Health Information doesn’t have to be… medicinal
by Health Yourself
The founder of Health Yourself Guide believes healthcare information doesn’t have to be… medicinal.
Jenn Sunnerton is a former Discovery Channel producer and is bringing entertainment to healthcare.
Health Yourself Guide is trying to beat this ‘medicinal’ tone out of healthcare communications. It creates video infotainment that helps patients understand their situation and also guides them through preventative practices in a way that doesn’t make them sick. Or should we say, more ill.
The idea started when the founder, Jenn Sunnerton, was back in her childhood trying to help her mother get settled after her double bypass. Sitting in front of a table full of new medications and sifting through a few dry pamphlets, Sunnerton knew there had to be a better way.
This wasn’t her first healthcare tango with her mom. In addition to heart disease, Sunnerton’s mom is a two-time breast cancer survivor, had two hip replacements, a knee replacement, angioplasty, type two diabetes, a hernia, and an annual battle with bronchitis.
Even through the care in the hospital was excellent, each time they lived the gaps in communications in her road to recovery.
There was little time to put the right support in place, and even less time to discuss lifestyle changes that could prevent or lessen the effects of chronic disease management.
This story is not uncommon. Three out of five Canadians over 20 years of age have a chronic health condition. Four out of five Canadians are at risk. In the year 2000, six major chronic diseases cost Canada $31 billion in direct healthcare costs, and $64 billion in indirect costs from labour productivity lost.
Health Yourself Guide is the answer to the ever-growing communications gap in the healthcare system between the hospital and home. Its aim is to educate and empower patients in bite sized videos through their website and on social media. They partner with healthcare providers as sponsors to bring patients free content that alleviates the strain on the health care system.
The long-term goal is to reduce hospital readmissions, lessen the overhead costs of in hospital programming, improve overall health with preventative education and increase patient engagement in their path to recovery.
Knowing that 70% of all online queries are now videos, Health Yourself uses video to combine patient storytelling, doctor interviews, and preventative care tips and tricks. The company pulls in talent from the broadcast world to create videos people actually want to watch and through targeted social media marketing, gets the messaging in front of the perfect audience.
Health Yourself has already secured one hospital to take on a video series about Type Two Diabetes, but they are looking for sponsors for each niche in healthcare. Their next goal is to secure a partner to pilot a video series of gated content providing a video ‘prescription’ as an alternative to patients that can’t physically get to the hospital for day to day physio or educational programs.
For more information about Health Yourself Guide go to www.healthyourselfguide.com
