Planning is essential to the success of any activity. To make sure that your efforts are a success you should:
Get a Head Start. There are only 52 weeks in a year, but almost three times as many health observances. For your activity to be noticed, you’ll need to get out of the gate first. Place your observance on the institution’s event calendar and request space in the hospital lobby, cafeteria, or on bulletin boards far ahead of the actual event. That will help avoid conflicts with the other groups planning activities.
Grab a Partner: Observances like National Patient Safety Awareness Week and Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month are natural opportunities for collaboration with other health care professionals. Take the initiative by organizing a meeting to brainstorm activities. Also be sure to get the buy-in of your hospital’s administrator. Explain the goals and the patient education benefits of your activities and invite them to participate in whatever is planned.
Get the Word Out: Make sure that people know about the activities planned for your observance and that the pharmacy department will be taking an active role. Use bulletin boards and internal e-mail systems to communicate with hospital staff. Spread the word to patients using notes on meal trays, announcements on the public address system, or with personal room visits. Publicize community events like health fairs at least four weeks in advance with notices at libraries and grocery stores and announcements in local papers.
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