Hospital Labor Relations Expertise Earns R&J Public Relations National Recognition

Bridgewater, N.J. (December 28, 2009) – R&J Public Relations’ hospital labor relations practice was recently recognized as a national finalist in the PR News Awards Program. The agency was recognized with a Nonprofit PR Award in the category of Crisis Management for the agency’s “Freedom of Choice for Nurses” crisis communication program. PR News’ Nonprofit Awards Program, a national program dedicated to honoring the most talented communicators and teams in the nonprofit sector, is judged by an elite panel of judges, bringing out the nation’s most effective and creative nonprofit communicators.

R&J strategically planned and implemented the “Freedom of Choice for Nurses” program for a major regional health system that was facing the prospect of a nursing strike during contentious contract negotiations with the nurses’ union. Focusing on each nurse’s “Freedom of Choice,” the R&J team led the health system and its nurses toward a successful compromise while simultaneously maintaining the public’s confidence in the system.
“We are pleased to have earned a spot among the finalists for this prestigious award,” said John Lonsdorf, President of R&J Public Relations. “The public relations function is critical to the successful navigation of any crisis situation – especially when a hospital or healthcare system faces a potentially crippling labor issue – and it’s during times of crisis that our clients need us to be at our best. We are proud to have risen to that challenge with the development and execution of the Freedom of Choice for Nurses program.”

The Nonprofit PR Awards identify the nation’s best practices in the field of nonprofit communications and recognize the numerous challenges facing nonprofit organizations worldwide. The awards are judged and sanctioned by a select group of communications experts, and were presented at the National Press Club in Washington, DC in November.

In this year’s Nonprofit PR Awards, R&J stood among an elite group of finalists, including the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the American Heart Association, the US Postal Service, MWW Group, and The American Society of Anesthesiologists.


About R&J Public Relations
R&J Public Relations LLC is a leading brand-building public relations firm specializing in assisting organizations that are driven to become market leaders, or who are passionate about defending their market leadership position. Based in Bridgewater, N.J., the firm has a highly successful track record in the development and implementation of communications and promotional programs for companies ranging from divisions of large, multi-national conglomerates to regional market leaders. A particular area of expertise for the agency lies in exclusively representing management in hospital and healthcare labor disputes and strikes. For more information on R&J Public Relations, visit www.RandJpr.com.

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