Newswise — PARK RIDGE, Ill. – The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) has been selected by Modern Healthcare and its judges as an award winner for the 2021 Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards. AANA was selected as a Gold Social Media Campaign of the Year in the Advocacy category for its outstanding “Step Forward” video campaign. The complete list of this year’s winners is available at ModernHealthcare.com/ImpactWinners. Modern Healthcare announced the ranking and list of winners in its publication on November 1.

“COVID-19 remained a top target for marketers in 2021 as the delta variant drove new surges across the country, and vaccine and mask mandates divided communities. Advertising and social media campaigns crafted to inform, educate and build trust are among the winners in this year’s Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards. Others continued to honor the daily sacrifices of front-line caregivers as the pandemic marches relentlessly toward its third year,” said Aurora Aguilar, editor of Modern Healthcare. “While COVID-19 dominated headlines, other life-threatening diseases and chronic illnesses also received plenty of attention from marketers, including cancer, COPD and neurological conditions, with emphasis on advanced screenings and the latest treatments. Congratulations to all of the winners of the 2021 Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards."

The “Step Forward” videos and social posts provided eyewitness accounts of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) serving on the frontlines, without burdensome regulations to their practice. The video campaign illustrated the CRNAs’ pivotal, life-sustaining role, during the COVID-19 pandemic and how patients benefited from federal leaders’ and state governors’ removal of barriers to CRNA practice to help meet the demands of the pandemic.

“As the leading organization representing CRNAs, AANA is committed to shaping the debate on important healthcare issues and ensuring that our members have a voice and can practice to the full extent of their education and training,” said David Hebert, JD, AANA Interim Chief Executive Officer. “The “Step Forward” campaign underscores the humanity of professionals who need — and deserve — full practice authority.  We are honored to be recognized by Modern Healthcare.”

This award program identifies and recognizes outstanding healthcare marketing campaigns that are impacting the industry, addressing the ever-changing challenges in healthcare and are reinventing the way audiences receive and retain healthcare information.