1. Communicating Public Health News & Services Case analysis of digital health communication efforts in three mid-size Massachusetts cities: Cambridge, New Bedford, and Newton

2. Common Challenges: Attract city residents as regular users Keep the news and information current Focus information on city-specific concerns and events to ensure relevancy Over-reliance on print-style materials Build an audience so it is more useful in emergencies Invest time and money in communicating with the public

3. Public Health in New Bedford Demographic information Population: 95,183 English is primary language in <60% of households Median household income: $36,172 Health & Human Services Department budget for FY 2014: $1.1 million* *Budget for Health Department-only spending not available

4. City of New Bedford Mission: The Public Health Division is responsible for promoting general good health practices in the City of New Bedford. Target audience: City residents and business owners Digital strategy: Limited to a Web site for conveying information to citizens about public health threats, regulations, and licensing for certain small businesses A platform for distribution of traditional print materials, such as flyers and FAQs

7. New Bedford SWOT Analysis StrengthsWeaknesses Useful information on a host of potential health problems for residents such as EEE and Lyme disease Many fact sheets also available in Spanish and Portuguese Straightforward navigation via drop-down menus Overview page is too long, too much scrolling Directed to other-language fact sheets in English only Main page is relatively static Contact information is missing or hard to find OpportunitiesThreats Links to consumers for citys healthy dining initiative Expansion to social media Destination for health information in Portuguese community with few other resources The PHD web page is not easy to find from city home page Much of the information on the site can be found elsewhere Limited funding

8. Recommendations Optimize page design for use on mobile devices Establish a presence on Facebook Emphasize seasonal health concerns on Facebook and Web site Redesign main page so that it is more concise and relevant Configure content for use by sub-groups, such as parents, teens, older residents, small businesses, etc. Underscore New Bedford-specific initiatives and information

9. City of Newton Demographic Information Population: 86,945 English is primary language in >70% of households Median household income: $107,696 Health department budget FY 2014: $3.2 million* *Budget for Public Health-only spending not available

11. Public Health in Newton Mission: The mission of the department is to protect, promote and sustain the health, harmony, and well-being of all Newton residents, in a culturally-sensitive, customer- friendly manner. Our focus is on prevention. Target audience: City residents and business owners Digital strategy: Limited to a Web site with information on health concerns, schedules for free screenings/immunizations, and some newsworthy content.

13. Newton SWOT Analysis StrengthsWeaknesses Simple navigation via drop down menus Some attempts to add information based on news events (talking with children after traumatic events) Limited information Fresh content is linked from Health & Human Services overview page; cant be found if navigating directly to Public Health OpportunitiesThreats Serves a mostly wealthy, wired community Good sources of local information on Recreation Departments portion of the site (farmers markets, wellness programs, etc.) Health care providers can offer much of the same material Relevance to Newton residents Limited funding

14. Recommendations Add Facebook presence Expand content on Twitter to include information aimed at residents Create a newsier top page for Public Health Emphasize Newton-related health information, such as summer health maintenance clinics, and list as events on Facebook Remove outdated information Create single list of contacts

15. City of Cambridge Demographic information Population: 106,038 English is primary language in <60% of households Median household income: $64,865 Public Health Department budget for FY 2014: $6.5 million

16. Public Health in Cambridge Mission: The mission of the Cambridge Public Health Department is to improve the quality of life of residents and workers by reducing sickness and injury; encouraging healthy behaviors; and fostering safe and healthy environments in homes, schools, and workplaces. Target audience: City residents and business owners Digital strategy: Web-based presence that highlights news, events, and Cambridge-specific programming

19. Cambridge SWOT Analysis StrengthsWeaknesses Lively main page All information grouped into four categories Newsworthy events displayed more prominently List of contacts is extensive and easy to find Content is repeated in multiple places City Public Health services are hard to find Material is in English only OpportunitiesThreats Expanded use of social media Strong sponsorship from multiple partners Strong local programming Branding confusion (Cambridge Health Department and Cambridge Health Alliance) Multi-lingual, diverse socio- economic community adds to expense, challenges

20. Recommendations Link Twitter (Cambridge Health Alliance) to Web site Create Facebook presence for Mens Health League and other programs More material adapted for use on the Web (Cambridge in Motion) Highlight calendar on Web site and create Facebook events

21. Other Cities on Facebook Tend to highlight a specific program or set of programs. For example: Healthy San Francisco Eating Healthy NYC NYC Condom NYC Quits Smoking Philly Flu

22. On Twitter nycHealthy HealthyBoston

23. San Francisco