Hi friends,

I have a love/hate relationship with “trends to watch” articles at the turn of the year. I love them because they help validate what I should focus on for CURA and our clients. But I hate them because they can be overwhelming. When I try to prioritize ONE THING to keep an eye on in each of our two main service areas—public affairs/advocacy and strategic communications—this is where I land:

1. Advocacy: Health care discussions in the 2024 presidential election. Big election years make it more difficult for bipartisan laws, but there is a lot of opportunity to communicate with policymakers. Our job is to ensure our clients stay in the mix. As new leaders emerge, so do new opportunities. And as we have done for the last three cycles, expect to receive a highlight of the Freshman Members to Watch later this year. Check out last year's Freshman Members to Watch here.

2. Communications: Generative AI. There is no doubt in my mind that generative AI will be as integral to our work as social media, Google or even the Internet itself. In 2024, CURA is implementing an AI Ethics Guidelines and Policies resource to outline the principles governing the use of AI, so we RESPONSIBLY use AI to streamline tasks. Rest assured, we will not upload proprietary information nor will we use AI if our clients don’t want us to. We've hosted AI trainings for CURA staff to take us deeper into PR-specific AI tools. If you're wanting to keep up with AI news but don't know where to start, I highly recommend the New York Times'  Hard Fork or the MedTech podcast.

What’s on your radar for 2024?

My motto for this year: Let’s soar in `24!

Honor the Gift Action Day

Every client we partner with is transforming health care for the better. This quarter, we’re highlighting a major undertaking that required advocacy and communications expertise to pull off: a multi-faceted advocacy action effort to protect transplant patients.

On December 5, 2023, we mobilized hundreds of transplant patients, physicians and advocates to participate in an Honor the Gift Action Day, urging Congress, President Biden and HHS Secretary Becerra to reverse rollbacks in coverage for non-invasive post-transplant testing made by a Medicare contractor. 

CURA worked closely with Honor the Gift coalition members to organize a press conference, lead a march to and rally in front of HHS and orchestrated over 100 meetings between advocates and policymakers to educate them. Watch our sizzle reel of the event!

With the 2024 election cycle in full gear, presidential hopefuls along with all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 34 senators are vying for votes. Health care remains one of the paramount topics of discussion, ranking second only to inflation, within the hyper-polarized political environment.

For many health care organizations, there's concern they may be losing a congressional ally or that their issues may not cut through the noise to get much-needed legislation over the finish line.

CURA’s government affairs team is your solution. We have considerable experience navigating tumultuous election cycles and adapting strategies to ensure that our clients are prepared for the rocky election season and beyond. Based on your needs, we are ready to develop targeted or fully-integrated advocacy campaigns, combining grassroots, grasstops and lobbying strategies with communications support to mobilize your mission and make real change. If you're ready to chat, we're ready to help. Email scott.leezer@curastrategies.com.

We love welcoming new talent to the CURA team and are pleased to introduce two new faces.

And shout out to team members celebrating CURAversaries!

Cheers to Scott Leezer (6 years), Jen Kelley Young (2 years) and Lula Hailesilassie (2 years) for helping make CURA what it is today!

Growing still…

We are also hiring a Digital Marketing Director. Our ideal candidate has a minimum of 7 years of work experience in digital marketing with a strong interest in leading and managing social, email and digital marketing campaigns.

As busy as the end of the year can be, we always make time to connect with the community—and this year we volunteered again with local organizations we love to support: The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program and the DC Central Kitchen.

Rounding out this newsletter with some serious gratitude—CURA Strategies had an incredible year of growth, expanding both our skillset and client roster. In December, we celebrated our accomplishments, networked with other accomplished professionals at the Washington Women in PR event and set our eyes on creating another successful year.

Have questions? Message us!

If you need communications or advocacy support, we are here for you! We’ll work with you to develop a strategy and choose the right tools to help you achieve your organization’s goals. Send us a message!