News Corp’s campaign to stop Australia’s biggest killer has won a major media campaign award after it resulted in a new Medicare rebate for a Heart Health Check.
In partnership with the Heart Foundation News Corp earlier this year campaigned for and won a series of major government policy changes to help end the devastating toll from heart disease.
The campaign which badged heart disease as Australia’s Worst Serial Killer and asked political leaders and the public to #showsometicker won Mumbrella’s Media Campaign of the Year award. .
Heart disease kills 51 people every day and costs a staggering $ 6.7 billion a year which combines the $ 2 billion hit to the health budget and lost productivity in the workforce.
As a result of the campaign more than one million individuals visited the Heart Foundation’s website and 525,000 checked their heart age, an indicator of whether they have a heart health problem.
For 10 years the Heart Foundation had been asking the Federal Government to fund a heart health check under Medicare.
Millions of Australians are at risk of having a heart attack in the next five years but most didn’t know this because, unlike for cancers, we had no national screening program for the disease.
A week after our campaign began Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the government would fund a heart health check from April 1.
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The Heart Foundation estimates the heart health check will prevent more than 9000 deaths and 76,500 heart attacks over the next five years by identifying people at risk and managing them appropriately.
The Government also wrote to Professor Gemma Figtree, chair of the Australian Cardiovascular Mission asking her to oversee and develop a response to other matters raised by the Heart Foundation and to help improve women’s cardiac diagnosis.
Together with the states and territories the government is now working on a nationally co-ordinated approach on anti-tobacco advertising.
And it is developing a national obesity strategy.
Heart Foundation Group CEO John Kelly said it showed what can be achieved when two organisations with a shared purpose combine their talents, energy, passion and courage.
“While we don’t come to work every day to win awards, this is certainly exciting recognition for a campaign that achieved significant outcomes for the Australian community, including public tri-partisan support for more action on heart disease, and the introduction of a dedicated Medicare Benefits Schedule item number for Heart Health Checks.”
“We could not be more thrilled,” he said.
News Corp’s Chief Operating Officer, Publishing Damian Eales also welcomed the award.
“This campaign is what we’re best at — advocating for our community, changing the conversation of a nation and causing change. That’s the influence of a trusted media,” he said.
“The credit really has to go to the Heart Foundation. They were determined to end the apathy. They took some risks with us, and have saved countless lives as a result,” he said.