PEF honored for its PR, communications efforts PEF’s communications and public relations efforts stack up well against those of other labor and professional organizations. In May, The Communicator received four awards at the annual convention of the Metro New York Labor Communications Council in New York City. And it walked away with three awards last December at the convention of the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA) in Las Vegas. And in April, a PEF ad was judged best in its category at the Annual Nori Awards in Albany presented by the Ad Club Association of Professional Communicators. Top print ad PEF’s “The road to recovery just got longer” ad used the image of a driver on an interstate confronted with exit signs for state psychiatric centers marked “CLOSED” to illustrate its point about the need to keep the centers open. The ad, designed by Mario Bruni and written by Denyce Duncan Lacy, won the Nori for best print ad in a trade or industrial publication. The ad appeared in the February 12, 2001 issue of The Legislative Gazette. 2000 Communicator lauded The PEF magazine came in for honors in the ILCA’s nationwide competition — picking up a First Award for best column, and Second Awards for best use of graphics and best front page. These awards, presented in December 2001, were for publications in the year 2000. The First Award for Best Editorial or Column was for the Nurses’ Station column by Lenore Boris titled: “Only you can tell how short staffing opens the door to nursing errors” which appeared in the November 2000 issue of The Communicator. The ILCA judges described the column as “a well-written call to arms about the problems caused by short staffing at hospitals. Both the words and layout contribute to a sense of urgency in addressing this pressing situation.” The judges also liked graphics by Bruni on the cover of the December 2000/January 2001 issue which depicted PEF’s efforts to build a stronger future for its members by showing bricks — labeled COLA, Vets Buyback Bill, Tier Equity, etc. — being laid in a strong foundation. The judges praised its “good concept” and “well done photo illustration.” And they gave the Second Award for Best Front Page/Cover to The Communicator for its June 2000 cover photograph by Sherry Halbrook showing PEF members at the joint “Rally for Pension Justice” in Albany. The judges liked the “faces in the crowd,” describing it as “a good close-up shot of union members demonstrating for pension justice (which) makes an effective cover that draws the reader to the text inside.” 2001 efforts honored too The Metro New York Labor Communications Council awards presented this April were for entries from 2001 publications. An article in the February 2001 issue by Lacy took top honors for Best News Writing. The story reprised PEF testimony on the links between short staffing, mandatory overtime and increased violence in state institutions and programs. Titled “Lawmakers told assaults take heavy toll in state facilities” the judges said they were especially pleased to see the facts in the article backed up and illustrated by colorful charts. “We loved the charts,” the judges said. “Unions don’t do enough of that.” An article in the July/August 2001 issue by Halbrook on the need to preserve Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center as a free-standing facility also took the eye of the Metro NY judges who gave it second place in the competition for Best Feature Writing. They praised its “great focus on children and the need to protect them.” The Communicator also took third-place honors for General Excellence and for Best Graphics for the February 2001 cover by Bruni.