New Saint Agnes Hospital Website Wins Gold in Winter/Spring 2011 Web Health Awards

BALTIMORE, June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Vitamin® today announced that the Saint Agnes Hospital website, which was designed and launched by the firm in early 2011, has won the Gold award in the hospital web sites category of the 13^th annual Web Health Awards.

The Web Health Awards honors the nation's best digital health resources. The competition, held twice yearly, features 17 entry categories. A panel of 39 experts in digital health media served as judges and selected winners from among more than 500 entries.

"We are honored to receive such a distinction from the web community," said Kirstan Cecil, director of communications and marketing for Saint Agnes Hospital. "The judging criterion is primarily weighted on content, creativity, design, and user experience simultaneously, so the acknowledgment definitely underscores the overall value our site transcends, as a comprehensive and highly effective online resource."

The new site uses the ExpressionEngine platform, and utilizes user-friendly features while focusing on a branded experience. The website's launch coincided with the hospital's ongoing campus expansion plan, therefore aiding Saint Agnes in maintaining a continuous, balanced mix of comfort and convenience along with strides in technological advancements. The expansion has already entailed renovations of the Emergency Department, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unity (NICU) and the opening of a new Main Entrance and Patient Tower, and will continue with numerous additional areas, including an expanded Cancer Institute, Cardiovascular Institute and Medical Office Building.

The 250-page web site exhibits one of the most robust hospital system websites in the mid-Atlantic area, giving Saint Agnes the ability to optimize traffic through search engines as well through incorporated social media networks, including Facebook and Twitter.  

"We are really excited to see the Saint Agnes site getting the recognition it deserves," said Mike Karfakis, COO of Vitamin. "We have been fortunate to work with such a great client, allowing us to respond to healthcare and patient web trends by enhancing the hospital's online brand during this time of significant growth for the institution."

A list of winners and product descriptions can be found at: http://www.healthawards.com/wha/winnersws2011/index.html

About Vitamin

Vitamin, the "Cure for the Common Brand," is the mid-Atlantic's first boutique design-web-PR firm focused on nourishing brands through a best practices, all-in-house approach to creating cohesive identity, print, interactive and public relations programs. Vitamin's client list includes regional and national companies in diverse fields, including built industry, education, healthcare, restaurant/ hospitality, non-profit and search/staffing. Vitamin is certified MBE/DBE by the Maryland Department of Transportation.

About Saint Agnes Hospital

Saint Agnes Hospital is a 314-bed hospital currently undergoing a 200+ million dollar expansion emphasizing patient safety in a high quality healthcare environment. Founded by the Daughters of Charity in 1862, Saint Agnes is the first Catholic hospital in Baltimore and is a full service teaching hospital with residency programs in a number of medical and surgical specialties. Key Institutes include: Cancer, Cardiovascular, Orthopaedic & Spine, Maryland Metabolic, Women's & Children's Health and Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. Saint Agnes pioneered the first Chest Pain ED in the world and continues to expand and grow its Emergency Services. For more information on Saint Agnes Hospital, visit http://www.stagnes.org/.

SOURCE Vitamin