LEONARDTOWN, Md. – MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital’s Marketing, Public Relations & Philanthropy Department was recently honored with 13 awards—the most in the department’s history—in two nationwide competitions honoring excellence in medical marketing. This year’s accolades included nine gold distinctions for work completed in 2020.
MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital’s Marketing, Public Relations & Philanthropy team includes, from left, Megan Johnson, Sandy Ondrejcak, Deborah Gross, Holly Meyer, Maddie Marx, and Ruby Hawks.
“Like all who work in health care and so many other fields, we were asked to take on new challenges in completely unusual circumstances during the last year,” said Holly Meyer, director of Marketing, Public Relations & Philanthropy at MedStar St. Mary’s. “Our department dug deep for creative solutions in stressful situations, maintaining their positivity and professionalism along the way. Receiving a record number of awards for work done throughout a pandemic year is a testament to our team’s innovation and dedication.”
The Healthcare Advertising Awards are sponsored by the Healthcare Marketing Report, a publications group focused on higher education and healthcare marketing news from around the nation. More than 4,400 submissions were received this year, with gold recognition awarded to just 10% of entries. A national panel of judges reviewed submissions based on creativity, quality, message effectiveness, consumer appeal, graphic design, and overall impact.
Healthcare Advertising Awards won in 2021:
• Gold – “2019 Nursing Annual Report” – Annual Report category
• Gold – “The Prescription” – E-Publication
• Gold – “The Pulse,” 2020 collection – Newsletter/Internal
• Gold – “Spirit Yearbook” – Special event materials
• Gold – “UnMasked Gala 2020” – Total fundraising/development campaign
• Silver – COVID Communications 2020 – COVID-19 response materials
• Bronze – MedStar Orthopaedic Institute ad – Magazine advertising, single
• Merit – “Healthy Living,” 2020 collection – Publication/External
The Aster Awards, recognizing excellence in medical marketing, are hosted by Marketing Healthcare Today. Entries are reviewed by a panel of industry experts, then scored on multiple criteria with a possibility of 100 percent. Participants’ entries compete against similar-sized organizations in their specific groups and categories.
Aster Awards won in 2021:
• Gold – “The Pulse,” 2020 collection – Newsletter/Internal, series
• Gold – “UnMasked Gala 2020” – Special events
• Gold – MedStar Orthopaedic Institute ad – Magazine advertising, single
• Gold – “2019 Nursing Annual Report” – Professional recruitment, single
• Silver – “Spirit Yearbook” – Publication/Internal, single
In addition to Meyer, team members are Ruby Hawks, assistant director; Deborah Gross and Megan Johnson, writers; Maddie Marx, marketing and philanthropy coordinator; and Sandy Ondrejcak, designer.
About MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital
MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital is a full-service community hospital, delivering state-of-the-art emergency, acute inpatient, and outpatient care in Leonardtown, Maryland. Nestled in a waterside community, MedStar St. Mary’s provides advanced technology with a dedication to excellence in all services provided. The not-for-profit hospital has been named among the nation’s Top 100 Hospitals™ and is an eight-time recipient of the prestigious Delmarva Medicare Excellence Award. In addition, MedStar St. Mary’s received the Maryland Performance Excellence award at the Platinum level in 2014—the highest in the state, and has received six straight “A” grades from the Leapfrog Group, most recently in Spring 2021. Our staff is committed to providing quality and compassionate medical care for all patients by coupling innovation with our outstanding team of Medical Staff members, associates, and volunteers. Visit MedStarStMarys.org to learn more.