“To receive awards of excellence for these two initiatives is very exciting,” notes Speare’s Director of Community Relations Michele Hutchins. “The brochure and the colon cancer awareness campaign embody the heart of Speare Memorial Hospital—community. Neither of these would have been possible without our providers and employees participation. A very special thank you goes to photographer John W. Hession and the creative team at Millennium Integrated Marketing, with who we share these awards. They brought our words and ideas to life and presented them in a way that connects with, and is useful to, the central New Hampshire community.”

Hosted by Marketing Healthcare Today Magazine and Creative Images, Inc., the 2012 Aster Awards received nearly 3,000 entries from across the United States as well as Canada and South America. Participant’s entries competed against similar-sized organizations in their category. Awards were issued for entries that received top marks from judges placing them in the top 16 percent of the nation for advertising excellence. Judging criteria included creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality and overall appeal.

All winners are posted on the Aster Awards website (www.AsterAwards.com), as well as published in Marketing Healthcare Today, a national healthcare marketing magazine.

Speare Memorial Hospital—a 24-hour, acute care, non-profit community hospital and health care provider serving Plymouth and the communities of central New Hampshire—is nationally ranked as a HeadStrong: Top 100 Critical Access Hospital. Visit Speare Memorial Hospital online at www.spearehospital.com for more information.