ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTITIONER
SPOTLIGHT ON NEHA ACTIVITIES
Swipe Right Campaign Showcases the Environmental Health Workforce
The campaign design played on the swipe right dating app reference by featuring real environmental health professionals in action along with short, fun, and punchy statements that clearly and simply highlighted the importance of the workforce (Photo 1). Each campaign video ended with the words, “It’s a match! You and [name of the professional being highlighted] both want a healthy and safe environment,” emphasizing to the audience of legislators and decision-makers that they surely want a healthy and safe envi- ronment, too. To show support for the environmental health professionals who responded to the East Palestine train derailment in Febru- ary 2023, Ohio was chosen as the location for the pilot cam- paign. We partnered with the Ohio Environmental Health Asso- ciation to invite professionals working in local, state, and tribal environmental health programs to be featured in the campaign. Ultimately the campaign showcased three Ohio environmental health professionals: • Jennifer, an environmental health specialist at Richland Public Health, demonstrating body art facility inspection • Molly, an environmental health specialist (now the director) at Wyandot County Public Health, preventing the spread of dis- ease (Photo 2)
In 2022, the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) took the strategic step to bring aboard a marketing and communi- cations director to, among other things, help raise the visibility of the environmental health profession and workforce. We began by conducting interviews with our Board of Directors and listening to our members working in state, local, tribal, and territorial environ- mental health programs. Themes from these conversations high- lighted the common experience and concern that decision-makers and the public have limited awareness of what environmental health does, and that this invisibility has serious consequences. Feedback underscored the negative eects of being unseen to morale, collaboration, recruitment, and funding. To begin to elevate the visibility and appreciation for the work- force overall, we partnered with the Idea Marketing, a Denver-based woman and minority owned marketing agency, to develop the Swipe Right advertising campaign. The swipe right term originally comes from online dating, but the concept has become widely known as a way for individuals to express their interest in something or some- one. Advertising targeted legislators and decision-makers who have influence on environmental health policy and funding.
Photo 1. Example of the Swipe Right campaign featuring a real environmental health professional in action.
Photo 2. Swipe Right campaign featuring Jennifer from Ohio and the importance of inspecting body art facilities.
Photo 3. Swipe Right campaign featuring Scott from Ohio and the importance of protecting the quality of our water.
54
Volume 87 • Number 1
Powered by FlippingBook