![\"Courtesy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777307284596.png\")
Courtesy photo<\/p>\nCourtesy photo<\/p>\n
Kansas Association of Health Care Communicatiors<\/p>\n
TOPEKA\u2014Kansas hospitals and health systems were recently recognized for excellence in public relations and marketing efforts by the Kansas Association of Health Care Communicators through its Emerald Awards competition. <\/p>\n
Emerald Awards are given annually to Kansas hospitals and health systems that excel in communications, special events, advertising, video, and other categories. Three marketing professionals from Kentucky, New York, and Missouri with extensive experience in health care marketing evaluated this year\u2019s entries for planning and research, implementation, cost-effectiveness, and results.<\/p>\n
The 2026 Emerald Awards were presented at the Kansas Association of Health Care Communicators Spring Conference on April 24 in Salina, Kan.<\/p>\n
In addition to the 20 Emerald Awards and 24 Certificates of Merit presented this year, judges selected one entry as Best of Show. This year\u2019s Best of Show winner was \u201cRelocate to Rooks,\u201d by Samantha Pfannenstiel at Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, Kan. This campaign took a fresh approach to staff recruitment by encouraging people to see themselves living and working in a rural area. A powerful video anchored a coordinated digital strategy introducing Rooks County as a place where professional impact and quality of life go hand in hand.<\/p>\n
The judges complimented the planning and research for the campaign as well as how Rooks County Health Center collaborated to bring the idea to life. \u201cI love that you partnered with local organizations to 2 make this work. A strong hospital with great providers equals a strong local community and economy,\u201d one judge said.<\/p>\n
The following awards in their respective categories were presented.<\/p>\n
Advertising \u2013 Digital\/Social
Emerald Award
\u201cMedicare Rules of the Road,\u201d Samantha Pfannenstiel, Rooks County Health Center, Plainville, Kan. <\/p>\n
Advertising \u2013 Total Campaign
Certificate of Merit
\u201cHeart Care Beyond Compare: Elevating Cardiac Care Awareness in Rural Western Kansas,\u201d Onspire Health Marketing, HaysMed, Hays, Kan.
\u201cAdventHealth Ottawa Family Birth Place,\u201d AdventHealth Marketing & Communications, AdventHealth Mid-America Region, Shawnee Mission, Kan.<\/p>\n
Communications \u2013 Annual Report
Emerald Award
\u201cTogether We\u2019re Going Places,\u201d Marketing & Development Teams, NMC Health, Newton, Kan.<\/p>\n
Certificate of Merit
\u201c2025 Community Benefit Report,\u201d Courtney Schmelzle, Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, Seneca, Kan.<\/p>\n
Communications \u2013 Newsletter
Emerald Award
\u201cAdventHealth KC Newsletter,\u201d AdventHealth Marketing & Communications, AdventHealth Kansas City, Shawnee Mission, Kan.
\u201cVital Signs \u2014 Internal Newsletter,\u201d Roger Stockman, Holton Community Hospital, Holton, Kan.<\/p>\n
Certificate of Merit
\u201cWNH EXCHANGE Newsletter,\u201d William Newton Hospital Marketing, William Newton Hospital, Winfield, Kan. <\/p>\n
Communications \u2013 Other Publication
Emerald Award
\u201cMyHealthKC Magazine,\u201d AdventHealth Kansas City, AdventHealth Mid-America Region, Shawnee Mission, Kan.\u00a0
\u201cHealthBeat Magazine Fitness Court Edition,\u201d Shannon Rogers & Megan Solomon, Smith County Memorial Hospital, Smith Center, Kan.<\/p>\n
Certificate of Merit
\u201cThe Power of Local Care Insert,\u201d Courtney Schmelzle, Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, Seneca, Kan. 3<\/p>\n
Communications \u2013 Total Campaign
Emerald Award
\u201cRelocate to Rooks,\u201d Samantha Pfannenstiel, Rooks County Health Center, Plainville, Kan.
\u201cJackson County Sales Tax Campaign\u201d Roger Stockman & CSC Committee, Holton Community Hospital, Holton, Kan.
\u201cBetter Care, Closer to Home: Launching Inpatient Dialysis,\u201d Marketing Team, NMC Health, Newton, Kan.<\/p>\n
Certificate of Merit
\u201cPhilanthropy & Faith Campaign,\u201d Marketing & Communications Team, Stormont Vail Health, Topeka, Kan.
\u201cAdventHealth Lenexa City Center Grand Opening,\u201d AdventHealth Marketing & Communications, AdventHealth Mid-America Region, Shawnee Mission, Kan.
\u201cCaring for the Kingdom Town Halls,\u201d AdventHealth Marketing & Communications, AdventHealth Mid-America Region, Shawnee Mission, Kan.
\u201cCareer Advancement Program Launch,\u201d WNH Marketing & Cheryl Brock, William Newton Hospital, Winfield, Kan.<\/p>\n
Digital Media Projects
Emerald Award
\u201cDon\u2019t Wait,\u201d Sarah Teaff & Kristen Birket, Patterson Health Center, Anthony, Kan.
\u201cDigital Glow Up: Making Social Matter,\u201d Sara Lyon & NMC Health Staff, NMC Health, Newton, Kan.<\/p>\n
Media Relations\/Crisis Communication
Emerald Award
\u201cAdventHealth Kansas City Blizzard Response,\u201d AdventHealth Marketing & Communications, AdventHealth Mid-America Region, Shawnee Mission, Kan.<\/p>\n
Small Budget, Big Results
Emerald Award\u00a0
\u201cLet\u2019s Get Physical: Giving Immediate Care an Energy Boost,\u201d Marketing Team, NMC Health, Newton, Kan.<\/p>\n
Certificate of Merit
\u201cA Rural Hospital\u2019s 1.6 Million View Social Media Strategy,\u201d Roger Stockman, Holton Community Hospital, Holton, Kan.
\u201cTrusted Hometown Care: How Combining Two Campaigns Delivered a 38.5% Increase in Births for CHCS,\u201d Onspire Health Marketing, Community HealthCare System of Northeast Kansas, Onaga, Kan.
\u201cChristmas for Canines,\u201d Tracy Jones, Linda Booth & Judy Rhodes, Coffey Health System, Burlington, Kan. 4<\/p>\n
Special Events
Emerald Award
\u201cTalk With A Doc,\u201d Samantha Pfannenstiel, Rooks County Health Center, Plainville, Kan.
\u201cSip, Sparkle and Self Love,\u201d Kristen Birket, Patterson Health Center, Anthony, Kan.
\u201cWomen\u2019s Cancer Survivor Experience,\u201d Jessica Peak, The University of Kansas Health System, Mission, Kan.<\/p>\n
Certificate of Merit
\u201cPlanning, Protection & Peace of Mind Educational Session,\u201d Courtney Schmelzle, Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, Seneca, Kan.
\u201cLunch & Learn Series,\u201d Tracy Jones, Coffey Health System, Burlington, Kan.
\u201c2025 Health Fair,\u201d Jennifer Ploeger, Sabetha Community Hospital, Sabetha, Kan.
\u201cAdventHealth Championship: Grayson Murray Legacy Award,\u201d AdventHealth Mid-America Region, Shawnee Mission, Kan.
\u201c2025 Red Friday Celebrations,\u201d CheyAnn Cohen, The University of Kansas Health System, Mission, Kan.<\/p>\n
Video
Emerald Award
\u201cEvery Second Counts,\u201d Kristen Birket, Patterson Health Center, Anthony, Kan.
\u201cThe Fitness Court and Studio,\u201d Shannon Rogers, Smith County Memorial Hospital, Smith Center, Kan.<\/p>\n
Certificate of Merit
\u201cMatt\u2019s Story,\u201d Samantha Pfannenstiel, Rooks County Health Center, Plainville, Kan.
\u201cThe Amazing Providers of SCMH,\u201d Shannon Rogers & SCMH Providers, Smith County Memorial Hospital, Smith Center, Kan.\u00a0
\u201cTake Five,\u201d Corporate Communications & Media Relations, The University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City, Kan.<\/p>\n
Wildcard
Emerald Award\u00a0
\u201cPaw Squad Calendar,\u201d Marketing & Communications Team, Stormont Vail Health, Topeka, Kan.
\u201c100 Days Celebration,\u201d Samantha Pfannenstiel, Rooks County Health Center, Plainville, Kan.<\/p>\n
Certificate of Merit
\u201cIt\u2019s a Beaut Clark,\u201d Smith County Family Practice, Smith County Memorial Hospital, Smith Center, Kan.
\u201cShell-ebrate Health: Using AI to Humanize Healthcare,\u201d Kristen Birket, Patterson Health Center, Anthony, Kan.
\u201cElevator Insights,\u201d Jennifer Ploeger, Sabetha Community Hospital, Sabetha, Kan.
\u201cChristmas for Canines,\u201d Tracy Jones, Linda Booth & Judy Rhodes, Coffey Health System, Burlington, Kan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Courtesy photo Kansas Association of Health Care Communicatiors TOPEKA\u2014Kansas hospitals and health systems were recently recognized for excellence…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":613467,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[97,252,253],"class_list":["post-613466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=613466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/613467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=613466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=613466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=613466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}