PreConference Workshop Policy and Advocacy

1
Pre-Conference WorkshopPolicy and Advocacy

• Barbara Z. Park

Branch Chief, Program Services Branch, DDT
2
Advocacy Rules of Engagement

• State Diabetes Programs are well positioned to
  implement 3 Core Public Health Functions
• Assessment
• Assurance
• Policy Development and Regulation

3
Policy Development and Regulation

• Includes 3 of the 10 Essential Public Health
  Services
• Inform
• Mobilize
• Develop Policies for a variety of settings and
  sectors (e.g., schools, worksites, health
  systems, and communities) IN collaboration with
  partners.

4
Importance of Policies for Diabetes

• State Diabetes Programs use the Model of
  Influence to affect the at-large diabetes
  public health system
• Goals of these efforts include
• Increased access to services
• Increased quality in the provision of services
• Implementation of supportive policies for people
  with diabetes (reimbursement, supportive
  environments, systems changes and
  transformations)

5
Advocacy vs. Lobbying

• Advocacy the general promotion of an idea or
  cause through education, outreach, and grassroots
  organizing.
• Lobbying asking an elected official to take a
  particular position or vote a certain way on a
  specific piece of legislation or rule.

6
Advocacy vs. Lobbying (cont.)

• Advocacy broader concept than lobbying and in
  not constrained by law.
• Categories of activities are frequently excluded
  from the term influencing legislation.
• Its important to know the interpretation of
  advocacy in your state and by your superiors.
• While lobbying can be part of an advocacy
  strategy, advocacy does not necessarily include
  lobbying.

7
Advocacy vs. Lobbying (cont.)

• Understand the extent and limits of your role
• Understand the extent and latitudes of your
  partners and state coalitions
• Frequently have much more leeway
• Can engage in various forms of advocacy AND
  lobbying
• Can often lobby for a specific piece of
  legislation using information and data supplied
  by the State DPCP (must use non-federal dollars
  to lobby)

8
Lobbying Direct and Grassroots

• Grassroots lobbying appealing to the general
  public to contact the legislature about an issue.
• Direct lobbying contacting a government
  official or employees directly to influence
  legislation.
• Two required elements for advocacy to be
  lobbying
• Communication must refer to a specific piece of
  legislation AND
• It must reflect a view on that legislation.

9
Examples of NOT Lobbying

• Sitting in your Senators office to discuss a
  specific piece of legislation (as long as you
  dont advocate for a specific view on that
  legislation)
• Discussing your position on a policy issue or
  issues (as long as the discussion is not about a
  specific bill)

10
Is This Lobbying?

• Meeting with a legislator to discuss a social
  problem?
• Providing legislator with educational materials
  about a specific piece of legislation?
• Providing testimony before a legislative body
  regarding the science related to a specific piece
  of legislation?
• Meeting with the editorial review board of a
  newspaper?

11
Activities That Are NOT Lobbying

• Meeting with a legislator to discuss a social
  problem (dont mention a specific proposal)
• Providing legislator with educational materials
  about a specific piece of legislation (without
  calling for specific action on the legislation)
• Responding to a request from a legislative
  committee for information about a specific piece
  of legislation
• Tracking activities of legislators, including
  votes, positions taken, contributions accepted

12
Activities That Are NOT Lobbying

• Talking to the media
• Advocating for better enforcement of existing
  laws
• Conducting public education campaigns
• Producing and disseminating research results
• Non-partisan analysis on policy issues, including
  specific legislative issues
• Advocating enactment and enforcement of private
  or voluntary policies

13
Advocacy vs. Lobbying

• Lobbying ALWAYS involves advocacy, BUT advocacy
  does NOT always involve lobbying.
• Advocacy in (public health) requires that we use
  science to encourage the development of policies
  (via legislation) that will improve the publics
  health
• Seatbelts
• Fluoridation
• Clean indoor air laws
• Tobacco taxes
• Medicaid reimbursement
• Standards and Quality of Care
• Access to Health Services

14
Advocacy and Diabetes

• We need to learn how to do it better
• We need to do it more often
• We need to be more strategic with our partners
• We need to define our boundaries and limits
  vis-à-vis the agency where we work
• We need to push the envelope as far as we can to
  get results
• We need to learn from others e.g., tobacco

15
Advocacy and Diabetes

• Advocacy application of information and
  resources to affect systemic changes that shape
  the way people live in a community.
• Public health advocacy intended to reduce death
  or disability in groups of people (overall or
  from a specific cause) that is not confined to
  clinical settings.
• Often involves the use of information and
  resources to reduce the occurrence or severity of
  public health problems.

16
DPCPs Provide Leadership

• Identify and coordinate roles of partners.
• Collect/analyze data develop reports/fact
  sheets.
• Serve as a scientific resource to policymakers,
  business leaders, health practitioners, and the
  media.
• Serve as a convener and facilitator to release
  timely scientific information and data to the
  at-large diabetes community in the state.

17
DPCPs Provide Leadership

• Participate in coalitions and serve as a valuable
  resource for scientific information.
• Lead health education campaigns and mobilize
  local health departments.
• Facilitate contact with legislators on behalf of
  diabetes partners and stakeholders.
• Serve as a representative of the State Health
  Department to assure development and
  implementation of policies that protect the
  health of the public.

18
Successful Advocacy Campaigns

• A successful advocacy campaign doesnt make
  friends. It makes enemies. It points a finger,
  names names, and starts a fight. It tells us
  whos responsible and how to fight back. It
  tells us which side were on. (quote from Media
  Advocacy and Public Health)

19
Case Studies

• Utah Advocacy for diabetes care assures
  coverage for needed supplies (threat of sunset
  review was neutralized).
• Minnesota Advocacy for insurance coverage
  results in a doubling of the coverage cap to
  10,000 per year.

20
Case Studies (cont.)

• Virginia VA Diabetes Council obtained 501(c)3
  status in 2006.
• Eligible to receive tax deductible contributions
  from individuals and corporations.
• Able to apply for grants from governmental
  agencies and private foundations.
• Donations in current fiscal year total 12,821.
• Non-federal funds CAN be used to lobby.

21
Case Studies (cont.)

• KY - Kentucky Diabetes Network (KDN) leveraged
  3,155,946 for diabetes efforts.
• Advocated to preserve public and private
  insurance coverage, improve physical activity in
  schools, and fund diabetes research.

22
Case Studies (cont.)

• New York Astonishing rates of diabetes in East
  Harlem results in innovative outreach and
  education efforts.
• Data showing alarming community statistics
  resulted in a unique approach that is working.
• Local artist instrumental in designing
  educational materials that resonate with
  community members.
• Barriers to improving diabetes self-care are
  being addressed.
• Relationships with local hospitals and health
  centers that provide diabetes care has improved.

23
(No Transcript)
24
Questions for Discussion

• What are some of the advocacy efforts you have
  been engaged in?
• What barriers have you encountered?
• How did you overcome them?
• What was the role that you and the DCPC ended up
  playing?
• Did you hide or come out there strong within
  the constraints of your role in the Agency?
• What might you do differently next time?