Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

OVATION Awards Winning Entry
Communication Management
Special Events with budget greater than $100,000
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Entrant’s Name: Jodi Salem, Director of Strategic Communications
Organization’s Name: Women’s College Hospital
Division/Category: Division 1: Communication Management; Category 6c: Special Events
Title of Entry: 100 Years of Women’s Health
Time Period of Project: A yearlong celebration throughout 2011
Description: A series of spectacular events to celebrate Women’s College Hospital’s 100th anniversary.
Business Need/Opportunity:
In 2006, Women’s College Hospital (WCH) was de‐amalgamated from Sunnybrook Health Sciences
Centre (SB) and handed a new mandate: to become Ontario’s first ambulatory hospital dedicated to
women’s health. However, it would also give up its 100‐year legacy in delivering babies. WCH would
evolve from Canada’s pre‐eminent facility for moms and babies to North America’s most significant
health‐care centre dedicated to preventing and managing the diseases that affect women throughout
their lives.
Though the split from SB was well documented in the media, WCH research showed that stakeholders
and the general public were not well aware of WCH’s new independence, new role and new services. A
survey of donors and members of the general public uncovered perceptions of an institution focused
primarily on women’s reproductive health – and not much else. Interviews with community groups
revealed cynicism about WCH’s capacity to respond to the needs of diverse women. And one‐on‐one
discussions with key health‐care stakeholders showed confusion about WCH’s mandate.
WCH needed to boldly re‐establish its position as a leading centre for women’s health.
The good news was that 2011 marked WCH’s 100th anniversary – an opportunity to demonstrate WCH’s
ongoing leadership in women’s health, clarify misperceptions, revitalize relationships, and showcase
WCH’s new role by illustrating its remarkable history.
Intended Audiences: Primary:
1) WCH staff, physicians, volunteers who expressed disappointment with the hospital’s waning focus on
women’s needs during the SB years and were feeling disengaged. 2) Donors, patients, community
groups and Toronto women including those in marginalized communities who need to understand the
vital role WCH plays in their health care. Secondary: 1) The Province of Ontario, specifically the Ministry
of Health (MOH) which funds WCH and creates policy to support its mission. 2) The medical and health
communities such as hospital CEOs, University of Toronto (UofT), and researchers and physicians
invested in women’s health. The support of these audiences is essential to WCH’s capacity to build
credibility, further its academic agenda and achieve financial stability.