2021 Worthy Awards Entry Form

ORGANIZATION: JPS Health Network, 1500 S. Main St., Fort Worth, TX, 76104

EXACT NAME OF ENTRY: The JPS Podcast — Seasons 1-3

ENTRY PROGRAM OR TACTIC: T19 Special Tactic 

NAME OF RECIPIENT(S): JPS Health Network Communications Department

SITUATION: JPS Health Network is a tax-supported county-wide healthcare system based in

Fort Worth. JPS provides a variety of inpatient and outpatient services, including an elite Level I
Trauma Center, behavioral health, pediatrics, and geriatrics. The Communications Department’s
priority is to share information about JPS and position it as an asset to the community, which is
experiencing a rapid influx of newcomers unfamiliar with JPS. The team in 2019 began planning
The JPS Podcast to provide an authentic look at JPS through the voices of its team members.
RESEARCH: Research was conducted on best practices for producing a podcast. Research
included listening to other healthcare podcasts to analyze effective approaches and audience
expectations of production quality; video tutorials on technical issues; evaluation of hosting
platforms; and testing audio and recording equipment.
PLANNING: Spearheaded by the Network’s photographer/videographer, the project’s goal is to
connect with audiences in a new way to show the triumphs, challenges, and inner workings of
the healthcare system. Target audiences are JPS patients, the 7,200 employees, and the Tarrant
County community. Planning took place from October 2019 to January 2020.
Strategies are to leverage a media tool that provides an informal forum to captivate and inform
audience members; highlight the unique role the public hospital serves in the community;
prioritize the voices of patients and community members; and humanize healthcare
professionals and Network decision-makers.
A podcast was chosen because it is a popular, contemporary format that allows us to engage
audiences in a dramatically human and accessible way. Aligned with the Department’s broader
public relations strategies, the podcast explores topics in which JPS has distinctive offerings or
experts have a unique perspective. Each 10-episode season features informal, candid
conversations with a diverse group of JPS leaders, healthcare providers, and front line staff,
hosted primarily by a team member who tapped into interviewing skills he honed as a
newspaper reporter.
Season 1 began in February 2020 with the theme of “The Relationship Between Provider and
Patient.” We spoke with a chaplain about serving a multicultural population, a physician about
treating pain without opioids, the Network’s police chief about protecting and serving with
compassion, and a psychiatrist about shaping the next generation of doctors.
Season 2 was a continuation of the Season 1 theme, and how COVID-19 changed the way the
Network provided care. Episodes covered avenues to connect with COVID-19 patients at home,
methods to address mental wellness, and insights acquired from the pandemic. We left the
studio to interview team members right in their workplace about how they find the strength
and courage to serve under extraordinary circumstances.
Season 3 centered on plans and lessons learned after a year of COVID-19. Episodes included the
challenges of breaking through cultural and language barriers, demystifying grief, the rising
need for geriatric care, and the new residents who had an unforgettable first year as physicians.
Objectives were to 1) record, edit and release 10 episodes and season trailers with a mix of
original and upcoming content for Seasons 1-3, and 2) to achieve engagement of at least 1,000
unique listens per season, as measured by hosting platform analytics.
IMPLEMENTATION: Equipment was purchased through the Department’s fiscal 2019-20
budget, including microphones, a sound-board/mixer, cables, and acoustic foam and moving
blankets for sound control. Space was repurposed to create a recording studio inside the
hospital.
An in-house graphic designer created an icon, logo, and collateral that complements the
Network’s brand. Season 1 imagery featured smiling faces to project an approachable tone. By
Season 3, as episodes became more complex, imagery used multiple photos instead of a single
subject portrait, and animation was added to promotional elements.
Promotion is primarily through slides on the Networks’ digital monitors, internal platforms, and
social media to encourage word-of-mouth awareness. Branded mugs and pens were distributed
to all participants. Follow up notes to participants encouraged them to share the podcast links
among their friends and colleagues.
The podcast team learned quickly that some participants can be tentative at first, concerned
about saying the wrong thing. Coaching is required to convey that the podcast is a conversation
not an interview; no preparation notes or data are needed, and use of plain language instead of
jargon is important so that content can be understood by listeners of all backgrounds.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges as everyone was focused on the health
emergency. For Season 2, the podcast team, working remotely, scrambled to change episodes
at the last minute when subjects were suddenly unavailable. Episodes needed re-editing to
reflect constant updates in medical guidance. Sound adjustment was required because
mandatory facemasks cause “crinkle” noises that were picked up by microphones.
EVALUATION: The project has continued on budget and on schedule. Both objectives were met:
Objective #1: 10 episodes and trailers were published each season. Objective #2: engagement
of at least 1,000 unique listens per season was achieved. As of September 2021 there have
been 4,429 unique downloads, per Libsyn Podcast Hosting. Non-boosted Facebook posts
promoting each episode garner at least 150 engagements.
As the podcasts are created in real time, it affords us the luxury of evaluating along the way to
determine what resonates with audiences, and to pivot topics over the course of each season.
Feedback from stakeholders to leaders and to the team has been positive. Heading into Season
4, the project continues to enjoy support from board members and hospital leadership, and
continuing openness to participate in the project reflects an acceptance and comfort with the
tactic.