Serve, Strengthen, Prevent

PREPARED BY

THE LINK AGENCY

126 Poplar Grove Connector www.apphealthcare.com

Boone, NC, 28607 www.thelinkagency.com
828 264 4995 / 828 265 3101
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COVER LETTER
Dear AppHealthCare,

The Link Agency has thoughtfully and creatively put together a campaign plan to help raise
awareness for Watauga college students on substance misuse as it is on the rise on college
campuses. Our campaign is focused on college students to accumulate more knowledge of
substance misuse and abuse within their campus. As a plan to increase awareness for students,
we will be promoting AppHealthCare’s substance use services. If students are informed of
services to help when using substances harmfully or seeing someone use substances harmfully,
they are more likely to seek help and spread the word of AppHealthCare services.

From this campaign, The Link Agency believes this will successfully grant AppHealthCare to
follow through with its mission statement of promoting safe and healthy living and preventing
disease. This time frame of individuals is about recognizing their bodies. Through this campaign,
AppHealthCare will be able to educate college students on what they may be putting in their
bodies.The Link Agency would like to thank AppHealthCare for their service to the community
and the outreach for all of their patients. AppHealthCare, you have been a pleasure to work with
and we hope to continue this partnership in the future to help educate and prioritize the health
of our community. We hope you consider this campaign as a potential strategy to reach the
college students of Watauga County.

Please contact The Link Agency at myerstb@appstate.edu with any questions or concerns.
Again, thank you for your time and partnership, we look forward to future encounters. 

Sincerely,

Taylor B. Myers

THE LINK AGENCY

Taylor B. Myers
Avery E. Fansler
Dylan L. Moore
Morgan A. Seagle
Seth M. Negus
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary ...................... 4

Situation Analysis .......................... 7
Research Findings Report .......... 14
Campaign Plan ................................ 20
References ........................................ 27
Implementation Materials ......... 29
Appendices ....................................... 40
A. Research Instrument ........ 41
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EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Executive Summary

Health is a core commonality of all individuals. A major stage in life for individuals to take full
control of their own bodies are the years they are living alone throughout college.  From
secondary research, Watauga County community members discovered that drug and alcohol
abuse were high-risk health causes in the area. “Addiction is harmful to our community in many
ways. Beyond the harmful consequences for a person with addiction, substance misuse can
cause serious health problems for others,” (Watauga-County-Community 7,13). 

Substance use has continued to increase each calendar year amongst individuals from the ages
of 18-25 (College Drug Abuse and Addiction). College students make up a great percentage of
the Watauga County population, making this age group a huge target market for
AppHealthCare. Many actions can be taken by AppHealthCare including increasing presence
through promotions, service announcements, increase in brand association, and advertising the
welcome of all health insurance or no health insurance.

The Link Agency’s main focus for this research is to increase awareness of information regarding
substance abuse amongst college students in Watauga County and overall brand awareness of
AppHealthCare. After it was determined the target audience was going to be college students in
Watauga County, their knowledge about substance abuse, how often they engage in substance
use, how familiar they are with local healthcare providers and effective methods to reach them
with information was measured. To collect this information, a survey was sent out to students of
Appalachian State University and both the Watauga and Hudson campuses of Caldwell
Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI). The questions asked related to
demographics, personal substance use, peer substance use, social media use and familiarity with
local healthcare providers. The survey was designed to gain an understanding of the target
audience and determine the best ways for AppHealthCare to educate them.

The data collected from the survey that was sent out to Appalachian State University and
Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute students indicated that many college
students see illicit drugs, alcohol, and nicotine being abused in social settings in the
community.College students make up a large percentage of Watauga County, making them a
prime target audience for AppHealthCare to reach. Our campaign aspires to “Serve, Strengthen,
and Prevent” college students from being negatively impacted by substance abuse, while
highlighting AppHealthCare as an optimal source of substance misuse information. The key
messages of this campaign are to serve students of Appalachian State University and CCC&TI by
strengthening their knowledge of substance abuse and the substance misuse and prevention
services offered to them by AppHealthCare.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Primary research indicates that 47% of participants compiled of college students in Watauga
County are unfamiliar with AppHealthCare. To satisfy the campaign goal of AppHealthCare
being a community resource college students utilize for substance abuse and prevention
services, the first objective is to increase awareness of AppHealthCare and their substance
abuse and prevention services amongst college students in Watauga County by 10% by May 1st,
2021. The second objective is to reduce how often Appalachian State and CCC&TI students see
controlled substances being used negatively towards someone’s health on campus or in the
community by 10% by May 1st, 2021. The final objective is to decrease the hospitalization rate
for substance abuse among college students by 5% by May 1st, 2021. Achieving these objectives
will benefit both AppHealthCare and the target population by creating a healthier community
and bringing more awareness to AppHealthCare overall.
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SITUATION
ANALYSIS
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SITUATION ANALYSIS
Problem Statement

Lack of education on available substance abuse services to Watauga County college students
limits AppHealthCare’s promotion of safe and healthy living since its 2017 rebrand

Internal Factors

Mission-
AppHealthCare’s mission statement is to promote safe and healthy living, prevent disease, and
protect the environment. They are “dedicated to providing accessible, comprehensive, high
quality, professional health care, health education and preventive services to all area residents
regardless of social, cultural, religious or economic status.” They serve Alleghany, Ashe, and
Watauga counties. AppHealthCare has a vision of encompassing the better health of the
community by the services they provide at their six locations. Their mission statement is
encompassing their wide variety of resources and services they provide.

Values-
AppHealthCare prides itself on offering clinical, nutritional and dental services, as well as, a
variety of environmental programs to all residents of Watauga, Ashe and Alleghany County.
Regarding county residents, AppHealthCare is a nondiscriminatory organization in terms of the
residents socioeconomic, religious, or cultural status.

Vision-
AppHealthCare seeks to become a healthcare organization that reaches a larger portion of the
community through their services. According to AppHealthCare (2018), “A community where
everyone has an equal opportunity to live healthy and productive lives” is their goal. To achieve
this vision, AppHealthCare partners with local stakeholders in order to develop a sense of the
health priorities of the community and identify ways to strategize actions towards them.

Organizational History & Structure-

AppHealthCare came to be after a rebrand in 2017 after receiving federal funding. This rebrand
increased their outreach to the community of Watauga, Ashe and Allegheny counties. This also
led to a new slogan, “Caring for our Community”. Since their rebrand, their known status is as a
dual entity public health department- federally qualified health center that provides services
and resources for a variety of commonly overlooked assets in the community. Through
partnerships with community organizations, AppHealthCare has continued to work towards
their goal of improving health for the community as a whole.
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SITUATION ANALYSIS
There are close to 95 employees operating in AppHealthCare (Lynn). Roles of the employees
vary, however many roles are not concrete. From a public relations standpoint, the role of a
public relations professional is being shared and not being measured in an efficient manner.
Once the campaign has reached a point of reflection, employee management will determine the
strengths and weaknesses of the campaign. The information collected from the reflection will be
included and implemented in future campaigns. The data gathered will allow for growth within
the employees itself to see how success should be reached and measured in the future. As of
now, there has not been any effort since the 2017 “Catch My Breath” anti-tobacco and e-
cigarette campaign aimed at reducing substance abuse.

Funding-
According to AppHealthCare’s 2018-19 Annual Report (2019), they are funded 34% federally
through the state, 27% through clinic and environmental health fees, 19% through competitive
grants, 16% through the county, 3% through fund balance and 1% from other sources (Annual
Report 2019, 4). During the 2018-19 fiscal year, they totaled $1,615,172 from these funds
(Fiscal Year, 4). AppHealthCare also has constant funding from Watauga, Ashe and Alleghany
County governments through a three-year cycle of additional funds (Annual Report 2019, 4).

External Factors

Substance abuse has been an ongoing issue faced by many college students since the 1950s
when students who embraced counterculture helped introduce marijuana use into college
culture (Borwick, 2018). According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,
approximately four out of five college students participate in drinking activities, and alcohol is
the number one form of substance abuse amongst this age group (Affordable Colleges, 2020). 

Prescription and illegal drug misuse nearly doubled between 2008 and 2013 (Affordable
Colleges, 2020). The rise in popularity of recreational drug use has become such an issue that
many college students do not find it to be a problem at all.  The results of a study conducted in
2008 of 1,800 college students discovered that 80% disregarded the illegal use of ADHD
medication to be dangerous.

Marijuana is the most common illicit drug used amongst college students, and although
marijuana use is legal in some states, it is not allowed on any federally funded college campus in
the United States (Affordable Colleges, 2020).

Vaping and juuling have become increasingly popular over the past few years with youth and
young adults. Research shows that college students most likely to use or try e-cigarettes are
usually non-Hispanic males, past or current cigarette smokers, and associated with Greek life
(Hart, 2017).
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SITUATION ANALYSIS
The growing trend of substance abuse amongst college students is an immense platform for
AppHealthCare to focus on in order to reach a large population of Watauga County and provide
informative messages about the repercussions of substance abuse.

Competing forces such as Appalachian State University Student Health Services and
surrounding medical practices could be a threat to AppHealthCare’s attempt to attract college
students. Appalachian State University’s Division of Student Affairs offers many wellness and
prevention services and resources to students as well as hosting on campus events throughout
the year. They also offer confidential Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) counseling (Wellness &
Prevention, 2020).

Another form of competition are large, national anti-substance abuse campaigns such as Truth,
Every Try Counts and Campus Drug Prevention. These campaigns may aid or take away from
AppHealthCare’s campaigns by pushing similar messages out to publics. Lack of brand
awareness or brand recognition may also hinder the effectiveness of messages sent out by
AppHealthCare.

Relevant Publics

Internal Publics- 
Employees: This public is immensely important to AppHealthCare. All employee’s roles in
AppHealthCare across all locations within Watauga county will vary. The employees working on
the campaign will oversee the implementation of the campaign and ensure its success.

External Publics- 
1. Ashe County has a population of approximately 28,000, 95.1% of which are white, and the
remaining percentage is comprised of African Americans and Native Americans. The largest age
group is 65-74 at approximately 14% of the total population. The second largest age group is 45-
54 which is also approximately 14% (US Census Bureau). The news dissemination source that
Ashe County has is the Ashe Post and Times.

2. Allegheny County has a population close to 15,300 people. In this county, 92% of the
population is white whereas nearly 5.5% is African American. The largest age group is 45-54,
which is 14%. The second largest age group, which is 65-74, is smaller by one percent (US
Census Bureau).
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SITUATION ANALYSIS
3. Watauga County’s population is close to 54,000 people. The county is 95% white and African
Americans account for a little over 2%. The largest age group is 20-54, which is almost 20% of
the population. This second largest age group is 15-19 which is almost 13% (US Census
Bureau). Watauga, Ashe and Allegheny Counties all have similar utility to the success of the
campaign. Ashe and Allegheny border Watauga, thus they can be expected to be exposed to the
campaign messages.  Watauga County is the primary target for the campaign.

4. Watauga Democrat has been a major relevant news source for Watauga County since 1888. It
has changed ownership several times since its inception, however it has remained a very well-
known news source for Watauga County. The news source can be useful in the distribution of
messages created by the team at AppHealthCare (Watauga Democrat).

SITUATION ANALYSIS
S.W.O.T. Analysis
Strengths:
-There are six locations within the three
counties they service, one being close to
Appalachian State University and Caldwell
Community College campuses
-Multiple services within AppHealthCare
allows for a broad range of target
audiences. This allows Appalachian State
College students to
receive services
Opportunities:
-Appalachian State University and Caldwell
Community College & Technical Institute
Watauga Campus are nearby and contain a
large portion of Watauga's population
-Nicotine addiction is rising in college
students, which will then give a wider
platform to succeed in a campaign targeting
substance abuse
-Not much brand association with
AppHealthCare beyond the logo
PAGE 12
Weaknesses:
-The 2017 “Catch My Breath” Campaign was
not efficient due to lack of accurate
targeting of the intended audience
-The website design needs to include linked
URLs and pictures to capture attention and
direct viewers. This will help people
navigate the website with less confusion
-There is not much content or knowledge on
nicotine issues in general. The nicotine
content that is available is through Quitline
NC, which directs the user away from their
website
-The reputation is not well known around
Watauga County
Threats:
-Anti-nicotine campaigns are common for
targeting young college-aged adults
-External sources are limiting finances for
AppHealthCare to distribute services
-The stigma around being only for low-
income families 
-Stigma around substance abuse victims and
recovery
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SITUATION ANALYSIS
Current Situation

Although AppHealthCare has made an opioid epidemic campaign, they have not produced much,
if any, original content since then to prevent substance abuse, especially in Watauga college
communities. This is strange considering one of their priorities for Watauga is substance misuse
prevention. Their last campaign titled “Catch My Breath” did not have much content and most
relied on word of mouth to spread awareness. The “Catch My Breath” campaign was an e-
cigarette prevention program targeting middle school aged youth that was created in 2017.
There was a lack of visual content produced in this campaign for their target audience.

Beyond this, much of AppHealthCare's website content directs the users from their website to
other sites containing information the users may be seeking. This also explains why there isn’t
enough awareness of AppHealthCare in the college aged community. Most of the content
released by AppHealthCare directs possible clients away from their website and away from their
services which distract from the services provided by AppHealthCare.

This campaign should address this issue of redirecting possible clients to other sources while
also giving more targeted messages about substance abuse. The end goal would be to increase
awareness of both AppHealthCare and substance abuse resources in Watauga college students.
Some problems could be lack of resources, funding, or ease of access to campaigns of other
organizations as seen through AppHealthCare’s website. Most of the campaigns, like the Catch
My Breath campaign are outside sources that when clicked for more information lead to another
site. However, these problems can be overcome with an emphasis on keeping costs low and
creating new and well-designed messages for the community. AppHealthCare has a lot of
information through other sources and other campaigns linked to their website that could be
pooled together through a targeted campaign that would bring more awareness to the issue and
the business.
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RESEARCH
FINDINGS REPORT
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RESEARCH FINDINGS REPORT

Introduction

 It is imperative for primary research to be collected in order to gain an understanding of the
target audience and begin the campaign planning process. The primary research aims to gather
information about college students in Watauga County. The data analyzed how their
experiences as college students and their perception, practice, and knowledge of substance
abuse are correlated. It gauged their familiarity with local healthcare providers, specifically
AppHealthCare, to better understand where the majority of college students receive health-
related information. 

The purpose of this research was to gain an understanding of college students’ knowledge of
substance abuse and where they retrieve health related information. To gather this information
a survey that measures student substance use and familiarity with local healthcare providers in
Watauga County was created. The goal is to bring awareness to AppHeathCare and substance
abuse resources. In order to do this, gaining an understanding of the scale of substance abuse
amongst Watauga County college students and channels that AppHealthCare could use to reach
this target audience was needed.

Research Plan

Research Goals-
The purpose of the research was to gather data about AppHealthCare’s brand awareness and
substance abuse information amongst college students in Watauga County.

Research Questions-
RQ1: Are Watauga County college students aware of AppHealthCare?
RQ2: What are the best ways to get information to college students?
RQ3: Is there evidence of substance abuse in college communities?

Research Objectives-
-Survey at least 80 students from Appalachian State University
-Survey at least 30 students from Caldwell Community College &Technical Institute
Watauga Campus

Methodology 

Overview-
The survey was designed to gather data to answer the research questions and provide valuable
information about the state of the level of awareness of AppHealthCare and the extent of
substance abuse amongst Watauga County college students. The data collected was tested,
using SPSS statistical software.
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RESEARCH FINDINGS REPORT

Population-
The target population consists of college students in Watauga County. The target population
consists of 19,280 students from Appalachian State University as well as 3,581 students from
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (Appalachian, 2019; Caldwell Community,
n.d.). In total, the survey secured 253 responses.

Sample & Sampling Technique-

The sample consisted of a total of 253 college students in Watauga County. The sample was
varied and provided representation for all of the questions that pertained to the sample
demographics. The scope of the population was all of the students that attend Appalachian State
University and the Hudson and Watauga campuses of CCCTI. The selected sampling technique
was convenience sampling, as the survey was sent to multiple clubs and directly to students. The
survey itself was created using Qualtrics.

Instrument-
The instrument design was a survey composed of 29 questions. To assist in keeping portions of
the data separate, the survey was created to be broken into two different routes, depending on
how the respondent answered the first question. The remaining structure of the survey
consisted of questions aimed to gain insight into substance abuse and healthcare knowledge.
Those questions, after the first question, abide to the design of a likert scale and one open ended
question. The survey first asked demographic information of the students, then their familiarity
with different healthcare centers in the community. Participants were asked about perception
of substance abuse in the environment in which they reside and in themselves with the last
portion of the survey. Some example questions from each section of the survey include: “Where
do you attend school?”, “What social media are you most active on?”, “How familiar are you with
AppHealthCare?”, and “When drinking alcohol, how much do you consume?”.

Data Collection Procedures-

The survey was shared through GroupMe and Facebook to different organizational groups that
each member of The Link Agency is a part of. The survey was shared via email to all professors of
the Watauga Campus at CCC&TI. To broaden its reach, the survey was altered to include the
Hudson Campus of CCC&TI and was then shared via email to all the students of CCC&TI
Watauga and Hudson Campus. The data collection started on February 25th, 2020 and ended on
March 26th. This means students were completing the survey over the course of 30 days. The
data was collected and on March 31st. The survey closed on April 7th, 2020.

Data Analysis-
To analyze the data collected in the survey, the statistical program SPSS was used to run
Chi-Square Crosstabs and correlation tests.
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RESEARCH FINDINGS REPORT

Findings 

Demographics-
The participants had a median age of 23 with 77% of students being full time college students.
Of the 253 people sampled, 30% attend Appalachian State, 27.3% attend CCC&TI Watauga
Campus, 40.7% attend CCC&TI Hudson Campus, and 2% listed “other” as their school. Since
Appalachian State students have an option to live on campus or in University-owned housing
when asked where they live 23% of App State students responded that they live in University
dorm, 9.5% responded to university-owned housing, and 67.6% responded that they do not live
in University-owned housing. CCC&TI students do not have university housing options. 90.5% of
people sampled live in non-university owned housing.

Across all three campuses, 23.7% are reported as Freshmen, 32.4% are Sophomores, 14.2% are
Juniors, 17.8% are Seniors, 3.2% are Fifth-year students, and 8.7% are Graduate students. Ages
range from 15 years old to 61 years old with a mean of 23.68 and a standard deviation of 7.976.
Also, 77.1% of students are full-time students and the remaining 22.9% are part-time
students.Also, when asked which social media they are most active on the majority (38.6%)
responded Instagram. 25.7% responded Facebook, 11.6% responded Twitter, 6.6% responded
Youtube, 12.9% responded other, and 4.6% responded “I do not use social media.”

Involvement with AppHealthCare-

When looking at students who use AppHealthCare’s resources, more Appalachian students have
used AppHealthCare (23) than CCC&TI (19), however, only 56.8% of Appalachian State students
have used it. Only 29.9% of CCC&TI Watauga have used AppHealthCare and 0% of CCC&TI
Hudson have used AppHealthCare. When comparing local healthcare organizations, there was a
positive correlation between familiarity with AppHealthCare and Appalachian Regional
Healthcare r(239)=.60, p=.000, Community Care Clinic r(239)=.28, p=.000, and Wellness and
Prevention Services r(239)=.45, p=.000.

Substance Use-
The survey measured how often people see alcohol used unhealthily (M=3.35 SD=1.335), illicit
drugs used unhealthily (M=2.61 SD=1.394), nicotine used unhealthily (M=3.60 SD=1.529), and
prescription drugs used unhealthily (M=2.484 SD=1.2786) and compared them to one another
to see if there was correlation. There is a positive correlation between seeing prescription drugs
used unhealthily and seeing illicit drug used unhealthily  r(223)=.437, p=.000, seeing alcohol
used unhealthily  r(223)=.470, p=.000, and seeing nicotine used unhealthily r(223)=.355, p=.000.
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RESEARCH FINDINGS REPORT

The survey also analyzed drinking alcohol for social reasons (M=3.02 SD=1.463) and found a
positive correlation with seeing illicit drugs used unhealthily r(220)=.208, p=.002, alcohol used
unhealthily r(220)=.263, p=.000, and nicotine used unhealthily r(220)=.196, p=.003. There was
also a positive correlation between drinking alcohol for social reasons and drinking to fit in
r(220)=.577, p=.000, and struggling to stay in control while drinking r(220)=.321, p=.000.

Lastly, the survey also analyzed these with age and found a negative correlation between age
(M=23.68 SD=7.976) and drinking alcohol to fit in r(220)=-.149, p=.027 and seeing alcohol used
unhealthily r(223)=-.177, p=.008.

Interpretation

Overall the target audience that needs to be reached from this campaign are the students of
Appalachian State University and CCC&TI Watauga. Across all three campuses’ the most
responses came from Freshman (23.7%)  and Sophomores (32.4%). From the data, 67.6%
respondents do not live on campus. Students not living on campus may tend to go to other health
care providers for assistance instead of visiting campus. More than half the students taking the
survey may fall under not wanting to go to their campus for health care. From the findings
above, there are negative correlations between using substances in inappropriate times for an
individual and there was a positive correlation of drinking alcohol to fit in and drinking while in
social settings. Age typically does not have an influence, but the environment college students
place themselves in does have an influence on whether they are interested in the thought of
using substances inappropriately

Social Media and Website Presence-

The results showed social media is very prevalent when communicating to reach the younger
generations. To make sure this target audience is being reached to promote safe and healthy
living, AppHealthCare should create content on Instagram and Snapchat as well as continue to
increase their presence on Facebook and Twitter. According to the survey, Instagram had the
highest used social media platform at 38.6% and Facebook being the second most used platform
at 25.7% . Youtube is only used by 6.6% of the participants which means that AppHealthCare
may want to focus more content on Instagram and Facebook. Although when looking if students
were primarily familiar with AppHealthCare, a little more than half (56%) of Appalachian State
students have used services provided from AppHealthCare and only 29% of CCC&TI Watauga
students have used AppHealthCare.
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RESEARCH FINDINGS REPORT

Substance abuse and substance use-
From the data gathered The Link Agency has found there is a positive correlation between
drinking alcohol for social reasons and seeing illicit, prescription, and nicotine being used more
often. In general, data shows alcohol and nicotine use tend to be used together and prescription
and illicit drugs are positively correlated. From the data, the statistics are showing that students
see substance use more often when drinking. There needs to be a campaign focused around
statics for substance abuse and how to acknowledge substance abuse. This campaign will allow
AppHealthCare to inform college students of all ages about the substance use and substance
abuse they may see on campus.

Limitations-
One limitation throughout the research was not including the CCC&TI Hudson campus on the
original survey sent out. This was going to limit the number of students the survey could reach
considering Caldwell Community College includes both the Watauga and Hudson campus. The
second limitation was trying to distinguish the line between substance abuse and substance use.
Each college student has a different mindset of what they think is substance abuse.
 PAGE 20

CAMPAIGN PLAN
 PAGE 21

CAMPAIGN PLAN
Introduction

The Link Agency has researched and collected data regarding substance use and abuse amongst
college students in Watauga County. Our campaign, “Serve, Strengthen, Prevent,” will aid
AppHealthCare in reaching a larger target audience that will include college students in
Watauga County, from both Appalachian State University and CCC&TI. The key messages of this
campaign include serving the health of the Appalachian State University and CCC&TI student
bodies through strengthening their knowledge of substance abuse and the substance abuse and
prevention services offered to them by AppHealthCare.

Our principal goal is to increase overall awareness of AppHealthCare while making them a more
prominent resource for substance abuse information. The data collected from a survey that was
sent out to Appalachian State University and CCC&TI students indicated that many college
students see illicit drugs, alcohol, and nicotine being abused in social settings in the community,
making these students the perfect target audience for this campaign. The data also showed that
a majority of college students live off-campus, meaning many students may go to other health
care providers than the health care services on campus.

We’re striving to reduce how often Appalachian State and CCC&TI students see controlled
substances being used negatively. AppHealthCare should partner with student organizations
such as decreasing the hospitalization rate for substance abuse among this demographic. To
achieve these goals, The Link Agency will help AppHealthCare create partnerships with
organizations and clubs at Appalachian State University and CCC&TI, specifically Appalachian &
the Community Together (ACT) at Appalachian State and the Rotaract Club at CCC&TI.
AppHealthCare partnering with these organizations, whose main focus is community outreach,
will increase community outreach through workshops and further follow ups to college students
throughout the 2020-2021 school year. This will increase the student body’s awareness of
substance abuse possibly affecting themselves, their peers, or others at the institution and the
services AppHealthCare can provide them. AppHealthCare will acquire non-paid interns to
assist with online content production as well as maintenance of relationships with partnering
campus organizations.

We will also help AppHealthCare reach out to freshman seminar classes. Substance use has
continued to increase each calendar year amongst individuals ages of 18-25 (College Drug
Abuse and Addiction). Providing substance abuse knowledge and raising awareness of
AppHealthCare’s available services to freshman students directly through presentations and
workshops has the potential to increase their use of these services over the next 4 or more
years they will be college students. This campaign will begin with online intern applications
opening on May 10, 2020 and continue through the summer and 2020-2021 school year. The
budget is $639.40 for supplies, workshops and sponsored content. After the completion of this
campaign, all objectives will be assessed through long-term assessments, including providing
students with the initial survey.
 PAGE 22

CAMPAIGN PLAN
Target Publics

The target publics for this campaign include college students from Appalachian State University
and both the Watauga and Hudson campuses of Caldwell Community College and Technical
Institute. These targeted publics were chosen because of the relevance of substance abuse and
misuse to their demographic. AppHealthCare’s serves individuals across Alleghany, Watauga,
and Ashe County, however promoting their substance abuse and prevention services to college
students, specifically in Watauga County, where both Appalachian State University and CCC&TI
students make up a large percentage of the population, made the most sense when looking at the
data collected from a survey that was sent to the students of both institutions. The data
collected from Appalachian State and CCC&TI students showed a significant, positive
correlation between drinking for social reasons and struggling to stay in control while drinking.
A significant, positive correlation between drinking for social reasons and seeing illicit drugs,
alcohol, and nicotine used unhealthily.

Campaign Plan

Theme-
“Serve, Strengthen, Prevent.”

Key Messages-
Serve the health of Appalachian State University and CCC&TI’s student body
Strengthen the knowledge of substance misuse and abuse within college students
Prevent substance abuse by providing substance misuse information to the student body and
by given resources from AppHealthCare to students

Goal 1: For AppHealthCare to be a resource college students utilize for substance services

Objective 1: Increase awareness of AppHealthCare and their substance abuse and prevention
services amongst college students in Watauga County by 10% by May 1st, 2021
Strategy 1: Address college students directly on campuses with abuse and misuse
prevention information
Rationale: The majority of survey participants (47%) were not familiar with
AppHealthCare at all
Tactic 1: Have on-site presentations to freshman seminar classes at Appalachian State
University
Tactic 2: Have on-site presentations with freshman courses at Caldwell Community
College & Technical Institute
Tactic 3: Create flyers and get in contact with Appalachian State freshman resident
advisors (RA’s) to communicate messages about substance abuseEvaluation: Increasing the
awareness of AppHealthCare’s substance abuse and prevention services from
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CAMPAIGN PLAN
Evaluation: Objective 1 will be evaluated through a long-term assessment by giving Appalachian
State University and CCC&TI students the same initial survey. They will have the opportunity to
take it from May 17th, 2021 to June 25th, 2021.

Stewardship: Through speaking to freshmen at Appalachian State and CCC&TI, AppHealthCare

will build a reputation among first-year college students as a place they can turn to for
substance abuse and prevention services. This knowledge and reputation will be one first-year
college students will take with them in the years to come.

Objective 2: Reduce how often Appalachian State and CCC&TI students see controlled
substances being used negatively towards someone’s health on campus or in the community
by 10% by May 1st, 2021 
Strategy 1: Partner with student organizations whose main focus is on community and
connect with their students throughout the 2020-2021 school year
Rationale: The data from the survey found a positive correlation between drinking
alcohol for social reasons and drinking to fit in r(220)=.577, p=.000, and struggling to
stay in control while drinking r(220)=.321, p=.000Rationale: Substance use has
continued to increase each calendar year amongst individuals ages of 18-25 (College
Drug Abuse and Addiction)
Tactic 1: Host a presentation with Appalachian & the Community Together, specifically
their Outreach Committee during the 2020-2021 school year to promote substance abuse
and prevention services and provide students informational materials and an email sign-up
list
Tactic 2: Host workshops with Rotaract Club during the 2020-2021 school year and
provide them with informational materials (brochure with service information) and an
email sign-up list

Evaluation: Objective 2 will be evaluated through a long-term assessment by giving Appalachian

State and CCC&TI students the same initial survey. They will have the opportunity to take it
from May 17th, 2021 to June 25th, 2021

Stewardship: Through following this strategy, AppHealthCare will be establishing relationships

that can continue and grow with both Appalachian State University and Caldwell Community
College & Technical Institute. These relationships and partnerships can continue each school
year, which will allow for Watauga County college students to be familiar with AppHealthCare
and become comfortable utilizing them for their substance abuse and prevention services, as
well as all their services.
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CAMPAIGN PLAN
Objective 3: Decrease hospitalization rate for substance abuse among college students by 5%
by May 1st, 2021
Strategy 1: Utilize social media, specifically Instagram and Facebook, to connect with
students and provide substance abuse and health information
Rationale: From the survey, the largest majority (32%) of students said they were most
active on Instagram and the second-largest majority (22%) of students said they were
most active on Facebook
Tactic 1: Create an Instagram account to reach and interact with the college-aged
audience and encourage Appalachian State and CCC&TI students to follow it
Tactic 2: Post more original content (factual content), as well as more engaging content to
Facebook to have more interaction with college students
Tactic 3: Include PSA to stream on 90.5 WASU to reach college students in Watauga
county

Evaluation: Objective 3 will be evaluated through the long-term assessment of comparing

percentages of hospitalization rates for substance abuse among college students from the start
of the campaign and the end of the campaign.

Stewardship: Utilizing social media, specifically Instagram and Facebook, as well as a local radio
station, will increase Watauga County college student’s awareness of substance abuse and
AppHealthCare’s substance abuse and prevention services.
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CAMPAIGN PLAN
Implementation Timeline and Budget
Timeline-

GOAL SCHEDULE

Intern application online May 10 - 30, 2020

Interview, contact and hire all interns June 8, 2020
Welcome interns July 6 - 10, 2020
Build social media platforms- App State Intern
Create Instagram account & build up other social platforms June 13, 2020
Create content and content calendar for all social platforms June 14 and 15, 2020
Create flyers, PSA’s, edit presentation- CCC&TI Intern July 20 - 24, 2020
Reach out to freshman seminar classes & on-campus club’s at August 3 - 7, 2020
CCC&TI
Reach out to freshman seminar classes, on-campus clubs, and August 10 - 14, 2020
to Appol Corps for scheduling presentations and providing
flyers (App State)
Reach out to Rotaract Club and Appalachian & the Community September 7 - 11, 2020
Together (ACT) for scheduling presentations and providing
materials
Repeat needed steps for spring 2021 semester (susceptible to January 11 - May 6, 2021
change if needed)
Distribute evaluation survey May 17 - June 25, 2021

Budget-

ITEM COST

Interns (2) (biweekly switching) Free

1 from Appalachian State
1 from CCC&TI
Printing Supplies $200
Ink
Paper
Venue for workshops/presentations Free
Using Appalachian State and CCC&TI spaces
Canva Pro membership $119.40 per year
Refreshments for workshops/presentations $120
Drinks, Food
Sponsored Photo & Video Advertisements on social media $200
other options available depending on the media platform
selected

TOTAL= $639.40
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CAMPAIGN PLAN
Conclusion

Overall, the Link Agency determined that AppHealthCare hasn’t fully reached the college
populations nearby. As an age group at risk for substance abuse, AppHealthCare should be
targeting these students with informative and preventative campaigns. This campaign seeks to
form relationships with the schools and students around AppHealthCare, inform the students of
risks and avoidance measures, and increase awareness of AppHealthCare and their services
related to substance abuse. Through these goals, the Link Agency hopes to create a safer and
better informed community.
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REFERENCES
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REFERENCES
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IMPLEMENTATION
MATERIALS
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IMPLEMENTATION MATERIALS
Example Email Script to Organization/Freshman Seminar-
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IMPLEMENTATION MATERIALS
Presentation for Organizations/Freshman Seminars-
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IMPLEMENTATION MATERIALS
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IMPLEMENTATION MATERIALS
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IMPLEMENTATION MATERIALS
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IMPLEMENTATION MATERIALS
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IMPLEMENTATION MATERIALS
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IMPLEMENTATION MATERIALS
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IMPLEMENTATION MATERIALS
Flyer-
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IMPLEMENTATION MATERIALS
PSA Script-

SFX: Toilet flushes and man groans in pain. Door squeaks.

 
Concerned Roommate: Ryan, have you been in here all night?
 
Ryan: Yeah… I shouldn’t have gone out again last night.
 
Concerned Roommate: Come on man, that was the third night in a row. I’m worried about
you. The only time I’ve seen you in the apartment lately is when you’re like
this.
 
Ryan: It’s not like I can let the guys get drunk without me.
 
Concerned Roommate: This isn’t a joke Ryan, I think we should seriously talk about
this.
 
Ryan: Alright, sorry man. Let’s talk.

V/O: It’s easy to avoid these conversations and ignore dangerous habits, but if you care
about your friends, you’ll fight for them. If this situation is all too
familiar, call AppHealthCare at 828-264-4995. We can tell you about our
services to prevent and recover from substance abuse or help you prepare for
this talk. The end of substance abuse starts with you. Be a real friend and
encourage safe habits.
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APPENDICES
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APPENDICES
A. Research Instrument- Survey distributed to Appalachian State University and Caldwell
Community College & Technical Insutitute students
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APPENDICES