Update on Marketing Efforts by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. to Promote CHES and MCHES

The Marketing Committee of the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC), the sole credentialing agency in health education, works to increase the visibility of NCHEC, Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES), and Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES), and to enhance the recognition of the CHES and MCHES credentials.  The committee consists of CHES and MCHES representing each of NCHEC’s Division Boards, NCHEC’s Board of Commissioners, and a variety of work settings.  Over the past year, the committee’s efforts, involving partnerships with other health education organizations (i.e. Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE)), have resulted in a number of accomplishments; including: 1) an increase in the number of job postings on the NCHEC website that indicate CHES/MCHES preferred or required, 2) the American Diabetes Association’s inclusion of CHES/MCHES in Standard 5 for diabetes management, 3) the approval of MCHES to be eligible to qualify for the exam to become a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE), and 4) support of the passage of Hawaii State Resolution (HCR 161/SD 1) to regulate health education specialist and licensure in the state of Hawaii (legislation still pending).  More recently, the committee engaged SeaCrest Company to conduct an audit of NCHEC’s marketing and communications program.  The audit was to focus on identifying challenges and opportunities to improve communication with key stakeholders. Moreover, the audit resulted in recommendations that will guide NCHEC’s Marketing Committee for the development of a strategic marketing plan. The primary purpose of this presentation is to provide an update on NCHEC’s marketing efforts, including more information on recent accomplishments, and plans for marketing the CHES and MCHES in the future, providing specifics on the recommendations from SeaCrest’s recent audit.