Introducing the UCSF Orthopaedic Trauma Institute
“Thanks to CoActive’s input and guidance, the Grand Opening of the Orthopaedic Trauma Institute was a huge success. The importance of our work was powerfully conveyed in speeches that reached hundreds of people. We gained important endorsement from local and state government officials. And, our news coverage was seen not only in own community but it reached people in other parts of the world. The event marked a significant milestone for our Department and set the groundwork for our future success."
History: Nearly 10 years ago, a handful of orthopaedic surgeons from UCSF, one of the leading medical institutions in the country, formed the vision for the Orthopaedic Trauma Institute (OTI). They sought to build the first public center for groundbreaking basic and clinical research, state-of-the-art labs, teaching facilities and specialists dedicated to the treatment of traumatic injuries, which are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 40 in the United States. It would all be unveiled at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and Grand Opening in early 2009.
Challenge: A ribbon-cutting ceremony on its own would not generate the depth or quality of news that CoActive knew the OTI deserved. Our goal was to use the event as a news hook but not to allow a brief event to overshadow the importance of the new public center that would serve as a model for the country, if not the world.
Solution: CoActive developed a comprehensive communications plan that provided a plethora of news angles so that reporters could cover many different aspects of the OTI - from its Surgical Training Facility to its Biomechanics Lab to the world-class patient care offered by renowned traumatologists to the global outreach and community work that serves as a cornerstone for the group. In addition, CoActive worked closely with the public affairs and government relations departments at San Francisco General Hospital and UCSF to secure participation from important community leaders such as the Mayor, State representatives, the Board of Supervisors and the Dept. of Public Health.
Results: Approximately 400 visitors attended the opening ceremony and/or reception. In addition, three major Bay Area TV news stations, including FOX 2 News, ABC 7 News and KTSF 26 (Asian programming), covered unique aspects of OTI in news stories ranging from two to three minutes each. In print news, the San Francisco Chronicle featured a Sunday edition front page story about the Biomechanical Research Facility, the J Weekly featured a story about a patient who benefitted from one doctor’s experience piloting 3D imaging in the Surgical Training facility, and additional feature stories were secured in multilingual community newspapers that reached people in the community from all backgrounds.
