ST. JOSEPH — With nearly 12,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries, Lakeland Health is proud to have been named a Silver winner in the 36th Annual Telly Awards for their piece titled “da Vinci Masterpiece.”

The goal of the broadcast campaign, that portrayed the da Vinci surgical system as an artist, and patients as masterpieces, was to inspire community members to seek out da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery as an alternative to conventional laparoscopic surgery options.

A prestigious judging panel of over 500 accomplished industry professionals, each a past winner of a Silver Telly and a member of The Silver Telly Council, judged the competition. The Silver Council evaluated entries to recognize distinction in creative work with less than 10 percent of entries chosen as winners of the Silver Telly, the organization’s highest honor.

“Lakeland continues our stewardship of community resources by leveraging a talented internal marketing and communications team,” said Megan Yore, chief communications officer and director of marketing, Lakeland Health. “We are honored to be recognized with the highest Telly achievement for our team’s work.”

“The Telly Awards has a mission to honor the very best in film and video,” said Linda Day, executive director of the Telly Awards. “Lakeland Health’s accomplishment illustrates their creativity, skill, and dedication to their craft and serves as a testament to great film and video production.”

With over 1,250 da Vinci cases performed to date, this state-of-the-art technology allows patients to receive the advanced treatment they need at Lakeland Health, without leaving our community.

To better serve patients, in September 2014 the company acquired the newest model robot — the da Vinci Xi Surgical System, making Lakeland the first in the region and second in the state of Michigan to have a da Vinci Xi System.

Lakeland is the third health system in the country to have two.

To view the winning “da Vinci Masterpiece” entry, visit www.lakelandhealth.org/masterpiece

About Lakeland Health

Lakeland Health is a nonprofit, community-owned health system, which includes three hospitals, an outpatient surgery center, a cancer center, rehabilitation centers, long-term care, hospice, home care services, and physician practices. Lakeland has over 3,800 employees who provide clinical and support services at locations throughout southwest Michigan, and partners with more than 500 affiliated physicians and other providers. For more information, visit www.lakelandhealth.org