Transcript Document

Advocacy Engagement Strategies and
Best Practices
Prepared for MONE
By Tina Grant, VP, Public Policy & State Advocacy
“The notes I handle no better than
many pianists. But the pauses
between the notes--- ah, that is
where the art resides” – Artur
Schnabel
Advocacy Needs to be a System Priority – the why
Unified Voice
• Catholic health care will benefit from our stronger,
unified voice to advocate for better care,
especially for those who are poor and vulnerable
• United, we will collaborate with all persons of
good will to be a transforming and healing
presence in the world
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What is Your Advocacy how and who?
Leveraging the strength of CHE Trinity
Health -- including its leaders,
colleagues, and geographic footprint -our advocacy program will effectively
influence public policies that are critical
to achieving the ministry's mission and
goals.
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Essential Elements of Health Care Transformation
– the why
We believe America
should have a health
care system that:
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•
Provides everyone
with access to health
coverage and high-quality
care
•
Coordinates care in
a way that places the
patient at the center
of all health decisions
•
Rewards quality over
quantity
Our Advocacy Strategy – A Three-Prong Approach
1. Building relationships with policymakers
2. Collaborating with like-minded groups
3. Educating UEM leaders, associates, and community
leaders on health care transformation
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Building Relationships
Developing a relationship with legislators and their staff
• Requires some initial face to face time
• Make sure you follow-up via thank you notes and
additional communication on items of interest, especially
important to keep in touch with the staff: Chief of Staff,
Health staff, District staff
• Don’t be afraid of “cold” contacts – YOU are the
constituent
• Show an interest in what they care about, be sensitive to
their politics, seek a meeting for coffee or lunch with no
real agenda.
• Opportunities in the state/district: town meetings, and
invite official/staff to your hospital
Lesson: A little work and persistence – big results
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Building Relationships
Watergate story – As a young, junior staffer
working in the White House, Bob Woodward struck
up a conversation with a senior official of the FBI,
W. Mark Felt. He maintained the relationship and
years later, when Bob Woodward was working at
the Washington Post, this relationship became the
basis for “Deep Throat” the story we now know to
be Watergate.
Lesson: The best relationships are friendships.
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Nurses Have the “Most Trusted” Advantage
According to a December 2013 Gallup Poll…
Americans continue to rate registered nurses as the most trusted
profession, according to this year's Gallup survey, which ranks
professions based on their honesty and ethical standards.
Nurses have been voted the most ethical and honest profession
in America in Gallup's annual survey for 14 of the past 15 years.
This year, 82% of Americans rated nurses' honesty and ethical
standards as "very high" or "high," a small dip from 2012, which
at 85% was the highest rating for RNs since nurses were first
included in the poll in 1999.
Every legislator has a nurse as a health care provider and must
know several nurses.
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Collaborating with Like-Minded Groups
• Catholic Health Association (CHA)
• American Hospital Association (AHA)
• State Hospital Associations
• State Medical Societies
• State Catholic Conferences
• Enroll America
• American Society of Health System Pharmacists
• National Quality Forum
• MONE
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Building Collaborations
• Nurses understand best the patient perspective;
ie, nurse staffing ratios, education
requirements, 2 midnight rule, emerging
workforce needs
• Think about all who will be impacted by a policy
change as well as unintended consequences
• Elected officials are more likely to support policy
changes that have broad-base support
Lesson: When you keep patients first and
collaborate with those who share this mindset, you
will be influential
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Building Collaborations
Policymaking without collaboration is doomed to
failure. Clinton Health Plan as example. Decided
their position and developed the details in a
vacuum, sought Congressional support without
input, tried to sell it to the public without sufficient
validators
Lesson: Policymaking must begin with
external information and
communication to give it a foundation
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Identify Unlikely Allies
Medicaid Expansion in MI was a result of
providers, public health groups, AARP, Small
Business Association, and Chambers of
Commerce aligning to build political momentum.
Lesson: Ongoing networking creates
goodwill and you never know when you will
need to fall back on someone’s goodwill
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Educating Leaders, Associates and Community Members
• Lead the Way – Transforming
America’s Health
–
–
Building support for transformative health
care policy by educating targeted
audiences and inspiring associate
engagement
Providing a toolkit of resources to
Advocacy leaders
• Engaging groups in education
and advocacy efforts
–
–
–
–
–
RHM and System office leaders
Physicians (employed and affiliated)
Colleagues
Community Members
Internet resources include e-advocacy site
http://www.trinity-health.org/advocacy
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Communicating your Message
Successful legislators will want to know more than
why the position you advocate is right. Good
lobbying means doing as much of the legislators’
legwork as possible, i.e. know the reasons behind
the other side and neutralize opposition before
they are forced to take a stand
Tell your story – make it human, emotional, and
interesting.
Lesson: Tell your personal/unique story and know
the other side’s story
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Enter
ZIP
US
Code
Stre
Grasstops and Grassroots are Important
Home | About
Us | Education | Issues | Newsroom | Advocacy
| Events | Patient Safety & Quality | MHA Service
Corp.
Hospitals Advocating Care Together (Hospitals-ACT) is an initiative dedicated to bringing
together hospital and health system employees, trustees and volunteers, and the public to
deliver healthcare public policy advocacy messages to state lawmakers, the governor, the
media, and other audiences.
Michigan's Community Hospitals Stand for Fair and Adequate Medicaid & Medicare
Funding, Health Coverage for All, Paid for by All, Voluntary Improvements in Patient Safety
& Quality, A Strong Certificate of Need (CON) Program and Preservation of Michigan's
Medical Liability Reforms.
Access to your elected officials and local media is available in our Contact Center.
Our latest advocacy alerts are available in our Action Center.
Questions about using the Hospital-ACT site should be directed here.
Find Officials Look up and contact your officials.
Quick Sign Up Use the form below to sign up for
alerts.
Copyright © 2003-2012 MHA
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Measure and Realign Strategies Based on Outcomes
Measure policy outcomes: did you achieve desired
result?
Measure engagement: were coalitions strong, did
all members engage, did system support with
grassroots, etc?
Evaluate relationships: who are key legislators and
how might these relationships be strengthened?
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