Hospitals in Action >> Case Examples

ROCKINGHAM MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, Harrisonburg, VA
Flu Shots for Food Donations

What is it?
Rockingham Memorial Hospital (RMH) and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network joined forces to offer Flu Shots for Food Donations in December 2006. Community members were invited to bring a donation for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank in exchange for a free flu shot. The media were alerted through public service announcements and helped to communicate the event to the public. In addition to print advertisements, RMH also promoted the event on its public web site. At the end of the event, more than 330 people received a free flu shot, administered by RMH Home Health Care nurses. The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network collected over 760 pounds of food, or the equivalent of 595 meals. Comments from the community were overwhelmingly positive with many persons asking for the event to be repeated next year.

Who is it for?
The entire Harrisonburg community.

Why do they do it?
After providing flu shots to employees, RMH discovered they had several hundred flu shots remaining and did not want them to go to waste. With the holidays approaching, RMH wanted to offer the flu shots free of charge to the community in exchange for food donations to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network. This effort was truly a win-win. RMH was able to offer the remaining flu vaccinations free of charge to community members that might not have received a flu shot otherwise. The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network was able to provide nearly 600 meals to those in need thanks to the food donations collected. 

Contact: Stacey Morris
Research & Marketing Coordinator
Telephone: 540-564-7052
Email: smorris@rhcc.com