END SEPSIS

END SEPSIS is a national organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of sepsis and improving hospital protocols to facilitate the early diagnosis and treatment of sepsis patients. 

Cloud Street provides ongoing counsel and support to the organization in the areas of strategic planning, development, stakeholder engagement­ and public awareness campaigns, including the maternal sepsis campaign outlined here.

Approach

Cloud Street has worked with END SEPSIS leadership to design a comprehensive campaign to educate prospective mothers and women’s health providers about the dangers, signs and risk factors associated with maternal sepsis and to encourage women to be informed and confident advocates for their care. This is being achieved through clear audience identification and careful message development followed by the production of a public service announcement, a robust social media campaign, a media relations campaign led by patient advocates and maternal sepsis survivors and provider webinars. The New York State Department of Health is a key collaborator on the project. The Office of Quality and Patient Safety is working to analyze maternal sepsis cases in the state and to identify risk factors. Their findings with be incorporated into campaign materials and will help inform specific targets for dissemination efforts.

To support the development and dissemination of the campaign, we have assembled a multi-sector coalition of state and national organizations. The coalition includes nonprofits, professional societies and associations, hospital systems, and government agencies committed to the health and wellbeing of mothers and their babies. Members’ expertise in health policy, women’s healthcare, and patient advocacy are being leveraged to create the most robust and accessible campaign possible to educate women and their healthcare providers. The coalition will aid the dissemination of the campaign materials through their platforms and networks.

The project is being piloted in New York State with the goal of a national rollout.