Women’s College Hospital in Toronto has launched its biggest ever public awareness and fundraising campaign aimed at closing the health gap that affects women’s health.
“There truly is a real gap in the health of women,” says Lili Shalev-Shawn, chief communications and marketing officer at Women’s College Hospital, noting it stems from the fact women and biological gender differences have traditionally not been taken into account when it comes to health research, programs and treatment. “We felt that it was time to shine a light on this.”
The integrated campaign, which runs until mid-June includes a microsite (TheHealthGap.ca), paid media, TTC transit ads, newspaper ads, media and influencer relations, social media and a newspaper and magazine supplement.
It aims to show the ways the hospital is working to close the health gap and also shines a spotlight on what still needs to be done and how people can help.
Shalev-Shawn notes that until the 1990s there was no requirement to include women in clinical trials, meaning many treatments and prescription drug protocols still in use have not been designed with women in mind.
Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression and other mental health issues as men, but face three times as many barriers when it comes to getting mental health care, she says.
As well, while heart disease kills more women than men, women represent only 35% of participants in cardiovascular research. And while women generally live longer than men, their chronic conditions are treated less aggressively.
Social determinants of health, such as income, employment status and housing, also affect women more than men.
Part of the campaign draws a connection between the much-discussed wage gap between men and women and the less-known health gap, with subway ads containing such messages as “Is the wage gap disheartening? The health gap may actually give you a heart attack” and “Wage gap not sitting right? You better be sitting down when you hear about the health gap.”
Subway platform posters were launched last week at the St. George, Dundas and College subway stations in Toronto, which are closest to the hospital. There are also bus and transit shelter ads in the downtown core.
The campaign includes social media activations on the hospital’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels, an influencer engagement campaign, a magazine insert in Chatelaine and a newspaper supplement in the Toronto Star and a range of programmatic and digital ads.
High Road created the campaign.
Unlike most hospital campaigns that focus solely on fundraising, Shalev-Shawn notes the hospital and its foundation have joined together on the campaign.
“We feel it’s just as important for us to educate our communities on the issues in the health system and the treatment clinics, programs and research that the hospital is putting on to try to close some of these issues, and at the same time engage our community of donors.”
Shalev-Shawn did not divulge the campaign cost or fundraising goal, but notes the campaign has obtained non-profit rates from media.
The foundation is using such income sources as investments to pay for the campaign and no donor dollars are being used, says Cathy Carter, executive director, chief community officer (interim) at Women’s College Hospital Foundation.
