The COTY Award

Jean Hitchcock Receives 2008 Communicator of the Year Honor by
Health Care Communicators of San Diego

San Diego, Calif – March 12, 2009 – The 16th Annual Health Care Communicators (HCC) of San Diego Finest Awards took place on March 12th at The Dana Hotel on Mission Bay, situated on a peaceful, idyllic waterfront. The evening’s top honoree, Jean Hitchcock, was acknowledged by colleagues who offered endless waves of kudos, applause and ovations as she received the 2008 Communicator of the Year (COTY) award. The COTY award is the highest honor given each year to recognize outstanding leadership, innovation, accomplishment and community service in effectively communicating health care issues.

 

Hitchcock, who serves as Corporate Vice President of Marketing & Communications for Scripps Health, has continued to demonstrate dynamic leadership since joining Scripps five years ago. Described as someone who “drives change with a delicate infusion of sophistication, humor, intellect and confidence,” her efforts have helped establish a stronger Scripps brand among both internal and external audiences.

During her tenure, she expanded the marketing team at Scripps from nearly 10 employees to more than 50 marketing and communications professionals.  Employee turn-over rate within her team is among the lowest in the Scripps System, a testament to “her fierce loyalty and protective nature [which] are comforting to her managers who are given the freedom to lead their teams with confidence.”

Hitchcock’s many accomplishments within Scripps were highlighted during the evening, which included her role in directing the organization’s focus toward patient service and motivating leadership at every level to make quality and patient satisfaction a first priority. She championed the development of a physician relation program, which increased physician satisfaction scores.

Additionally, Hitchcock and her team re-launched Scripps Health’s new Web site within a year, recognizing the opportunity to maximize marketing efforts within an ever-changing online, interactive environment. The award-winning site has increased traffic exponentially and paved the way for more integrated marketing campaigns that utilize more interactive tools.

Demonstrating true leadership style, Hitchcock is described as a born teacher and gives back to her community. She developed a unique, one-day seminar for marketing professionals, “Your Marketing MBA in a day,” which she teaches at national conferences and at health care organizations across the country. She has also taught marketing and communications through the University of California, San Diego. She sits on the Editorial Board for Health Leaders Media and is an Advisory Board Member for Modern Healthcare Magazine. She also serves on the board of the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMED) of the American Hospital Association.

Hitchcock has been recognized with several community awards for leadership and board contributions – and most recently was awarded the 2008 YWCA TWIN Award for Outstanding Women in Industry. She was also recognized as Communicator of the Year for the Western Michigan chapter of PRSA in 1994 and has received 7 Telly Awards for collateral and print advertising.

We congratulate Jean Hitchcock for her outstanding accomplishments and commend her for her tireless contributions to her organization, the healthcare communications industry and the overall community.