Select one of the inequities you identified in your county and develop a strategy to address it through policy change (Inequity identified: premature death), In addition to defining a policy change that would most likely eliminate the exiting inequity, you will need to develop a strategy for getting the policy change passed and implemented. CREATE a 20-slide presentation with detailed speaker notes, in which you will present the 4 parts of your advocacy plan: -PART 1 – Making the Case -PART2 – Community Engagement -PART3 -Collaboration with Partners -PART4 -The Decision-Makers IDENTIFY a health inequity from previous assignment (premature death) that you want to target by advocating for a change of policy (remember that creating a new policy falls under policy change) Include the results of your root cause analysis for the inequity that you will be addressing. After you understand the underlying causes, you can find a policy solution to address it. IDENTIFY a policy solution that you believe could address the existing inequity, in other words, a policy change that will alter the root cause of the inequity, which would subsequently reduce or eliminate the inequity. PART1- Making the Case: Before you can start to convince others of the benefits of making policy change, you will need to define the narrative or message for the change that will effectively convince other to support policy solution. Create a message or narrative that establishes the existence of health inequity and presents the policy solution as the most logical option to addressing the inequity. Support the case for health equity by addressing the following: A. Relevant data: 1. Analyze population health data against relevant benchmarks to establish the existence of the inequity. 2. Use data on health inequities to complement your overall message and raise the awareness of key stakeholders. 3. Cost data can also be used to reveal the significant financial implications of inequities. B. Community Context: 1. Provide comprehensive picture of the identified health inequity. 2. Define who is affected based on income, disability status, gender identity, race, etc. 3. Include other root causes such as social (discrimination), economic (poverty, physical (availability of healthy foods).4. Include the community’s history and context 5. Establish the extent and severity of the inequity to elevate the level of urgency for addressing it immediately. C. Policy Context: 1. Make the argument to support the policy change – provide rationale. 2. Show the connection between the existing policy and health inequity. 3. Present evidence as to why the policy change will have a positive impact on the affected population. 4. Use data to strengthen your case. 5. Anticipate opposition to the change and address those arguments. D. Message Variations: This message will require 3 variations depending on the audience. The 3 audiences are: community members, collaboration partners and decision-makers. PART 2- Community Engagement: Community members are those invested in improving health. IDENTIFY who comprises the community. DEFINE your strategy to effectively engage the community. ADDRESS the following: 1. What approaches will you use to effectively engage community members? 2. What are some ways in which you can build trust and credibility? 3. What are some barriers to community engagement? 4. Who do you need to build community relationship with? 5. Which communication methods will be most effective to reach your intended audience? 6. What are the needs, assets and priority issues of the community members? PART3- Collaboration with Partners: Health inequities do not have a single cause, and population health alone cannot address such inequities. IDENTIFY at least 3 potential partners in the community who could play a role in improving community’s underlying condition. DEFINE your strategy for effectively engaging them by considering these questions: 1 How will you evaluate the effectiveness of partnership for achieving health equity? 2. What are the commonalities in the priorities of potential partners that can serve as levers for collaboration? 3. How can you anticipate and address issues due to group dynamics that may arise/ 4. What are some challenges in collaborating with different partners? Once identified, what steps can be taken to address these challenges? 5.Will you use the same messaging strategy with this group as you did with community members? In what ways will you alter the message for this audience? PART4- The Decision-Makers – are those that have the power to influence or make decision. ADDRESS the FOLLOWING: 1. Who are the decision-makers regarding the policy you are seeking to have changed? Be specific. What are their names, backgrounds, their political leanings? have they ever expressed their views or opinions on the policy you want to change? Are they policy-change friendly or hostile? Find out everything you can regarding the decision-makers. 2. What practices or procedures do they follow to make or change policy? 3. How is the public involved in the decision-making process, if at all? DEFINE your strategy to convince the decision-makers to approve the policy. * What barriers will you need to overcome? * What reasons do they have for opposing the change? * What is the cost benefit for making the policy change?
