This project, in particular, was terribly tricky. There were “many” hands in a small bucket. I knew from day one that developing a constituency would be a big job (although a job I was certainly up for). Although a portion of the medical schools funding is provided through the state, it is done so on the premise that the physicians affiliated with the school will provide health care to those without insurance or resources to pay for services rendered.
Fortunately, we knew we had an ace in the hole – an exceptional team of physicians, current on leading-edge medicine and affiliated practices, waiting in the wings for some sort of brand presence to help grow their patient base. They were known as Med School Associates North and South, probably not the first phone number you would call if you needed to see a doctor.
Through an enlightening, research-based and sometimes painful (for all involve) process, we were able to give our nationally-renown physicians a new name – University Health System.
These are, without a doubt, the best physicians in Nevada. I’m giving them a plug simply because I’m so passionate about their dedication to medicine, teaching and overall patient care. Visit uhsnevada.org for more info.
A summary from the inception of the project follows.
The University of Nevada School of Medicine has been meeting statewide healthcare, educational and clinical needs since 1969. Nevada’s public medical school is university based and community integrated, with over 500 faculty and staff dedicated to the health needs of southern Nevada, 1,000 statewide. In a state that is facing a growing health care crisis, the University School of Medicine is committed to addressing the health needs of Nevada now and in the future.
Representing the largest multi-specialty heath care focus in the region, Nevada’s public medical school specializes in Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Internal Medicine and Surgery. With a best-practice approach to medicine, University School of Medicine educators and residents improve patient care at Family Medicine Centers and well-respected hospitals throughout the valley, including University Medical Center (UMC), Sunrise Hospital and MountainView Hospital. With a 70% likelihood of post-graduate students remaining in Nevada, the School of Medicine is “raising residents” that positively impact the physical and fiscal health of the state.
Strategic and consistent communications between the media and key publics will strengthen the University of Nevada School of Medicine’s reputation within the community, elevate the profile of its physician faculty and its administrators, dissipate confusion between emerging private medical education, institutions and facilities and ultimately, increase student enrollment and public funding for the school and University.
