Health Care Services Agency of Alameda County
How D&A Improved Strategic Communications to Help Reduce Health Disparities
Alameda County Health Care Services Agency (HCSA) employs more than 1,700 staff working across four departments: Behavioral Health, Environmental Health, Office of the Agency Director, and Public Health. Major cross-cutting programs cover homelessness, school district partnerships, emergency management, and services for uninsured individuals. HCSA plays an integral role in supporting a robust and culturally responsive health care safety net across Alameda County through partnerships with more than 300 public, private, and community-based organizations.
The Challenge
Many of the policy, advocacy, and programming efforts are focused on reducing health disparities and increasing health equity, yet the agency was in need of improved alignment across external and internal strategic communications. Ultimately this impacts community outreach efforts and equitable messaging intended to reach BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and English-language learner communities about the high-quality services and inclusive opportunities available to all Alameda residents.
The Goal
HCSA tapped D&A to refine its Office of Communications processes, helping it to implement and maintain systems that improve and streamline workflows while serving its multifaceted communications objectives. It was important to support the agency’s mission of health equity by aligning messaging internally and externally across issue areas and communications channels via a consistent voice, demonstrating relevance and credibility for Alameda County residents.
The Strategy
Our strategic partnership with HCSA Office of Communications was designed to develop and implement a highly coordinated system for disseminating and evaluating strategic communications in order to provide inclusive resources that are equitable, high-quality and safe. D&A worked closely with the Communications Team to prioritize issues and identify opportunities via a series of listening sessions, strategic planning and integrated media campaigns to reach Alameda County residents who have been historically underserved by healthcare or government agencies. Learn more about Right Care, Right Place integrated marketing campaign developed to reach priority populations to improve access to vital health care resources.
The Impact
Our collaboration resulted in a comprehensive Communications Plan that defined processes for internal and external communications. Internally, it supported internal alignment across all HCSA departments. Externally, it informed a series of integrated campaigns designed to reach diverse audiences and provide credible information about the variety of low-cost resources available throughout the County via equitable messaging delivered in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog.
Organizational Assessment
Evaluation of systems to inform strategic direction
Community Engagement
Listening sessions to create belonging and connection
Informed Market Research
Understanding critical information about target audience
Communications Strategy
Improved alignment across all departments
Integrated Media Campaigns
Consistent and credible message to target audiences
Staff training
Improved understanding of knowledge and skills
