Determining content and format for the support you'll provide is largely dependent on the responses that you received in your initial meeting with your industry partner.
Employees in an industrial setting will probably not have easy access to computers and the internet at work. Depending on the age of the individuals, they may not be comfortable going online, even at home, and may not have smartphones that can access the internet. Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Spring Tracking Survey, April 17 – May 19, 2013 indicates that 83% of individuals ages 50-64 use the internet.
Another Pew survey (Health Online 2013) suggests that 59% of internet users have looked up health information online. However, this leaves at least 40% of all 50-64 year olds who either are not online or do not seek health information online. The entire report is available for viewing or download from the Pew Internet & American Life site and contains statistics on types of use, devices used, income and education levels, age, race, and other factors that may affect someone’s likelihood seek health information online.
If your target group is unlikely to go to the source of information, like MedlinePlus, or to a curated LibGuide, then you will need to compile and present the information to them in a more accessible format. This means not only a low level of effort to physically obtain the resource, but also written for an audience that is not terribly familiar with the medical lexicon.
This might mean creating two to three minute narrated PowerPoint video files that go over the main points of an issue and direct viewers to contact the medical library by phone for additional information. Your industry partner may have a hard-copy newsletter or schedule for providing documentation of benefits-related information to employees.
You can try to raise awareness of your services by posting flyers in break or lunch areas and leaving the flyers near the human resources or wellness offices, especially if there is a space for other handouts. Incorporating an eye-catching image and posting a new flyer and image on a monthly schedule can help ensure that your flyer is noticed on an on-going basis.
Another great opportunity to interact with potential patrons is to have a presence at an employee health and benefits fair. Bring a brochure or handout that succinctly outlines your services and provides contact information, and have a 30-second (or less) brief explanation ready as you offer the handout. We found that health fair attendees were more likely to take our commercially-produced brochures than the custom handouts printed on our laser printer.
One issue that we did not explicitly address in our project was relationship sustainability. Ideally, creating this partnership will allow for dialogue, with the industry partner providing feedback on what seems to be catching peoples' attention or any new health topics that arise. If the resources that you create are reusable, plan to have someone review them annually to add updates or to catch information that may get outdated. You can also maintain a presence by attending your partner’s annual health fair to publicize your services.
It can be more effective to organize your messages by theme rather than jumping from topic to topic, especially if you've developed a weekly delivery method. We chose monthly topics and wrote newsletter pieces and presented our video segments on that subject.
You can integrate your efforts with those of larger organizations by choosing the same topic as a widely publicized "awareness month." Check out the lists at Healthfinder.gov, Welcoa, and PCI Health Training Center.
You can also search online for health observance month, disease awareness month, or search for the name of the health issue you wish to highlight in combination with "awareness month."