>> THE LARGEST HEALTH SYSTEM IN THE STATE IS THROWING ITS WEIGHT BEHIND THE EFFORT TO GET HOOSIERS TO WEAR MASKS. IU
HEALTH RECENTLY LAUNCHED ITS STATEWIDE “WEAR BECAUSE YOU CARE” CAMPAIGN. BUSINESS OF HEALTH REPORTER
KYLIE VELETA HAS MORE. KYLIE. >> THANK YOU, GERRY. >> IU HEALTH SAYS THE CAMPAIGN
IS A NATURAL FIT WITH ITS MISSION TO MAKE INDIANA ONE OF THE HEALTHIEST STATES IN THE U.S., BUT IT'S ALSO AN IMPORTANT
MESSAGE FOR BUSINESSES AND MINORITY COMMUNITIES. JOINING ME NOW TO TELL US MORE IS DR. MICHELE SAYSANA, THE
CHIEF QUALITY AND SAFETY OFFICER AT IU HEALTH. DOCTOR, THANKS FOR BEING ON THE SHOW TODAY
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME >> WEAR BECAUSE YOU CARE. JUST GIVE US AN IDEA, WHY DID I.U. WANT TO LAUNCH THIS CAMPAIGN?
>> SO, WE THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT DURING COVID THAT WE WANTED TO BE A TRUSTED SOURCE OF INFORMATION IN THESE REALLY
CONFUSING TIMES. SO WE FELT THAT, ALONG WITH AS YOU SAID, OUR MISSION TO MAKE INDIANA ONE OF THE HEALTHIEST STATES IN THE
NATION WENT HAND IN HAND. AND TO HELP HOOSIERS STAY SAFE DURING THIS TIME, WE FELT LIKE WE WANTED TO TAKE THAT STANCE, AND
LAUNCH THIS CAMPAIGN TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT TO HOOSIERS ALL ACROSS THE STATE. >> THAT'S RIGHT. BIG IMPORTANT
PIECE OF THIS IS THAT IT IS STATE-WIDE, NOT JUST IN CENTRAL INDIANA. OBVIOUSLY I.U. HEALTH HAS LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE
STATE. SO, A SPECIAL FOCUS OF THIS CAMPAIGN IS MINORITIES. EXPLAIN WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO FOCUS ON MINORITIES, AND WHY IS
THAT SO IMPORTANT? >> SO, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND IN INDIANA
DISPARITIES IN OUR MINORITY POPULATIONS, AND HOW THEY'VE BEEN AFFECTED BY COVID, SO WE REALLY FELT LIKE THIS WAS A WAY
TO HELP OFFER MORE RESOURCES AND SOME PROTECTION TO THOSE FOLKS. SO, WHAT WE REALIZED, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO LEVERAGE
SOME OF THE MEDIA OUTLETS AND VENUES THAT WE CAN USE TO REACH MORE MINORITY POPULATIONS. SO, RADIO ONE AND TELE-MUNN DOUGH,
WE KNOW PEOPLE TUNE IN TO SO WE CAN REACH THEM IN DIFFERENT WAYS. WE'RE FOCUSED ON THAT AND EXCITED ABOUT THAT. WE'RE ALSO
USING SOME OF THE WORK WE'RE DOING AROUND DOING FLU VACCINATION IN OUR COMMUNITY, TO ALSO SPREAD THAT WORD.
>> WE ARE GOING TO GET THE FLU VACCINES, BECAUSE WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT, AS WELL. THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF THIS. I
KNOW YOU'RE FOCUSING ON ZIP CODES THAT HAVE BEEN DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY COVID-19. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY. WHAT MESSAGE IS THERE IN THIS MASS CAMPAIGN FOR HOOSIER BUSINESSES? >> SO, I THINK IT'S -- THE
HEALTH AND THE ECONOMY ARE TOGETHER IN THIS, AND THAT REALLY WE WANT TO HELP BUSINESSES STAY OPEN. SO IF WE
WEAR MASKS, WE CAN KEEP THE RATES OF COVID DOWN SO THAT WE CAN KEEP PEOPLE -- PEOPLE CAN GO OUT, YOU KNOW, AND THEY CAN GO
TO THE GROCERY STORES, THEY CAN BE PATRONS OF LOCAL BUSINESSES, TOO, AND THEN ALSO BUSINESSES WILL STILL HAVE THEIR WORKERS IF
THEY'RE NOT AFFECTED BY COVID, THEY'LL STILL BE ABLE TO COME TO WORK EVERY DAY, AND THEIR KIDS WILL BE ABLE TO GO TO SCHOOL.
AND SO BY MASKING, THAT HELPS PROTECT US AS A COMMUNITY SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE DOING THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO LIKE
GO TO SCHOOL AND GO TO WORK. AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY THE MESSAGE WE WANT TO GET OUT. >> AND HAND IN HAND WITH THIS
CAMPAIGN, I KNOW I.U. HEALTH HAS A BIG PUSH ON FLU VACCINATIONS THIS SEASON. EXPLAIN HOW THAT EFFORT IS GOING RIGHT ALONG WITH
THIS WEAR BECAUSE YOU CARE MASK CAMPAIGN? >> SURE. SO PART OF IT IS THAT WE'RE USING THAT -- THE VENUES
THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING FLU VACCINATION IN TO ALSO -- THIS CAMPAIGN OBVIOUSLY. ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS IS THAT FOR MANY
YEARS IT'S A REQUIREMENT TO WORK IN OUR SYSTEM, TO RECEIVE THE FLU VACCINE, SO WE CAN PROTECT OUR OWN PATIENTS. AND TEAM
MEMBERS. FROM FLU. BUT THEN THE OTHER PIECE THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT THAT IS WE DON'T WANT TO SEE INCREASING RATES OF
FLU AND COVID IN THE FALL AND IN THE WINTER, BECAUSE THAT POTENTIALLY WILL OVERWHELM OUR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS, OUR
HOSPITALS, AND OUR CLINICS. AND SO WE KNOW GOING INTO THE FALL AND WINTER, THAT'S USUALLY WHEN WE SEE THE FLU START TO REAR ITS
UGLY HEAD. SO WE WANT TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PROTECT HOOSIERS FROM THE FLU, AS WELL. >> I KNOW I.U. HEALTH JUST
ANNOUNCED TODAY SOME FREE FLU VACCINATION CLINICS COMING UP IN MARION COUNTY. JUST A FEW SECONDS LEFT. BUT JUST BIG
PICTURE, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE SIGNIFICNCE OF I.U. HEALTH, THE LARGEST MEDICAL SYSTEM IN THE STATE THROWING ITS WEIGHT
BEHIND THIS CAMPAIGN. I KNOW THE STATE HAS ITS OWN MASK CAMPAIGN, IS THERE MORE VALIDITY WHEN A HEALTH SYSTEM SAYS WEAR A MASK.
>> I THINK IT HELPS. ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP SPREAD THAT MESSAGE ALONG WITH THE INDIANA STATE DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH IS A GOOD THING. THAT'S REALLY, WE WANT TO BE GOOD PARTNERS IN THIS, TOO, AND BE ABLE TO USE THE CHANCE WE HAVE
TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THAT AND SPREAD THE MESSAGE AND BE A TRUSTED SOURCE FOR HOOSIERS. >> OKAY. DR. MICHELE SAYSANA
THANK YOU FOR BEING ON THE SHOW TODAY, AND SHARING THIS MESSAGE. APPRECIATE IT.