The Future of Cancer COEs: Video-Driven Engagement

Imagine connecting with your healthcare provider from the comfort of your own home, learning about health topics that matter to you through engaging videos, and feeling truly supported on your health journey.

This is becoming a reality thanks to innovative video-first strategies that are transforming how healthcare organizations engage with their communities.

Leading institutions like USC and Cedars-Sinai have been at the forefront with robust Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) programs, bridging gaps in care and empowering individuals to take charge of their health.

Now, with the rise of video-first service providers like Goodsides, healthcare systems everywhere have an unprecedented opportunity to create or enhance their COEs, making them more accessible, engaging, and impactful than ever before.

The Power of Video-First Engagement

Video isn't just a medium—it's a way to tell stories, share experiences, and connect on a personal level.

For healthcare organizations, embracing a video-first strategy means leveraging the power of visual storytelling to deliver health information, education, and support directly to people where they are—on their phones, tablets, and computers. Here's why this approach is making such a difference:

Accessibility: Video content can be viewed anytime, anywhere, breaking down barriers for those with limited mobility or transportation options. Whether someone is at home, on a break at work, or commuting, they can access valuable health information with just a few clicks.
Engagement: Let's face it—videos capture our attention. They combine visual and auditory elements to make learning easier and more memorable. Compared to reading a pamphlet or a lengthy article, a short video can convey complex information in an understandable way.
Scalability: One video can reach thousands, even millions of people. It can be shared across social media, emailed, or embedded on websites, extending its impact far beyond its original audience.
Personalization: Video platforms can tailor content to individual needs and preferences. Imagine receiving a video series specifically designed to help you manage a chronic condition or adopt a healthier lifestyle.

How Healthcare Entities Can Utilize Video-First Strategies

There are countless exciting ways healthcare organizations can use video to connect with their communities.

Here are just a few:

1. Health Education

Create engaging videos on topics that matter—like preventing diabetes, heart-healthy living, or stress management. Use animations, interviews with experts, and real-life stories to make the information come alive.

Tip to Maximize Reach: Optimize your videos for search engines by using relevant keywords in titles and descriptions. Share the content across multiple platforms like YouTube, social media, and your organization's website to broaden your audience. Collaborate with local influencers or community leaders to amplify your message.

2. Virtual Support Groups

Imagine joining a support group from your living room, connecting with others who are experiencing similar health challenges. Video makes it possible to create safe, supportive online spaces where individuals can share, learn, and grow together.

Tip to Enhance Engagement: Promote your virtual support groups through email campaigns and social media to reach those who may benefit most. Schedule sessions at varying times to accommodate different schedules, and consider recording sessions (with permission) for those who cannot attend live.

3. Provider-Patient Communication

Video conferencing allows doctors and patients to meet face-to-face without being in the same room. This is a game-changer for people in remote or underserved areas, improving access to care and making follow-up appointments more convenient.

Tip to Maximize Efficiency: Invest in a reliable, user-friendly telehealth platform that ensures patient privacy and complies with regulations like HIPAA. Provide training for both staff and patients to ease the transition to virtual appointments, reducing no-shows and increasing satisfaction.

4. Community Engagement

Live stream community events like health fairs, workshops, and panel discussions. Not only does this reach a wider audience, but it also fosters a sense of connection and inclusivity, allowing more people to participate in important conversations about health.

Tip to Expand Audience: Use targeted social media ads to promote your live events to specific demographics. Encourage real-time interaction by incorporating Q&A sessions or polls during the live stream. Post-event, share highlights or recorded sessions to keep the conversation going.

5. Training and Workforce Development

Use video to train community health workers, volunteers, and other healthcare professionals. It's an effective way to enhance skills, share best practices, and ensure consistent messaging across teams.

Tip to Maximize Impact: Create a centralized online hub (like the one over at HVIA) where training videos are easily accessible. Incorporate interactive elements like quizzes or discussion boards to reinforce learning. Regularly update content based on feedback and emerging best practices to keep your workforce informed and engaged.

The Data-Driven Impact of Cancer COE Programs and the Potential of Video

Cancer is a daunting word, but early detection and support can make all the difference. Community Outreach and Engagement programs for cancer care play a crucial role in reaching underserved populations, raising awareness, and providing support. Here's how these programs are making an impact:

Increased Screening and Early Detection: By educating communities about the importance of screenings, more people are catching cancers like breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers early, when they are most treatable.
Tailored Education and Prevention: COE programs raise awareness about risk factors and promote healthier lifestyles, often tailoring messages to resonate with specific demographics.
Improved Access to Care: By partnering with community organizations, COEs help bridge gaps in care, ensuring that vulnerable populations receive the services they need.
Reduction in Health Disparities: Targeting high-risk groups with interventions that address social determinants of health helps reduce disparities in cancer outcomes.

Amplifying Efforts Through Video

Video can take these impactful programs to the next level:

Expanding Reach and Accessibility: On-demand videos can be viewed at any time, and when content is available in multiple languages and tailored to different cultures, it can reach people who might otherwise be left out.
Creating Emotional and Visual Impact: Personal stories and testimonials from patients and survivors can touch hearts and inspire action in a way that statistics alone cannot.
Raising Awareness and Myth-Busting: Short, engaging videos can dispel common misconceptions about cancer and present important information in an easy-to-understand format.
Expanding Virtual Support and Survivorship: Videos can show people how to access virtual care, join online support groups, and connect with others who have faced similar challenges.
Interactive Elements: Live Q&A sessions allow community members to ask questions directly to healthcare providers, building trust and fostering engagement.
Addressing Health Disparities: By reaching people in rural areas or those with limited access to traditional healthcare resources, video helps bridge the digital divide.

Conclusion: Making Health More Personal

In a world where technology connects us more than ever, embracing video-first strategies is a natural next step for healthcare organizations aiming to make a real difference in their communities. By leveraging the power of video, COEs can become more effective, accessible, and engaging, truly revolutionizing the way healthcare organizations connect with and empower individuals.

When we see stories of real people overcoming challenges, receive information tailored to our needs, and connect with healthcare providers from our own homes, health becomes more personal and attainable.

Video has the potential to promote health equity, improve population health outcomes, and empower us all to take charge of our health.

Key Takeaways

Enhanced Accessibility and Engagement: Video-first strategies break down barriers to participation, capturing attention and facilitating learning in a way that text-based materials often cannot.
Versatility in Application: Healthcare entities can utilize video for health education, virtual support groups, provider-patient communication, community engagement, and training.
Amplifying Impact of Cancer COE Programs: Video can significantly enhance the reach and effectiveness of cancer outreach efforts, leading to increased screening rates, better education, improved access to care, and reduced health disparities.
Fostering Connection and Trust: Personalized stories and interactive elements like live Q&A sessions build stronger relationships between healthcare providers and the communities they serve.

As more healthcare systems follow the lead of institutions like USC and Cedars-Sinai, we're witnessing a significant transformation in community outreach and engagement.

Video production is playing a pivotal role in this evolution, empowering individuals and communities to take charge of their health like never before.

Let's harness the power of video to build healthier communities together.

Whether you're a healthcare professional, a patient, or a community member, embracing these innovative strategies can make a meaningful difference in people's lives. The future of healthcare outreach is here, and it's more connected, compassionate, and accessible than ever.