Legacy Community Health Services
Challenge
Health care costs have become unbearable for not only HIV-positive patients, but for low-income families seeking quality health care. In 2005, the Montrose Clinic and The Assistance Fund merged in order to expand the organization’s programs and address the growing need for low-cost health care solutions in Houston. Pierpont was brought on to help brand this merger, create messaging for new initiatives, and share its story with the Houston community.
The health center’s goal was to expand its HIV and STD testing to include primary health care services for both uninsured and underinsured Houstonians, while still meeting the needs of the HIV-positive and GLBT communities. Both organizations had served Houston side-by-side for years and shared many common clients. By joining forces, they would be able to offer more services and reach even more extraordinary people.
Strategy
Via a Think Tank, Pierpont assisted both The Assistance Fund and Montrose Clinic in re-branding itself into Legacy Community Health Services, with a new name and logo. The challenge was to develop a logo that spoke both to the gay and straight communities while positioning the brand as a credible, full-service health care facility.
The name Legacy Community Health Services was created to honor the legacy and support of those who founded the clinic; as well as The Assistance Fund which was established in 1987 to help patients pay for medication and insurance premiums. The new name is also an attempt to present the clinic as much more than a place to receive testing, but a place that allows patients to maintain their quality of life, dignity and peace of mind.
In the initial days of the merger, Pierpont supported Legacy with media relations by securing coverage in 18 target media outlets, including the Houston Business Journal, KUHF-FM radio and the front page of the Houston Chronicle. In addition to the merger, Pierpont secured stories and spokespersons interviews for the opening of a new Legacy location. Coverage included stories in the Medical Journal Houston, Houston Business Journal, and 3 stories in the Houston Chronicle Neighborhood News, as well as positive coverage on KRIV-TV (local FOX affiliate), KUHF-FM (local NPR affiliate), KPRC-TV (local NBC affiliate), KXLN-TV (local Univision affiliate), Party 104.9 radio and others.
Pierpont also supported Legacy with their annual gala and fundraiser with media and donor relations. The goal of the gala was to raise funds for the next year and honor the recipient of the Jerry D. Bartee Award – an award that goes to an individual who has shown tremendous dedication to the awareness of AIDS in the Houston Community. Pierpont secured extensive coverage of the gala in the society page of the Houston Chronicle and helped leverage the coverage via reprints and a letter to Legacy’s donor database.
Results
To date, Pierpont has begun to develop the organization’s new Web site, which integrates the new logo and portrays a theme of reaching not only those with HIV/AIDS seeking a safe haven, but also those who traditionally have not had access to quality health care.
Through strategic re-branding and aggressive awareness, Legacy now has three locations in Houston and serves more than 18,000 men, women and teens each year.