Community health partnership between Weis Markets and UPMC Health System promotes Heart Month on the Healthy Susquehanna Facebook social media page.

Healthy Susquehanna is a hospital-grocer community health partnership that’s reaching thousands of followers!

Healthy Susquehanna, a community health partnership between a large hospital system and a popular retail grocery store chain in rural Pennsylvania, is reaching customers and patients through a strategic social media campaign.

The campaign posts health tips and healthy recipes on social media to encourage followers to make better lifestyle choices. Spearheaded by Baldwin Publishing, a premium health content company, Healthy Susquehanna connects this North Central Pennsylvania community through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Weis Markets and UPMC also share these posts to their own Facebook followers to cross-promote the site.

This community health partnership gives the region’s two largest employers an opportunity to combine efforts to address heart disease and obesity in the rural coal region. The Healthy Susquehanna social media campaign has grown exponentially since it was first launched, with more than 100,000 views in its first year. Followers and engagement is continuing to grow, with comments, likes and shares received for many of the recipes and health tips that are posted daily.

In honor of American Heart Month, UPMC and Weis Markets teamed up to promote two special heart-healthy events on Facebook in February.

Healthy Susquehanna is currently promoting a Valentine’s Day Recipe Contest on its Facebook page. Followers are encouraged to submit a favorite Valentine’s Day recipe for a chance to win a $50 Weis gift card. Winning recipes will be shared on the Healthy Susquehanna Facebook page.

This recipe contest is a hit among followers. The Facebook page has received dozens of healthy recipe submissions, including gluten free, sugar free, vegetarian and even keto diet recipes. A true sign that the health messages on the site are reaching their audience!

Also for Heart Month, Healthy Susquehanna hosted a Facebook Live Cooking Event on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Erin Dunleavy, lead dietitian for Weis Markets, and Lindsay Bering, PA-C, cardiology, UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, shared heart-healthy and Valentine-worthy meals and treats with their online audience. Along with recipe demonstrations, they offered tips on how to eat in moderation and explained how stress plays a role in cardiac events.

Following the live event, the recipes were shared with followers via the Healthy Susquehanna Facebook page.

With a shared passion for improving the lives of their community, the Healthy Susquehanna community health partnership is, and will continue to be, a positive force on Facebook!