LifeBridge Health Kicks off Hand Washing Campaign

If you've felt like you are seeing signs about washing your hands everywhere you go, from the Northwest Hospital bathroom to your favorite restaurant, it's no accident.

LifeBridge Health is sponsoring a different kind of advertising campaign this fall, with the tagline "Wash Your Hands. Spread the word, not the flu." Given recent concerns about the H1N1 "swine" flu as well as the seasonal flu, there's never been a better time for the message to resonate across Baltimore.

"We want to make hand washing synonymous with LifeBridge Health," says Rudy Miller, vice president of Marketing and Community Relations. "When we first envisioned this campaign, it was actually before the emergence of H1N1, but now, more than ever, it makes sense that we spread the message that you can largely prevent illness by doing something as simple as washing your hands the right way."

In partnership with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Baltimore City Health Department, the hand washing campaign features several creative elements. The restroom door signs show various people inadvertently toting toilet seats back from the bathroom with them, all because they neglected to wash their hands. "Don’t take your rest break back with you," the signs admonish. The Restaurant Association of Maryland plans to offer area restaurants similar posters from LifeBridge Health to display in their restrooms. Thirty-second public service announcements showing children washing their hands will also run on local stations. ClearChannel Outdoor is donating free billboard space to feature the hand washing message, and the city is permitting LifeBridge Health to put eye-catching sink graphics on some of the city’s sidewalks.

If you like the hand washing reminder signs on the back of the bathroom doors, be sure to check out the campaign’s official Web site at www.WashYourHandsMaryland.org.