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WWE Toolkit Module 4

Module 4: WWE marketing

Numerous and diverse Walk With Ease marketing materials are available to target a variety of audiences: participants, clinical providers, worksites, potential payors, faith-based communities and community-based organizations that are potential program implementation partners.

Participants

A 7-minute video introduction to Walk With Ease is available for your viewing and use (for marketing and outreach). This video is called “Class Zero” which means it can be used as an orientation session (or part of an orientation session) held in advance of the first class or first week of the program. If the use of video presentation is not feasible, or if you prefer to customize your orientation, you can adapt the script and slides.  Not only can the video and the script/slides provide an orientation for people already registered for WWE, but they can also be used to help recruit new registrants.  The video, in particular, provides some wonderful testimonials from WWE leaders and participants, which are both heart-felt and motivating.

There are flyers, brochures and a press kit that have been designed by the OAAA, the Arthritis Foundation, and other partner organizations for various audiences. Examples of these include:

Potential payors

In some cases, you may have existing internal resources, or contributions to grants to cover the expense of implementing WWE. However, you may also wish to seek funding support from other entities. In order to do so, it is important to have crafted a tailored value proposition.  A value proposition is a business or marketing statement that an organization uses to summarize why a potential payor should buy a product or use a service like WWE. This statement convinces a potential payor that one particular program will add more value or better solve a problem than other similar programs. A value proposition can also be used by a wellness coordinator with senior management and boards of advisors to justify why organizational funding and efforts are being employed for one program rather than another. There is no one-size-fits-all for a value proposition; it must be customized for each target audience. NCOA has created an overview of value propositions, steps to creating them and some general examples.

Listed here are examples of WWE value propositions. They are used with permission and may be adapted for your use and target audiences.

Example 1 |  North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness’s Value Proposition

This value proposition was designed for use for various potential program purchasers.

 

Example 2 |  Medworks, NACDD and the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health

This presentation was compiled to showcase WWE to a group of business coalition members.

 

This example of making the value proposition with worksites was prepared by MedWorks Consulting. It targets the broader issue of musculoskeletal conditions and how managing pain and stiffness in the workplace improves productivity and reduces costs. It identifies physical activity as an effective approach to dealing with symptoms and features the self-directed and enhanced formats of the WWE program as affordable, easy to implement approaches.

Additional marketing materials from other organizations

Clinical Providers

Some organizations work to create clinical linkages for referral of adults with arthritis to Walk With Ease. In support of these efforts, various entities have created materials that you can adapt and use for your planning and outreach with the clinical care sector.  The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) has produced Increasing Referrals to Community-Based Programs and Services: An Electronic Health Record Referral Process. It is intended for health care providers and community-based organizations. This guide is based on a pilot implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) referral process where healthcare providers (HCPs) identify and refer individuals with arthritis to evidence-based programs;  in this example, the programs are offered through local parks and recreation. It provides a step-by-step guide on how to replicate the EHR referral process that does not require sharing of personal health information. It also includes sample communication materials, tips and lessons learned from the piloting organizations, a pilot site case study, resources for developing and maintaining healthcare partnerships and a glossary of relevant terms.

Other resources for engaging clinical providers

In addition, the OAAA has developed two toolkits for clinical providers that include content about Walk with Ease and other arthritis-appropriate interventions and making referrals to them. These toolkits can help inform your efforts to create clinical partnerships, advocate for OA, and market WWE and other arthritis-appropriate interventions.

  • The Pharmacy Toolkit: Pharmacists, as the most accessible healthcare providers, are in an ideal position to screen their clientele for OA, serve as educators and coaches regarding prevention strategies, counsel clients on the safe and effective treatment options available, and triage when necessary. The information conveyed in this toolkit gives the pharmacist ideas and guidance on how to assume a more active role in the detection, prevention, and treatment of OA.
  • The Osteoarthritis Prevention and Management in Primary Care Toolkit: Family physicians, internists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical and occupational therapists, sports medicine professionals, and athletic trainers play a critical role in detecting OA early and establishing management strategies with patients that may delay pain and stiffness and retain mobility and function. The toolkit includes educational information for primary care providers to expand their knowledge of OA and programs like WWE, as well as patient-facing handouts and resources that can help empower patients to engage in self-management strategies to complement clinical care.

Community Providers

In addition to the brief Walk With Ease Class Zero orientation video described above, the OAAA has also developed a one-hour WWE Informational Webinar (audio recording with slides) that provides more depth about the program and its logistics.  If you are working to engage new partners in your efforts to disseminate WWE, you may consider sharing the link to this video with them, as it will provide a thorough overview of the program.

Worksites

In addition to the adapting the AF WWE brochure or the value proposition for worksites noted above, there are a range of materials available at the CDC Worksite Health Promotion webpage.  This site features the Worksite Health Promotion Resource Center, the Workplace Health Model, the Work@Health Training Program and the Worksite Health ScoreCard. The Worksite Health ScoreCard can be used with employers as a first step in helping them assess the status of their employee health and health promotion programming.

Additional guidance in making the case and working with employers can be found in the NACDD-sponsored hour-long  webinar titled, Public-Private Partnership to Advance Employee Health. The slides for the webinar are available here and the recording of the webinar can be found here.

In addition, the Minnesota Health Department has created a Toolkit for Worksite Coordinators for WWE.

 

The Osteoarthritis Action Alliance (OAAA) is supported, in part, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Thurston Arthritis Research Center (TARC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the lead agency. Contents are solely the responsibility of the OAAA or TARC. 

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