LIVESTRONG was awarded three PRisms by the Los Angeles chapter of the Public Relations Society of America during its annual PRism Awards Show on Wed., Nov. 9 recognizing outstanding programs in public relations. The campaign “Generating Awareness of Cancer Resources among Hispanics/Latinos” garnered top honors in the Multicultural, Nonprofit and Public Education categories. LIVESTRONG was also recently awarded the Hispanic Public Relations Association 2011 PRemio “Best Healthcare Campaign of the Year” for LIVESTRONG’s Hispanic/Latino Campaign. LIVESTRONG is the brand of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, created in 1997 by the cancer survivor and champion cyclist to serve people living with cancer and empower communities to take action against the world’s leading cause of death.
“LIVESTRONG is honored to be recognized by PRSA for our work on behalf of vulnerable and underserved communities,” said Katherine McLane, LIVESTRONG Senior Director for Communications and External Affairs. “The success of this public education campaign helps to address the need for healthcare resources for cancer survivors and, equally important, culturally relevant communications to at-risk populations.”
Cancer is the second leading cause of death among Hispanics and the cancer rate in the community is expected to increase 142 percent by 2030. The LIVESTRONG multimedia campaign, developed and implemented in partnership with Edelman, was designed to increase awareness of LIVESTRONG’s cancer navigation services primarily among Spanish-dominant and bicultural Hispanics. The free, confidential services, available in Spanish and English, address a wide-range of needs including emotional support; fertility risks and preservation options; and insurance, employment, financial and treatment concerns. Additionally, the campaign sought to address the issue of stigma associated with a cancer diagnosis. To drive home a message of hope, the campaign leveraged cancer survivors in seven key markets that had benefitted from the LIVESTRONG navigation services, as well as LIVESTRONG-certified promotores (community health workers), to illustrate the easy accessibility and usefulness of its resources. As a result of the targeted efforts, the number of Hispanic clients accessing the navigation services increased by 40 percent.