Inova Urges Patients not to Delay Care in new Safe @ Inova Marketing Campaign

Safe@Inova Campaign Encourages Patients to Keep up with Routine Care and Screenings

Falls Church, VA – Inova Health System this week announced the launch of the second phase of its Safe@Inova campaign, which encourages patients to not delay seeking medical care and raises awareness about the importance of keeping up with routine healthcare needs and screenings. The new phase of the Safe@Inova campaign will run from May – July 2021 and focuses on the importance of getting back to medical care – routine screenings, annual check-ups, surgeries and emergency care.

During the pandemic, Inova saw a significant decline in patients for both emergency and routine medical care. As a result of delayed emergency care and postponement of routine screenings, Inova began to see higher acuity cases across all care sites. These findings align with data from the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention reporting emergency department visits declined 42 percent during the early months of COVID-19. Routine care for chronic conditions and cancer screenings also declined during COVID-19 leading to the potential for more serious medical conditions and advanced diagnoses. 

“Delaying necessary medical screenings and treatment comes with many more risks and can lead to more serious medical conditions,” said J. Stephen Jones, MD President and CEO, Inova Health System. “As more people in our region are vaccinated and COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, there are many things we all want to get back to doing.  One of the most important things you can do for yourself and your overall health is to get caught up on your routine care and screenings.  The need to maintain your health hasn’t stopped, and neither has our care.”  

The campaign targets local and regional print and digital media in the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC area to reach the communities we serve, using:

• Digital Display Ads
• Email
• Google Paid Search
• inova.org (homepage banner)
• Local Digital Newspaper (blog)
• Native Digital Advertising
• Organic Social Media (video)
• Paid Social Media (Facebook)
• Print Ads (community newspapers
• Collateral (flyers & pull-up banners)

“Returning to self-care and maintenance appointments is imperative to staying healthy,” said Tracey Schroeder, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Inova.  “This campaign empowers patients and our community to access the care they need right now in a safe and reliable environment.  Inova is privileged to continue to serve our community for all their health needs.” 

Inova’s original Safe@Inova campaign began in June 2020, as the health system, like many across the country, were experiencing a decline in patients at all our care sites for both emergency and routine medical care due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inova implemented robust safety measures at all facilities to assure patients that it is safe to seek medical care.  The first phase of the campaign resulted in a 60 percent increase in confidence to use Inova. 

For more information on Inova’s Safe@Inova Campaign, visit www.inova.org/patients-visitors/safe-at-inova/your-health-first.

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About Inova

Inova is Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider. Our mission is to provide world-class healthcare – every time, every touch – to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve. Inova’s 18,000 team members serve more than 2 million individuals annually through an integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes.  

Inova’s five hospitals are consistently recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals and Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades for excellence in healthcare.

Inova is home to Northern Virginia’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Its hospitals have a total of 1,936 licensed beds. More information and statistics about Inova can be found at www.inova.org.