Breaking the health care mold

The challenge

Rural communities have approximately one doctor for every 1,000 people. So WSU’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine (ESF COM) committed to helping Washingtonians access the best care and prevention strategies, no matter where they live.

A medical school hospital can only serve the region it’s embedded in. ESF COM wanted to break the traditional mold of medical school hospitals, and instead, build a statewide network that would serve all of Washington’s 39 counties and work to address unique health care needs and close gaps in access and health care delivery in order to deliver care where it was needed most. The network would include doctors, nurses, pharmacists and scientists, treating patients wherever they were in their health care journey. Services would include comprehensive primary care, urgent care procedures and preventive screenings for a variety of conditions.

Our task was to name and brand the new health care network—now Range Community Clinic—and develop a brand to encapsulate its goals, values and services. The network needed an identity that was friendly but credible, warm but professional. It also needed to resonate with rural audiences and tie back to its WSU roots in a meaningful but subtle way.

Among the first pacesetter strategies to launch the new network, ESF COM would unveil the new William A. Crosetto Mobile Health Care Unit for delivering health throughout the state. 

The Range Community Clinic logo visually references a pulse line, emphasizing patients’ humanity as well as the care that goes into every interaction.

The strategy

Our team conducted a series of strategy sessions with members of the WSU College of Medicine and health network board, marketing team, professors and physicians to understand their vision for the new health care model.

We distilled what we learned into themes we’d need to integrate into our work. The network would be: 

• Future-driven and community-minded. The goal was to improve the health and well-being of Washingtonians through a model informed by research, advanced technology, experienced clinicians and top-tier medical students.
• All-encompassing and innovative. This health care delivery system would strive to treat patients no matter where they were – geographically or in their health care journey.
• A WSU program. There is tremendous goodwill toward WSU in rural areas. This was an opportunity for Washingtonians to connect with the university and to help shape their future physicians through a community-based academic health model.
• Committed to positive patient experiences. WSU cares about creating meaningful connections through thoughtful, seamless customer experiences.

The Range Community Clinic microsite houses information about services and the locations visited by the mobile unit.

What we did

DH and WSU created a warm and visually appealing brand around WSU’s nonprofit academic health network, now known as Range Community Clinic.

The driving idea behind the name, “Range,” represents the physical distance the network will cover, as well as the variety of health approaches and directions. This name also ties to Washington’s past as an agricultural region as well as WSU’s land grant status.

To bring to life the name in brand look and feel, the logo and design depict the vast landscape that extends across the state. The logo also visually references a pulse line, emphasizing patients’ humanity as well as the care that goes into every interaction. The look and feel communicates humanness and accessibility, intelligence and credibility. 

Once the name and logo were ready, we applied the look and feel to a microsite for Range Community Clinic, which houses information about services and locations the mobile unit visits. DH also developed customized business cards, envelopes, letterheads and one sheets, and a mobile-unit wrap to bring the brand to life. 

The mobile-unit wrap brings the brand to life. 

Results

The Range Community Clinic brand and William A. Crosetto Mobile Health Care Unit are on the road, traveling the state to provide health screenings, consultation and specialty services. It’s also supporting COVID-19 operations in the Spokane area.

In its first year of operation, the mobile unit delivered care to Vancouver, Everett and the Tri-Cities and Stevens, Whitman and Spokane counties. It has developed partnerships with schools, libraries and tribes. It has also provided services at community events, such as a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade and the annual Spokane Homeless Connect.