Let's Build Arclet
Improving the wellbeing of every community by innovating health communications.
Project Description
Our Challenge
Public health communication that is engaging, evidence-based, culturally competent, and delivered by trusted local messengers is critical for promoting health behaviors that can improve health. Yet health communicators - the people tasked with getting credible health information to their communities - lack the essential tools they need to consistently deliver high-quality information, measure impact, and engage effectively.
Barriers for local, state, and national health communicators (i.e., professionals at public health agencies, hospitals, community-based organizations, school-based health centers, universities, and federal agencies responsible for communicating health information to the public) include their ability to reach their target audience where they receive information, an overwhelming and fractured information landscape, and lack of funds, staff, and time.
Arclet
Arclet is an easy-to-use platform that allows health communicators to locate, localize, test, share, and measure engaging, evidence-based, and culturally competent health information in their communities.
Key features of the platform include:
- A database of aggregated existing health campaigns (on a range of topics) from credible sources;
- Design customization so that communicators can tailor and localize information so it is clearly coming from a trusted local messenger;
- Message testing to ensure that it will have the intended impact with the target audience;
- Support for strategic & targeted online dissemination to reach intended audiences where they are already receiving information; and
- Data analysis and sharing to provide information on what works, what doesn’t work, and what would work to do better.
Arclet is beautiful, clean, easy to use, and evolves with our information landscape. It supports transparent, accountable, and measurable information sharing. It creates lift so that local health communicators can focus more of their energy on the grassroots communications that best happens at the local level.
Approach
I have designed a wireframe prototype of my minimum viable product, developed a financial model for platform build, pilot and full roll-out, as well as a business plan for how the platform will be scaled, housed, led, staffed, and sustained. I have a waiting list of people across the country who are eager to use Arclet - from public health agencies, hospitals, universities, marketing agencies, research institutions, and foundations... we just need to build it.
Once I have secured the necessary funding it will take approximately 3 months to design and develop the minimum viable product of the platform. I will then pilot Arclet in partnership with WNC Health Network and the WNC Health Communicators Collaborative, and with local and state public health information officers in North Carolina. In Phase 1 of the full roll-out, I will attract additional customers at state and local public health agencies, nonprofit health delivery systems, and community-based organizations. In Phase 2, I will begin to work with hospitals, K-12 schools and school-based health centers, federal agencies, and academic institutions.
Arclet Needs Your Support!
After intensive fundraising for the past 8 months, I have some very strong leads for pre-revenue, grants, and investment. While I feel confident that much of this funding will come through, it all takes time to translate commitments into cash-in-hand. The $20,000 I'm raising through this platform will help me kick-off building the beta version (MVP) of Arclet so that I can begin the pilot with local public health agencies in Q1 of 2024.
In the future, the platform will be sustained through a product-led growth model, where the search functionality will be free for all, but the additional features will come with an annual subscription (sliding scale based on the size of the agency).
About Me
I am a health communications professional with 18 years of experience at the local, regional, state, & national levels. I hold an MA in communications with a concentration in health communication from Johns Hopkins University (2012) and I was a 2023 Information Futures Fellow at Brown University School of Public Health.
Since 2019, through my work with WNC Health Network, I have had the privilege of working with an incredible team of local and regional health communicators in the mountains of western North Carolina. Their passion and the effort they put into their work to improve the health of their communities motivates me every day. I'd love to invite you to watch a video where I tell the story of the work that we did during COVID-19 - and how it has influenced Arclet - here.
The Arclet advisory team includes: Catherine Chao, Ad Council; Stefanie Friedhoff, Brown University; Lisa Macon Harrison, Granville-Vance District Health Department; Katelyn Jetelina, Epidemiologist & Scientific Communicator; Lee Lance, Ecobot; Khalilah LeGrand, ASTHO; Tracy Zimmerman, Neimand Collaborative.
What Our Supporters Say
"I’m most excited about the opportunity that Arclet will provide when it comes to being able to amplify evidence-based and tested health messages without duplicating effort. Local health departments can be trusted messengers in their communities, and Arclet will accelerate their ability to reach and educate, especially when there are little to no resources available to sustain effective communication campaigns."
- Lauren Billick, CDC
"As the world grows more connected, individuals must understand the importance of keeping our society healthy - expert messaging will continue to play a vital role. Having a national platform for public health communicators to connect and collaborate will serve to better support the need for better understanding by the public of issues and concerns and strategies to quickly address them. Arclet will be a wonderful resource for credible information and expert-level communication tactics."
- Dr. Khalilah LeGrand, ASTHO
"Even before the pandemic, the need for a platform of customized and localized information for local health department communicators would have been vital to our work. Arclet will be a most welcome tool for communicators, especially those in rural health departments and for others that have limited communications staff."
- Andrea Grenadier, NACCHO
Updates
The Campaign FAQs
Where did the name Arclet come from?
An arclet is the small arc of a galaxy. While it may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, it actually is part of something huge and transformative. In the same way, Arclet is designed to appear simple and straightforward, yet it has the power to transform public health communications. I also really love the word arc - it evokes story arcs, the arc of history, the moral arc...
How long have you been thinking about and working on Arclet?
In 2019, I was surrounded by health communicators at a national conference. The sessions were filled with academic discussions and case studies of federal campaigns backed by massive budgets. I couldn’t think of how to make the information immediately relevant and useful for the dedicated professionals in my regional group who were struggling daily without the necessary time and resources on the ground. I was determined to find a solution that would meet local needs, and the idea of a national health communicators platform first began to take root in my mind. A tool that would make it easier for health communicators to quickly locate existing evidence-based health information and that would support them in disseminating the information to target audiences through digital channels.
To my surprise, there was nothing like it in existence, or in development. Even basic tools, like a centralized search engine for health communication campaigns, were nonexistent. I reached out to anyone who would listen, from the CDC to major tech and social media companies, advocating for the creation of this platform that would provide much-needed lift to communicators doing the work of getting health information to local communities.
But the responses I received in these conversations were often discouraging. Some said it was too ambitious, others were unsure if it was doable, and many simply didn't know whose responsibility it was. The scarcity mindset in public health and the underestimation of the importance of communications were persistent challenges.
I eventually realized if I wanted it to happen I was going to need to take the lead. A huge turning point was when I received the 2023 Information Futures Fellowship at Brown University School of Public Health - this opportunity gave me the space and time to flesh out the concept into a plan of action.
Can you give me an example of an Arclet user?
Let's use the example of Liz, who works at a small, rural public health agency. Liz's main role at her agency is health educator, but she also runs a nutrition program, is the emergency preparedness coordinator, and the public information officer. Liz knows that vaping is on the rise with youth and young adults in her county. She wants to get information to them about the risks of vaping, and resources for quitting. First she has to do an online search to find existing information and campaign materials - she receives a long list of search results, and has to sift through them to identify what might work well in her community. She has a hard time discerning how well the campaign has worked in other communities - or whether she's allowed to put her own agency branding on it so that people can see that it’s coming from someone that they know and trust. She doesn't have the time or ability to test the materials with her audiences to understand whether it’s going to work well, and she doesn't know how to set up an ad campaign that will reach young adults through the social media platforms that they’re using. Liz may eventually share some vaping materials that she's found on her agency's Facebook page, but she has no idea if it made any difference. And vaping is just one of many health challenges in her community that she needs to be able to communicate effectively about.
Is my contribution tax-deductible?
No, Arclet is not a 501c3 nonprofit.
I'd like to invest in Arclet for equity. Is this a possibility?
Yes! I am seeking funding & investment partners who share my vision and believe that it is our collective responsibility to create the tools needed for effective health communication. Please reach out to me at [email protected].
Have a question that you don't see answered here? Email me at [email protected].
You'd like to make a contribution (anywhere from $5 to $5,000+!) to support building Arclet - and you don't want anything in return for your generosity. Any amount helps greatly - thank you!
You'll receive a shout-out on Arclet social media!
You'll receive 1 entry in a drawing for a 5-night stay at a 2-bedroom cabin on the shores of Lake Santeetlah in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. You'll receive a shout-out on Arclet social media and microsite, www.arclet.com.
You'll receive 2 entries in a drawing for a 5-night stay at a 2-bedroom cabin on the shores of Lake Santeetlah in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. You'll be invited to join Arclet as one of our first user-testers, and a three-month subscription once the platform is in beta mode. You'll also receive a shout-out on our social media, as well as thanks on our microsite, www.Arclet.com.
You'll receive 5 entries in a drawing for a 5-night stay at a 2-bedroom cabin on the shores of Lake Santeetlah in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. You'll receive a 6-month Arclet subscription. You'll be invited to an exclusive Arclet conversation with some exciting guests, as well as to join Arclet as one of our first user-testers! You'll also receive a shout-out on our social media, as well as thanks on our microsite, www.Arclet.com.
You'll receive 10 entries in a drawing for a 5-night stay at a 2-bedroom cabin on the shores of Lake Santeetlah in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. You'll receive a one-year subscription to Arclet. You'll also be invited to an exclusive Arclet conversation with some exciting guests, as well as to join Arclet as one of our first user-testers! You'll also receive a shout-out on our social media, as well as thanks on our microsite, www.Arclet.com.
You'll receive 20 entries in a drawing for a 5-night stay at a 2-bedroom cabin on the shores of Lake Santeetlah in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. You'll receive a one-year subscription to Arclet. You'll also be invited to an exclusive Arclet conversation with some exciting guests, as well as to join Arclet as one of our first user-testers! You'll also receive a shout-out on our social media, as well as thanks on our microsite, www.Arclet.com.
Rewards
You'd like to make a contribution (anywhere from $5 to $5,000+!) to support building Arclet - and you don't want anything in return for your generosity. Any amount helps greatly - thank you!
You'll receive a shout-out on Arclet social media!
You'll receive 1 entry in a drawing for a 5-night stay at a 2-bedroom cabin on the shores of Lake Santeetlah in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. You'll receive a shout-out on Arclet social media and microsite, www.arclet.com.
You'll receive 2 entries in a drawing for a 5-night stay at a 2-bedroom cabin on the shores of Lake Santeetlah in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. You'll be invited to join Arclet as one of our first user-testers, and a three-month subscription once the platform is in beta mode. You'll also receive a shout-out on our social media, as well as thanks on our microsite, www.Arclet.com.
You'll receive 5 entries in a drawing for a 5-night stay at a 2-bedroom cabin on the shores of Lake Santeetlah in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. You'll receive a 6-month Arclet subscription. You'll be invited to an exclusive Arclet conversation with some exciting guests, as well as to join Arclet as one of our first user-testers! You'll also receive a shout-out on our social media, as well as thanks on our microsite, www.Arclet.com.
You'll receive 10 entries in a drawing for a 5-night stay at a 2-bedroom cabin on the shores of Lake Santeetlah in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. You'll receive a one-year subscription to Arclet. You'll also be invited to an exclusive Arclet conversation with some exciting guests, as well as to join Arclet as one of our first user-testers! You'll also receive a shout-out on our social media, as well as thanks on our microsite, www.Arclet.com.
You'll receive 20 entries in a drawing for a 5-night stay at a 2-bedroom cabin on the shores of Lake Santeetlah in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. You'll receive a one-year subscription to Arclet. You'll also be invited to an exclusive Arclet conversation with some exciting guests, as well as to join Arclet as one of our first user-testers! You'll also receive a shout-out on our social media, as well as thanks on our microsite, www.Arclet.com.