News, Updates, and Happenings at Our Firm
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Hello,
Disrupted. That is how the world feels these days, between runaway inflation, surging interest rates, constrained workforce, stalled supply chain, war in Europe and political discord. And, of course, a pandemic that we have learned to live with but that still claims far too many lives every day.
We often begin our crisis planning sessions by asking clients, “What keeps you up at night?” The question now should really be, “What doesn’t keep you up at night?”
Nonprofits and businesses must be nimble and strategic to steer through these challenges – including a possible recession – and come out ahead. We are proud to have the opportunity to be a steady presence for our clients, by helping them manage communications with key audiences.
How can we help you manage through this?
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David Ball
President & Founder
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CLIENT SPOTLIGHT: BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH WORKFORCE STUDY
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By early 2022, nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, it had become clear that the crisis had wreaked substantial and arguably never-seen-before havoc on the mental health of millions of people. The citizens of a shell-shocked nation had suffered through sickness, shutdowns, isolation and all sorts of disruption to daily life.
There would be high demand for therapy and treatment from those experiencing mental illness and substance use disorder. Considering past concerns about the capacity of hospitals and nursing homes to deal with COVID-19 patients, would the behavioral health care system be able to handle the surge?
The Association for Behavioral Healthcare aimed to answer that question by assessing the situation with a survey of its members. In the survey responses from outpatient provider agencies, ABH found that vacancies and high turnover in the behavioral health workforce was causing longer wait times and resulting in fewer individuals served. Clinicians were leaving outpatient clinics faster than they were being hired, straining resources at the community level where many people initially seek care.
Along with the survey results, ABH made several recommendations including outpatient clinic rate increases by commercial and public payers, rate parity among providers, and expanded student loan repayment programs to boost recruitment and retention. Major media outlets – including the Boston Globe, CommonWealth Magazine, GBH News, State House News Service and WBUR – covered ABH’s report and recommendations. A subsequent op-ed by ABH CEO Lydia Conley that incorporated the data was recently published in the Boston Globe.
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With the dog days of summer around the corner, WCVB-TV (Ch. 5) featured the swimming lessons and water safety expertise of the West Suburban YMCA in Newton. The organization also made a splash when it announced plans to open a second location where it will offer the community additional recreational facilities – including a pool – and opportunities for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The news was covered by the Boston Globe, Newton TAB, Newton Patch and Community Rec Magazine, among other media outlets.
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Emerson Hospital President and CEO Christine Schuster authored an article for Healthcare IT Today recounting how the community hospital turned on a dime to implement telehealth at the outset of the pandemic, and how that decision has led the hospital down a path of major investment in new technologies.
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Since the foundation started five years ago, RIZE Massachusetts has been battling stigma, giving grants to support addiction treatment programs, and convening stakeholders to better understand the opioid overdose epidemic and how to end it. RIZE President & CEO Julie Burns outlined the progress, and work still to be done, in an opinion piece for CommonWealth Magazine. She also weighed in on the most recent Massachusetts overdose death statistics in a WBUR news report.
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Gerard Vitti, founder and CEO of Healthcare Financial Inc., was featured in STAT, a leading health and medicine news site. His “First Opinion” article focused on the looming danger of large-scale Medicaid redeterminations following the end of the federal public health emergency for COVID-19.
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Ball Consulting Group Wins PR Awards
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Ball Consulting Group took home a pair of 2022 Lamplighter Awards from NESHCo, the New England Society for Healthcare Communications, which recognizes the outstanding achievements and campaigns produced in healthcare marketing and public relations.
NESHCo judges honored the firm with a Gold Award along with the 2022 Owen J. McNamara Excellence in Writing Award for an op-ed piece developed in collaboration with Gerard Vitti, the CEO of Healthcare Financial Inc. The piece, published in Morning Consult, urged the Biden administration to rescind the expanded public charge rule.
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O'Dwyer's Features Crisis Communications Expertise
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The magazine published a thought leadership piece by President & Founder David Ball on the communications steps that higher education leaders can take to combat hate and bias on campus.
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Ball Talks Up Boutique PR Model on Podcast
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David Ball, president and founder of Ball Consulting Group, joined the “PR’s Top Pros Talk” podcast to discuss the advantages of working with a boutique public relations agency. The podcast – hosted by Doug Simon and produced by his firm, D S Simon Media, and PR industry publication O’Dwyer’s – features top PR executives sharing valuable insights and strategies.
In the podcast episode, Ball highlighted smaller firms’ ability to be nimble and adapt to client needs. Ball is completing a one-year term as president of PR Boutiques International, a global collaborative of independently owned boutique PR firms.
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Check out Ball Consulting Group’s capabilities presentation for an overview of our services and examples of the high-impact results that we have generated for our clients.
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