Active Living Program News
Physician Referrals for ALP Programs
Where do people go for advice on improving their health? While some will search out information on their own through word of mouth or self-help methods, many will contact their local hospital or talk with their doctor. In our April teleconference call, we talked about how to promote Active Living Every Day and Healthy Eating Every Day programs through local hospitals and physicians. We discussed how ALP programs can best fit within a medical setting, how to establish credibility, who to contact, what questions to ask, and how to create a smooth referral process.
Special guest Samantha Schwenke of Bloomington Hospital in Indiana shared their experience in this area. Samantha is a registered dietitian with the Community Health Education department. She and other educators see patients in an outpatient setting for medical nutrition therapy, and Samantha also organizes community programs and events promoting a healthy, physically active lifestyle. Bloomington Hospital has offered Active Living Every Day and Healthy Eating Every Day for two years.
Our call covered three issues:
- How can ALED and HEED fit into a hospital or physician’s practice?
- Keys to working with medical professionals
- Questions to ask when meeting with a hospital representative or doctor
How can ALED and HEED fit into a hospital or physician’s practice?
Samantha began our discussion by explaining the many departments they work with throughout their hospital system. “The community health education department is a good resource for us. We also have other health care professionals in the cardiac rehab department, the cancer center, and our diabetes care center, and those are a very good referral source. Also, through our Wellness initiatives, our hospital employees can get points for various wellness activities, so that helps to get people into our programs. Media staff services is a good place to get physician information—contact details, lists of doctors in different locations and departments. They have a great captive audience if you want to present something. Our public relations department has been great in helping us to advertise Active Living Every Day and Healthy Eating Every Day.”
Regarding who best to contact within a hospital system, Samantha suggested, “Seek out those people who already have a strong interest in wellness or health improvement. Dietitians, a trainer in the fitness facility, someone in community health—those are the ones who will be beneficial in spurring interest in getting referrals or promoting the programs. Our administration was very helpful, too, in encouraging the programs, as it fit in with our initiative to combat obesity. My best advice is to start with the people who have a great interest in healthy lifestyles and physical activity.”
Our other topics
Want to learn more? If you are a trained ALP program director or facilitator, you can access a recording of our call, accompanied by a Powerpoint presentation, from our Web site. Simply log in, click the Resources tab, and scroll down to the Teleconference Recording section.
If you are not yet trained to offer Active Living Every Day and Healthy Eating Every Day, give us a call today. Our program partners have access to not only our teleconference forums, but many other program resources as well: marketing examples, presentation aids, complete program materials, and program consultation with our experienced staff. Visit our Web site at www.ActiveLiving.info, call 800-747-4457 ext 2522, or e-mail michellem@hkusa.com.
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