statistics on distracted driving. The radio announcement was heard over 12.5 million times in the Chicagoland area while the campaign message was spread by word-of-mouth and requests for additional materials.

The campaign evolved into a true community benefit. "This award is a testament to Marianjoy's outreach and involvement in the community," notes Don Fischer, Chairman of Marianjoy's Board of Directors. "Although Marianjoy is well known for high quality rehabilitative care, it also advocates for injury and illness prevention."

One of the largest national competitions of its kind, the Aster Awards is an elite program that recognizes outstanding healthcare professionals and organizations for excellence in their healthcare advertising and marketing efforts. The 2011 Aster Awards received approximately 3,000 entries from across the United States as well as Canada and South America.  Participant's entries competed against similar-sized organizations in their category.  

Entries must score at least in the top 16% to receive an award.  Judging criteria includes creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality and overall appeal.  "It was an honor to have the number of healthcare organizations and agencies that participated in the 2011 Aster Awards Competition. The quality of this year's entries went well beyond the judges' expectations," explains Melinda R. Lucas, Aster Awards Program Coordinator. All winners are posted on the Aster Awards website (www.AsterAwards.com), as well as published in Marketing Healthcare Today, a national healthcare marketing magazine.

Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital is a nonprofit teaching hospital in Wheaton, Illinois, dedicated to the delivery of physical medicine and rehabilitation programs including stroke, neuromuscular, orthopedic, brain injury, spinal cord injury, and pediatrics. Marianjoy's $60 million, 120 private room replacement hospital is a state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance the naturally holistic approach to rehabilitation. Founded in 1972, Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital maintains an extensive network of inpatient, subacute, and outpatient sites and physician clinics throughout the Chicago area. Marianjoy is a member of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.

SOURCE Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital