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What You Need to Know to Be An Effective Health Center
Advocate
Elizabeth Kwasnik NACHC Manager of Grassroots Advocacy
MPCA Conference July 24, 2017
For starters… The Basics
• Know what you want
• Know who can give it to you
• Know what they want
• The squeaky wheel gets the grease!
• Advocacy is an ongoing effort
Keys to Successful Advocacy
• Advocacy is a competitive activity
• There are winners and losers, and sometimes a stalemate is a win!
• Advocacy is an ACTIVE, not passive, process
• You are not the only one who wants something, so you have to be heard through the din of all the other interests
Dos:
• Know What You’re Asking For
• Know Your Audience
• Know Your Opponents
• Know The Rules
• Make a Commitment
• Be Polite
• Say THANK YOU
• Keep it Simple
Dos and Don’ts
Don’ts:
• Offer Answers You Don’t Have
• Assume Knowledge of Health Centers
• Believe Someone Else is Taking Care of Your Advocacy
• Burn Bridges
• Be Intimidated
• Confuse Being Quiet for Being Polite
• Express Partisanship
• Forget to make your ASK
Why Advocacy? • Because CHCs can and should be part of the solution
for challenges facing the health care system
• Because CHCs are one of the few things that still have bipartisan support
• Because many of the more than 25 million patients we serve would have nowhere else to go
• Because our network is 130,000 advocates strong
• Because there are still so many unanswered questions
Because there is too much at risk NOT to advocate.
NACHC’s Advocacy Strategy
• Engaging the Health Center Advocacy Network
• Engaging Key Contacts
• Targeted fly-ins and fly-outs
• National Health Center Week
If you’re not registered as
an advocate, sign up today!
www.hcadvocacy.org/join or text HCADVOCATE to
52886
Your story: You are an expert, your story matters, it’s PERSONAL!
The Health Center story: Why and how did you get involved? What good is data without the human element and impact? It’s PERSONAL & it’s about our patients! Remember, YOU are an expert!
Advocacy is story-telling!
• A success story − What are you proud of at your Health Center? What have you been able to
accomplish with a recent grant- new site, more staff, additional services? What innovation are you driving? How has access to care affected patients, families, the community?
• A challenge you face (with a positive spin!) − Is recruitment/retention an issue for you? How would you be able to address
that need with additional funds? How many more patients could you serve if you opened another site?
What types of stories work?
Data is great, but there is no substitute for the human element!
Taking Advocacy to the Next Level
• In order to realize the full potential of our grassroots power it is critical that we create a culture of advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels… starting with your Health Center!
• Building a culture of advocacy means: − Changing the culture and attitude from within the health
center, recognizing advocacy as a critical and mandatory component to daily work and planning.
− Making a commitment to doing the work to build and organize our grassroots in order to fully realize the potential of our grassroots power.
− Growth and recognition of grassroots advocacy and effectiveness the same way other critical skills and programs are recognized for health center staff and boards.
Is your Health
Center an “ACE”?
CHCs that have achieved certain
measures of advocacy success and demonstrate
ongoing commitment to
advocacy
ACEs receive national
recognition and other
benefits for their advocacy
efforts
NACHC partners with PCAs to support ACEs in each state
Three achievement
levels: bronze, silver, and gold–
complete the ACE checklist to apply!
The Advocacy Center of Excellence (ACE)
Program
Shifting Advocacy into High Gear:
Making the Case through
Storytelling
“
Nobody knew health care could be so complicated.
Donald Trump, President
Building and sustaining relationships through sound strategy
MPCA Advocacy Strategy 1
Advocacy objectives
◉ Preserve and strengthen the Medicaid program
for patients as well as providers.
◉ Pursue policies that promote the sustainability of
health centers and the cost-effective delivery of
care in underserved communities.
◉ Promote health centers as invaluable resources in
underserved communities, delivering an excellent
return on investment.
◉ Grow and enhance MPCA’s advocacy network.
Advocacy strategy
◉ Develop key relationships. ◉ Seek places to influence policy issues. ◉ Participate in broad-based coalitions. ◉ Highlight unique and innovative ways health
centers are addressing population health.
Building and sustaining
relationships
Elected officials
◉ Focus on legislative leadership, key committees,
and governor’s policy shop
Bureacrats
◉ Medicaid Director
◉ Behavioral health
◉ Oral health program
◉ Managed Care
◉ Pharmacy
Building and sustaining
relationships
Local leaders
◉ Chamber of Commerce
◉ Hospitals/Health Systems
◉ Community Mental Health
◉ Community-based Organizations
Building and sustaining
relationships
◉ Periodic check-ins with key policymakers
◉ Become a go-to resource for quantitative and
qualitative data needs
Influence Key Policy
Issues
◉ Legislation vs. Regulatory policies
◉ Identify influencers of key policymakers
◉ Build relationships w/ staff assistants and legislative staff
◉ Participate on state-level workgroups
◉ Submit comments on regulatory/administrative
policy proposals
Coalition building
Uncertainty creates unusual bedfellows.
Champion innovation
Showcase your innovative practices:
◉ Supportive housing
◉ Integration of services
◉ Training opportunities for next generation
◉ Social determinants of health
“
To hell with facts! We need stories! Ken Kesey, Writer
Turning patients and providers into advocacy champions
Story Banking as Advocacy Strategy 2
Why storytelling? A survey conducted by the Center for Social Impact
Communication in 2012 found that reading a story on social
media was the primary motivator for more than 50 percent
of respondents for beginning to support a cause.
52,003 Health center patients received at
least one enabling service in 2015.
Even though Suzi’s mom had
insurance, she didn’t have
reliable transportation.
So when Suzi got sick, it was hard to
get help. That’s when her local
community health center stepped in.
A community health worker
connected Suzi’s family with a free car
service that got them to and from
appoinments. And Suzi? She’s a happy,
healthy toddler who can get to well-
child visits on schedule.
Stories build on your
mission
What might you need to achieve your mission?
◉ A strong Medicaid program
◉ Reliable Section 330 funding
◉ Legislative and community awareness
◉ New providers willing to practice in underserved
communities
Draft
Every new venture needs a plan
Identify Brainstorm Assess
Stories start with great
foundations
Before you start gathering stories:
◉ Designate a point person.
◉ Create a story database.
◉ Draft story collection forms.
◉ Create consent forms.
Create a culture of
conversation
Effective story banking happens when we recognize
that each patient interaction is an opportunity.
◉ Train staff on types of stories you want.
◉ Talk to patients and partners.
◉ Ask questions.
◉ Gather details.
◉ Request an opportunity for follow-up.
Capture Leads
BAD
Joe Smith,
555.555.5555
ALSO BAD
Joe Smith, mentioned
something about
Healthy Michigan but
doesn’t want a follow-
up
GOOD
Joe Smith
555.555.5555): Joe couldn’t
afford insurance until the
Healthy Michigan Plan made
it possible for him to enroll
in Medicaid. For the first
time in ten years, he can
manage his diabetes.
Scheduling follow-up time with
your storytellers is critical.
Your designated point person should
use the leads you’ve gathered to set
up interviews via email or phone to
take notes, confirm quotes, and ask
outstanding questions.
Make sharing simple.
You can make it easy for folks to share stories by
providing opportunities:
◉ Patient photo day
◉ Video or photo booth in your waiting room
◉ Waiting room post cards
◉ Patient diary
◉ Web forms
◉ Social media
Craft for audience
When you’re developing your patient stories, ask
yourselves three things:
◉ Who’s my audience?
◉ (Patients, legislators, fund developers, etc.)
◉ What do I want them to do?
◉ (Visit health center, change policy, donate, etc.)
◉ What should they remember?
◉ (Health centers provide high-quality care, health centers
innovate, health centers are good investments, etc.)
Narrative Story First- or third-person stories with vivid information designed to maximize emotional impact. Can be used anywhere (e.g., editorials, blogs, website, newspaper).
Photo Diary You can document (with permission) treatment, living situations, or a day in the life.
Stories are meant to
be shared. Video Video stories and testimonials are incredibly powerful and perform well in almost all venues.
Podcast Ever listened to The Moth? You can create a podcast featuring powerful, personal stories to support your mission.
Social Story snippets designed to be paired with pictures on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Any questions?
You can find us at:
◉ Ryan Grinnell-Ackerman, [email protected]
◉ Jen Anderson, [email protected]
Thanks!
