A beacon of hope for expectant mothers
The SUDA Institute is an organization that dismantles systemic barriers by creating multi-sector collaborative systems of care that provide support for expectant mothers facing substance use disorder (SUD), their infants, and their families. By forming clinical-community linkages, they offer a comprehensive safety net that addresses immediate challenges while promoting long-term recovery and well-being. Through partnerships with diverse organizations, the SUDA Institute ensures tailored, compassionate care that fosters healing, family stability, and hope for a brighter future.
On a Reflection Call to conclude a separate partnership with The SUDA Institute, CEO Gina Hofert shared with us a challenge she was facing. Responsible for a major initiative known as The Sun Project, Gina was in search of a way to explain the program to funders, and in particular, the state senator. With programs like this, Gina explained, there’s a lot of red tape involved – like HIPPA and other privacy laws – that prevents programs like The Sun Project from integrating into the larger healthcare system, making it difficult for the individuals impacted to receive the comprehensive care they need. That, paired with misconceptions about The SUDA Institute and the challenges the women they support face, brought Gina to consider how strategic visualization could communicate The Sun Project in a clarified, compelling way.
Shining light on an inspiring initiative
ImageThink’s collaboration with The SUDA Institute on The Sun Project strategic visual began with a Planning Call that helped uncover more about the initiative and set the storyline. Following our initial meeting, ImageThink visual strategists developed a Concept Sketch that was returned to Gina and her team for feedback. For the strategic visual to be successful, it was vital that it clarified not only what The SUDA institute and The Sun Project does, but also the steps and barriers in the care journey that an expectant individual facing substance use challenges has to navigate in order to receive proper care.
After several iterations, the final strategic visual got to the heart of The Sun Project. Working visually consolidated the large amount of complex information we started with into a readily understood, engaging visual asset. With brightly colored visual depictions of expectant individuals, care takers, care systems, barriers, and program benefits, the strategic visual showcased the journey of soon-to-be mothers and served to evoke strong emotions of empathy. In its visual form, The Sun Project could now shine on its own – as a compelling program worthy of investment.
Socializing The Sun Project
After our collaboration with The SUDA Institute concluded, Gina met with key stakeholders, including the state senator. In their meeting, Gina pulled up finalized work from our previous partnerships with The SUDA Institute, along with the strategic visual ImageThink created as assets she could speak to. These visual elements not only helped her quickly communicate The Sun Project as a whole, but told the story of the expectant mothers her and her team help in a beautifully, captivating way.
The state senator was so engrossed in the visuals Gina presented, that he began taking pictures of ImageThink’s work with his phone to share with others. Not only did the visual assets work to build excitement and enthusiasm around The Sun Project, it communicated the value of investing in the program. As a result, The Sun Project was able to secure the funding they needed to make the program successful, and ensure expectant individuals and their families receive support.
See more of our work with The SUDA Institute by taking a look at the gallery below:
