Highly commended
Mindful of Huntington’s
by M+F Health for Huntington’s Disease Association
Summary of work
Huntington’s disease is a rare, incurable, hereditary and degenerative condition which reduces life expectancy. It profoundly impacts individuals and families, with cognitive impairment symptoms diminishing quality of life. Compounding this issue, community survey findings revealed alarming gaps in mental health support for patients, prompting the identification of policy demands aimed at improving care pathways. To try to address this support gap, M+F Health partnered with the Huntington’s Disease Association (HDA) to deliver an awareness campaign during Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month.
Through strategic media coverage, engaging content creation, and targeted social media campaigning, ”Mindful of Huntington’s” aimed to highlight the cognitive impacts of Huntington’s and elevate the HDA’s profile.
The campaign yielded significant outcomes, surpassing multiple targets, and successfully garnered support from policymakers and facilitated donations funding specialist mental health support sessions. The campaign raised awareness, mobilised support, and prompted tangible policy change, emphasising the need for advocacy and collaboration to improve the community’s quality of life.
Media activity generated 73 pieces of message-rich media coverage across media outlets, reaching over 2 billion with 96% of articles including quotes from HDA spokespeople. The campaign was featured in five national newspapers including the Independent, Metro, Daily Mail, Mirror and the Express.
Judges’ comments
‘Mindful of Huntington’s’ had a good set-up backed by commission research to highlight the issues. It was a strong entry, with a survey on unmet need; highlighting support and mental health impact and needs of Huntington’s patients, with clear call to actions. It was a great approach, with superb results and the film was very moving. The patient involvement was impressive.
