Fearful of catching the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, many people have been hesitant to seek routine, necessary and even emergency health care. That’s why the Johns Hopkins Medicine marketing and communications department has executed a comprehensive advertising effort to drive awareness of the institution’s extensive safety measures and expanded telemedicine options and in-person appointments at clinics and services that are available.

Since April, the campaign has used precision marketing techniques to ensure top return results from Google and other internet search engines. Email marketing, social media outreach and advertising are also used to reach consumers and patients.

Recently, the campaign expanded to include a wider scope of digital advertising across highly visited websites throughout Maryland and the National Capital Region, including health and wellness and local news sites such as The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun. The campaign, which runs through mid-December, also includes print outlets (Baltimore Magazine’s popular Top Doctors issue and Washingtonian magazine), traditional radio, a few billboards and transit ads.

“There are multiple barriers to navigate in the current COVID climate,” says Stephen Sisson, vice president of clinical operations for the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians. “This campaign helps address some of these issues by portraying the ease in which people can add their health care needs back to their daily to-do list. And it helps build trust in our ability to deliver safe in-person and virtual care for essential, delayed and elective medical needs.”

The campaign drives people to visit the Get Back to Health Safely page on the Hopkinsmedicine.org website, where they can find a doctor, make an in-person appointment, request a video visit, and explore safety procedures and visitor guidelines.