Forrest General Women & Children’s Services was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sales & Marketing Professionals Pine Belt. The presentation took place during a Facebook Live broadcast on May 12, following the lines of the Olympic Games complete with a torch runner who delivered the award.
The Lifetime Achievement Award, which symbolizes the marketing business of the decade, is one of two new awards which were debuted this year as The Pinnacle Awards celebrate a 10-year anniversary. The other is the Bernice Linton Events Award, which honors the outstanding marketing of a single event. Linton, a long-time Forrest General employee, served as president-elect of the Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association before taking over as executive director.
Forrest General is one of 19 regional finalists for this year’s awards that began with a field of 69 nominees.
“We note that through the years Forrest General’s Women and Children’s Services has provided careers and leadership opportunities for women in the workplace,” said Michael Marks, event chair. “The hospital’s contribution to keeping women and children healthy while paired with creative ideas such as Spirit of Women programs and events encouraging women to take action for their health were factors in choosing them for this inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. Also, in this era of COVID-19, that leadership now constitutes a critical mass of healthcare heroes on the frontlines of a pandemic.”
During 2019 there were four primary marketing/outreach campaigns, including Our Darling Chaos, a spring kickoff to an ongoing influencer campaign; Love Letters to Mom, a special Mother’s Day campaign in May; the recognition of Breastfeeding Awareness Month in August, and Mistletoe without Madness in December, a campaign for helping women keep calm through the busy holiday season.
As part of the Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign, Forrest General partnered with numerous community organizations including the City of Hattiesburg, Junior Auxiliary of Hattiesburg, and local artist Abigail Lenz Allen with Hattiesburg Arts Council. Through these partnerships, the hospital was able to implement a third mother’s lounge in the Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center, one of the city’s most high-traffic facilities. Here, mothers are offered a clean, private, and convenient place to breastfeed and care for their child, as well as find diapers for those who may need additional supplies.
“In 1952 our doors opened a day early to accommodate our first patient, a woman, who would then give birth to a second patient, a baby girl,” said Millie Swan, Forrest Health vice president. “Women have been an important part of our organization from the start and have continued to drive our expansion of services through the years. We have continued to grow and cultivate our relationship with women with the assistance of our physician partners. From Spirit of Women to the first Baby-Friendly hospital in the state, women have been at the heart of our plans. How wonderful today that our Women and Children’s Service Line receives this award in 2020 as we celebrate women and the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment. As we accept this award, it is on behalf of all women and the difference they make each day.”
Women & Children’s Services, which offers personalized and quality care for women and children, works to provide the best possible start for families in the community by offering educational opportunities and support throughout every stage of life. In 2016, the hospital paved the way for healthcare standards as it became the first hospital in the state to achieve Baby-Friendly designation.
The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF in 1991. The initiative is a global effort to implement practices that protect, promote and support breastfeeding. This distinguished honor recognizes hospitals that offer the highest level of care for infant feeding and mother/baby bonding.
Delivering superior care in an extensive range of services with personal attention and highly-skilled physicians and nurses since 1952, the program has been an integral part of South Mississippi’s healthcare services.
Beth Bunch is Media Coordinator, Marketing & Communications, for FGH.