Center City, Minn. (Oct. 13, 2020) — For those exhaustively searching online for answers and help at all hours of day or night, wondering if there is any hope left in the midst of the chaos of addiction—Melissa Fors, the vice president of marketing strategy at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and 2020 recipient of a Women's Health Leadership TRUST Award, is on your side and here to reassure you: Yes—there is hope, and there is help.
"Reaching more people with lifesaving, evidence-based addiction treatment has become more imperative than ever in the midst of the nation's addiction and opioid overdose crisis—and we need to be right there with answers and help whenever, wherever and however people reach out for information or assistance," said Fors.
Focused on meeting people where they are, with information they care about, at their most critical decision-making moments, Fors helped Hazelden Betty Ford's treatment centers serve 25,495 patients in 2019—the most in the organization's 71-year history and 12,000 more on an annual basis than when Fors joined the organization in 2013. During her tenure, she has spearheaded a people-focused, data-driven, digital marketing transformation that continues to help more people than ever connect with the virtual and onsite services they need.
The TRUST Awards celebrate Minnesota women and companies that are helping the healthcare industry advance boldly into the future. Fors will be recognized for her contributions and leadership at the Women's Health Leadership TRUST Forum, held virtually this year due to the pandemic.
"Melissa Fors leads with a fearless 'we'll figure-it-out' enthusiasm―encouraging innovation, collaboration and results, whether championing consumer-centered marketing strategies or building a high-performance culture within the marketing team," said Mark Mishek, president and CEO of Hazelden Betty Ford, the nation's leading nonprofit addiction treatment provider. "I am grateful for and proud of her leadership in bringing Hazelden Betty Ford's healing and hope to more individuals, families, and communities affected by addiction."
The Women's Health Leadership TRUST is an inclusive network whose members support, inspire and offer insights to women throughout the healthcare profession. With more than 500 members, the organization represents a wide array of healthcare sectors and is comprised of a collaborative force of dynamic women who lead by sharing their insights, expertise and trusted knowledge with colleagues and other healthcare leaders.
"I am grateful to the TRUST for recognizing the powerful influence that ethical, compassionate marketing can have in the lives of families experiencing addiction and often co-occurring mental health conditions as well," said Fors. "With today's unprecedented addiction and mental health crisis affecting just about every household in some way, it is vitally important that we make it as easy as possible for people to connect with good information, answers and help."
You can see the entire list of Women's Health Leadership TRUST 2020 award winners and learn more about the upcoming Forum by visiting whltrust.org.
Fors' leadership has also been recognized by the American Marketing Association, which named her the 2019 Nonprofit Marketer of the Year. She works to advance nonprofit and healthcare marketing by serving on the Education and Editorial Advisory Board for the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, speaking at industry conferences, and writing for industry publications on topics including health care branding and marketing ethics. Under her direction, Hazelden Betty Ford's marketing team has earned numerous industry awards, most recently the Modern Healthcare Marketing Impact Gold Award for its Let's Talk podcast series.