NEW YORK, NY – The fifth annual PRWeek Healthcare Awards judging has closed, and the finalists have been announced. MaineGeneral Health and Rinck Advertising have been named finalists in the Oncology category for their integrated public health campaign “We’re With You.”
The PRWeek Healthcare Awards showcases and celebrates the best campaigns, projects, agencies, in-house teams and individuals across healthcare and pharmaceutical public relations.
Developed for MaineGeneral’s Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, “We’re With You” addressed a persistent challenge in rural New England: many patients believe they must travel to Portland or Boston for advanced cancer treatment. Located in central Maine, the center provides state-of-the-art oncology care, advanced diagnostics, and clinical trial access close to home, serving about 12 percent of the state’s cancer population and welcoming roughly 2,000 new consultations each year.
To close awareness gaps, MaineGeneral partnered with Rinck Advertising to build a fully integrated campaign anchored around the community’s annual Day of Hope event. The work combined paid media, earned media partnerships, and experiential activation to deliver a unified message grounded in patient reality: high-quality cancer care is available locally.
“At MaineGeneral, we take to heart that we’re taking care of our own, because we live, work and play in our community,” said Nicole McSweeney, Chief Marketing & Philanthropy Officer at MaineGeneral Health. “We want our neighbors, our family and our friends to know they can get great care close to home when they need it most, and that’s why we work so hard to message that high-quality, patient-centered care is what you can expect to get locally.”
“Public health campaigns only work when people recognize themselves in the story,” said Emily Broadbent, Senior Account Manager at Rinck Advertising. “This campaign was built around actual patients, survivors, and clinicians across central Maine. By combining local media partnerships, targeted outreach, and impactful community events like Day of Hope, we helped show families that advanced cancer care is not hours away. It is right here, with people who care about them.”
Day of Hope brought the message to life with free screenings, education booths, integrative therapy sessions, and a Walk for Hope that united survivors, families, volunteers, and local businesses.
Steve Barrett, VP, editorial director of PRWeek, said: “Healthcare and pharma represent some of the most high-profile storylines in business, marketing and society generally. PRWeek’s Healthcare Awards celebrates the most creative and effective work in this important sector.”
For more information about the 2026 PRWeek Healthcare Awards, please visit https://www.prweekushealthcareawards.com/
About MaineGeneral: MaineGeneral Health is an integrated, not-for-profit health care system that provides a wide range of services throughout central Maine’s Kennebec Valley. MaineGeneral’s 198-bed, state-of-the-art hospital in Augusta — the Alfond Center for Health — opened in 2013. In 2014, MaineGeneral completed renovations to transform its Waterville Campus — the Thayer Center for Health — into the largest comprehensive outpatient center in the state. The health care system includes a regional cancer center; primary care and specialty practices; long term care facilities; rehabilitation; home health care and hospice services; specialized care for people with memory loss; and community outreach programs. To learn more, go to www.mainegeneral.org.
About Rinck Advertising: Founded in 2001, Rinck is a nationally recognized marketing, advertising, and public relations agency headquartered in Maine with teams across the U.S. Rinck helps brands change minds and drive action through behavioral insight, culture-first strategy, and experience-led execution. The agency works with local, national, and global clients across consumer-packaged goods, restaurant service, healthcare and public health, higher education, government, financial services, tourism, and nonprofit sectors. Learn more at www.rinckadvertising.com or check out @RinckAdvertising on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.