PURCHASE, N.Y., Oct. 23, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attain Fertility®, a leader in the fertility field and an award-winning groundbreaker in the use of social media to communicate and provide support to people dealing with fertility issues, announced today that its Facebook community has reached 16,000 followers, a milestone achievement. It is the largest fertility-focused community on Facebook.
Attain launched its Facebook page in 2008 and swept the Web Health Awards in 2011, including an award for Best Social Media Community for Facebook. They also won the 2011 Social Advertising Media and Marketing Award (SAMMY) for "Best Socialized Midsize Business." Attain continues to innovate, and enhance their presence within the social community to reach as many people impacted by infertility as possible with timely, valuable information and support.
"Facebook has given us the ability to connect to the fertility community directly to learn about the issues that are most important to them, and respond with information, resources and support immediately," said Stephanie Himel-Nelson, the Attain Fertility Community Manager. "While we provide a steady stream of information through Facebook, Twitter and our blog, it's important for us to stay in touch with the conversation going on within the community," explained Himel-Nelson.
"We recognized early on that social media was going to be a key driver in the dissemination of important information about fertility issues, from where to find a good fertility specialist, to how to cope with the journey through fertility treatments," said Shelly Galvin, Director of Communications and Community for Attain Fertility. "And we know that our message extends beyond our 16,000 followers. Between their 'Likes' to our posts, comments and 'Shares' to their family and friends, we reach nearly 1 million people every week."
In addition to providing the community timely information, the Facebook page provides a support system that is vital for people dealing with fertility issues. "The journey to parenthood through fertility treatments can be an emotional rollercoaster. There is so much information to absorb, and so many peaks and valleys. People often feel isolated, as if no one understands what they are going through," explained Himel-Nelson. "This year we introduced The Wall of Hope on Facebook. It's a place where the community is invited to post words of encouragement for each other. We also launched a series of E-Cards, some humorous and others more heartfelt, that community members can send to anyone in need of a kind word or a reason to laugh. Both the Wall, with its continuous scroll of encouragement, and e-cards have taken off and helped the community give voice to their emotions while also giving support to each other."
Himel-Nelson frequently asks the community if there are specific questions they have about everything from fertility drugs to causes of infertility. The community invariably responds and trends are often detected. Based on the community's input Himel-Nelson and her team, which includes fertility specialists from the Attain Fertility Network, start conversations on Facebook and Twitter, create blog posts and develop content for their informational website, AttainFertility.com that offer more information and insight on those topics.
"This has been an invaluable way for us to understand the needs of the fertility community, allowing us to deliver the best services possible. Based on what we learn from our community, we continue to enhance our programs. For example, we recently added the Attain® Rx Discount Card benefit to our Attain® IVF Programs as a result of our community asking for a way to make fertility medications more affordable," explained Galvin. "We are committed to serving patient needs first and foremost, and are humbled by how positively our community has responded. They're truly amazing!"
About IntegraMed America, Inc.
IntegraMed is a leader in developing, marketing and managing specialty outpatient healthcare facilities, with a current focus on the fertility and vein care markets. IntegraMed supports its provider networks with clinical and business information systems, marketing and sales, facilities and operations management, finance and accounting, human resources, legal, risk management, quality assurance, and fertility treatment financing programs.
Attain Fertility® Centers, an IntegraMed Specialty, offers the nation's largest fertility center network, with 34 centers, comprising 135 locations across 33 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly one of every four IVF procedures in the U.S. is performed in an Attain Fertility Centers network practice.
Vein Clinics of America, an IntegraMed Specialty, is the leading provider of specialty vein care services in the U.S. The IntegraMed Vein Clinic network operates 50 centers across 15 states, principally in the Midwest and Southeast.
Contact: Marcia Clark
(845) 528-6647 / marcia@mcpublicrelations.com
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