About PR Pacific

With more than 25 years of front-line marketing communications and journalism experience, PR Pacific's founder, Sandy Van, understands what it takes to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences. From consumers to news writers, talk show hosts, corporate stakeholders and others, her marketing communication strategies have proved effective.

Since 1998, PR Pacific has served as the agency of record for one of the largest nonprofit, private health systems in the Western United States, developing and implementing a proactive media relations program that resulted in a doubling of media placements during the first fiscal year and an additional 62.7 percent increase during the second fiscal year. Since that time, the number of media stories for this health system have increased steadily each year, until in 2008, we passed the benchmark of 17,300 media placements for the year - nearly 45 times as many placements as in 1998.

Unique Project Management Skills

What makes Sandy unique among marketing communications professionals is her ability to work effectively in-house as well as from a distance – utilizing state-of-the-art communication tools to keep all players in a project fully apprised at all times. She was one of the first to utilize broadcast faxing to provide select news reporters with current or late-breaking news and information. As technology evolved, she incorporated targeted e-mail and Internet-based communications systems to provide reporters with information even faster than before. In addition, she developed for one client an Internet newswire service to which reporters can subscribe free of charge and instantaneously receive all of the company’s news releases, advisories and tip sheets.

In 1993, she successfully relocated her company from Southern California to Hawai‘i, where she continued to provide quality services to clients from coast to coast – adapting emerging technologies to the needs of her customers. This use and adaptation of electronic communications has had the added – and somewhat unexpected – benefit of enabling her to bring together the highest caliber of writers, researchers and graphic designers from anywhere in the country.

Working from “virtual” offices, the collective talent of these professionals means that PR Pacific's clients draw from the “crème de la crème” of the communications industry. Geography no longer is a factor as files and projects are transmitted instantaneously. Time zones are irrelevant as projects can literally move forward around the clock. Clients are quick to see the advantages of this when they make changes on a project before going home at night, and the revised document is on their desks (or computers) awaiting review when they arrive at work the next morning.

Focus On Healthcare

With nearly 20 years of healthcare experience, Sandy has gained an in-depth understanding of the key audiences – physicians, scientists and researchers, employees, payer groups, managers and executives, patients, donors, volunteers, and others. She has worked with organizations from coast to coast in capacities ranging from proactive media relations to crisis communications, copy writing and collateral development, graphic design and recruitment advertising. She has developed award-winning collateral for clients including high-tech companies, restaurants and medical centers. From concept development to copy writing, graphic design, production and distribution, she oversees all aspects with the same demand for quality and attention to detail.

Prior to entering public relations, Sandy served as a reporter and news editor for a weekly newspaper in Washington, thereby developing an “inside understanding” of what makes a great news story – and how to pitch one.

 

Partial Healthcare
Client Roster:

(Past & Present)

  • American Cancer Society - West Hawaii Unit
  • Adventist Health System
  • Castle Medical Center
  • Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
  • Glendale Adventist Medical Center
  • Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center
  • Hospice of Kona
  • Kona Community Hospital
  • Methodist Hospital
  • North Hawaii Community Hospital
  • Simi Valley Hospital & Health Care Services
  • St. Helena Hospital & Health Center
  • The Hawaii Consortium for Continuing Medical Education
  • UCLA-Santa Monica Hospital
  • USC University Hospital
  • Valley Hospital
  • White Memorial Medical Center
  • Windward Women's Care