Crown Social Agency


Providence Health System


As the pandemic began to unfold, Providence Health turned to CROWN as a trusted strategic partner across philanthropy, brand innovation, venture spin-outs, and executive communications.


Providence Health, a prominent not-for-profit health care system which operates an extensive network of more than 50 hospitals and employs over 100,000 staff across seven states, recognized CROWN for its strategic advisory capabilities, and tapped the agency to play a pivotal role in bolstering several high-profile initiatives, reflecting the trust and value placed in the agency by Providence's senior leadership.

In one notable instance, CROWN's acumen was instrumental in guiding Providence's leadership to identify and support non-profit organizations in dire need within Puerto Rico. This collaboration was part of a larger organizational campaign that successfully raised donations to aid in constructing roofs for the underprivileged—a charitable endeavor documented below. See Protechos for more information about that charity. 












































We helped Providence with the strategic spin-out of several independent companies initially incubated by Providence Ventures. This venture capital arm of Providence is dedicated to pioneering transformations within healthcare, and CROWN's contributions spanned multiple facets, including strategy formulation, branding, and naming of portfolio companies, alongside supporting an M&A initiative that encompassed 13 companies in the patient pay and digital health sectors (see Tegria case study).

CROWN also branded and launched the initial Truveta Alliance for Research on Covid-19 in collaboration with senior leadership and consultants from McKinsey and the Health Management Academy.

The Truveta Alliance for Research on Covid-19 stands as a testament to collaboration and rapid innovation in the face of a global health crisis. The project aimed to harness the power of data to accelerate the world’s understanding of Covid-19. CROWN's contribution was pivotal in branding and launching the alliance, distilling complex information into an accessible narrative for scientists, researchers, and potential health system participants through their marketing platform. This endeavour brought together clinical data from over 30 health systems across the nation, while Microsoft provided the necessary technological infrastructure. The project unfolded at a remarkable pace, with the concept and naming commencing on May 4th, 2020, and the entire platform being ready for deployment in a record eleven days, launching on May 15th, 2020. This initiative is a prime example of how strategic partnerships can lead to extraordinary outcomes in healthcare research and patient care.
















Finally, CROWN's duties extended to ghostwriting strategic executive communications for high-ranking Providence executives such as Wasif Rasheed, CRO, Greg Hoffman, CFO, and BJ Moore, CIO, showcasing CROWN's range in strategic communication and operational strategy during a time of extreme uncertainty for hospital systems.

This partnership exemplifies a synergistic collaboration where advisory services provided by CROWN have significantly advanced the strategic initiatives of a major healthcare institution, demonstrating the impact that targeted and well-executed consultancy can have for clients in the healthcare industry and beyond.

Client
Providence Health

Services
Strategic Advisory, Venture Innovation, Brand Development, Executive Communications

Credits:
Mary Warsinske, Shena Bannick, Nathan Young, Sean Hamilton, Ryan Scherler, Nicole Scherler, Zach Huntting, Mary LaCoste, Cam Coupé, Luis Antezana, Evan Price, Jake Miller, Richard Lutz, Grant Austing, Christine Colbert

About Providence

Providence Health is one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the country. More than 50 hospitals. More than 100,000 caregivers. Seven states. A portfolio of incubated companies. A venture arm. A senior leadership team pushing large-scale innovation inside an industry known for its resistance to change.

Providence tapped CROWN as a strategic advisory partner across multiple high-visibility initiatives. The relationship grew to include innovation strategy, portfolio spin-outs, naming and branding, venture support, and executive-level communications. The trust placed in CROWN by Providence leadership became central to the work and allowed us to contribute inside mission-critical efforts during both routine operations and moments of national crisis.

Puerto Rico Relief Initiative


Identifying and funding non-profit partners in urgent conditions

One of Providence’s internal campaigns focused on supporting underfunded communities in Puerto Rico following severe storm damage. CROWN helped leadership identify credible local non-profits, validate needs, and shape a story that inspired internal giving. The campaign raised funds to rebuild roofs for families who lacked resources to recover on their own. The work is documented in the following film.

Providence Ventures


Strategy, naming, branding, and M&A support for a growing health innovation ecosystem

Providence Ventures maintains a broad portfolio of companies working across patient experience, revenue cycle, clinical operations, and digital health. CROWN supported the venture team across several strategic layers.

• Strategy formulation for portfolio companies
• Brand development
• Naming exploration for new entities and roll-ups
• Support for venture narrative, positioning, and alignment with Providence’s core mission
• M&A communications and integration strategy

This included direct involvement in the spin-out and consolidation effort that ultimately became Tegria. CROWN worked inside the strategic framework that combined 13 companies across patient pay, revenue cycle, and digital health services. The client-facing material for this work appears in the Tegria M&A documentation.

Our naming framework for the Providence Enterprises holding company also informed early positioning and brand architecture for several venture entities.

Truveta Alliance for Research on Covid-19


Time-sensitive brand launch, strategic messaging, and marketing platform build for a national data coalition

At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, a coalition of health systems began collaborating on a national clinical data partnership. The project aimed to accelerate research during a rapidly evolving global emergency. The alliance needed a name, a brand, a narrative, and a clear way to communicate both urgency and credibility.

CROWN worked closely with Providence senior leaders, Microsoft, McKinsey, and the Health Management Academy to create and launch the Truveta Alliance for Research on Covid-19.

Our work included
• Name exploration and selection
• Wordmark development
• Messaging architecture and narrative development
• UX and UI design for the alliance website
• Copywriting for the full digital experience
• Development, testing, and deployment of the marketing site
• Visual communication for scientific, clinical, and administrative audiences

Creative brief, audience analysis, and UX framework
The Truveta initiative required clarity, speed, and trust. The audience included clinicians, epidemiologists, hospital executives, researchers, and health system administrators. All groups were overwhelmed during the early months of the pandemic, so the experience needed to be simple, scannable, and high-trust.

The primary goals were to drive health system participation, secure approval from C-suite decision makers, support researchers seeking access, and communicate credibility through both design and content.

Our brief required a non-commercial, mission-driven tone. The positioning centered on data quality, scientific rigor, HIPAA compliance, and speed.

We used trust signals, accessible language, inclusive design, and a stripped-down interface to signal authority without excess.

Timeline
The alliance was named on May 4, 2020.
The full platform launched on May 15, 2020.
Eleven days from concept to deployment.

This pace was only possible because CROWN worked directly with senior Providence leaders, technical teams at Microsoft, and clinical contributors across more than 30 health systems.

The result became one of the earliest national Covid-19 data-sharing initiatives, enabling research on predictive modeling, surge detection, ventilator decision support, clinical pathways, operational reporting, epidemiology, and caregiver well-being.

Executive Communications


Ghostwriting for Providence’s senior leadership

CROWN supported high-stakes internal and external communications for Providence’s top executives. This included messaging frameworks, strategic POV documents, thought-leadership essays, and situational communications.

Executives supported:
• Chief Revenue Officer
• Chief Financial Officer
• Chief Information Officer

The work required a deep understanding of Providence’s mission, values, and culture as well as the ability to translate complex business strategy into clear, credible communication for caregivers, partners, and stakeholders.

Impact


CROWN’s work with Providence spanned philanthropy, venture innovation, brand development, data partnerships, and executive communication. More importantly, the partnership proved that a small, highly focused creative and strategy team can create meaningful outcomes inside one of the largest health systems in the country.

The work supported:
• Philanthropic impact in underserved communities
• Spin-out and consolidation of major venture portfolio companies
• Formation and naming of new entities
• Launch of a national Covid-19 research alliance
• Clear communication from Providence’s most senior leaders
• A repeatable framework for innovation, naming, and brand clarity

This is the type of work CROWN does best. High signal. High velocity. Direct collaboration with decision makers. Real outcomes for real people.