Making Your Organization an Advocacy Center of Excellence

Why We Need EVERY

Kentucky Health Center and Clinicto Become an

Advocacy Center of Excellence (ACE)

Elected official decisions are important to CHCs and CHC patients

Other Grants/ Contracts

10%

State13%Private

2%Self Pay

12%

Medicare6%

Medicaid/CHIP29%

Federal28%

Income Sources for Health Centers

Income Sources for Community Health Centers in Kentucky

Medicaid, 46.4%

Medicare, 10.6%

Private, 14.8%

Self Pay, 5.3%

Federal, 19.7%

Other Revenue Non-patient related , 1.7%

Other Grants and Contracts, 1.6%

What Do We Mean By Grassroots Advocacy at a

Health Center?

Kentucky Health Centers Advocacy Potential

2015

FQHCs 23FQHC sites 147Patients Served 340,614Employees (FTE) 2077Current Advocates 499

Effective Advocacy = Power Grassroots advocacy is about BUILDING POWER

Power is NOT measured by the number of advocates on a list

Power is NOT measured by the number of small (or even large) victories we win

Power must be measured by our ability to successfully advance our own agenda and to make it

unthinkable that any other political or special interest would

ever want to take us on.

Effective AdvocacyEffective advocacy has one requirement: ACTION

Simply discussing issues, challenges, and plans is NOT effective advocacy

To be an effective advocate & attain your goals you MUST

ü Make advocacy an ongoing commitment and priority

ü Translate discussions, plans, and passions into moveable

actions

ü Make your voice and perspective

heard and understood

Organizing Grassroots Advocacy 1. Advocacy Has to be an Organizational Commitment

The Board Must Take the Lead – a formal commitment to time and resources is essential. Create an Advocacy Committee with a Chair – Board and staff need to be included.

2. Advocacy Has Rules

Know the Rules. It’s hard to break the rules, but you can do it if you don’t know what they are.

3. Advocacy Needs to be done Face to Face

Plan to get your local, state and federal officials (and their staff) to your Center on a regular basis

4. Advocacy Needs Numbers – Our Advocacy Network

Organizing Grassroots Advocacy 5. Advocacy Needs a Megaphone

Learn how to use the media

6. Advocacy Needs FriendsLook for ways to reach out to other organizations in your

Community on regular basis

7. Advocacy Needs VotesEmpower your health center by making sure your patients and staff are registered to vote and that they vote!

8. Advocacy Doesn’t Stop When the Whistle BlowsYour goal is to build permanent power to influence any issue thataffects your center, at any level of government.

What is the Advocacy Centers of Excellence (ACE) Program?

A Framework for Health Center Advocacy

ACE BasicsBRONZE LEVEL

ü Establish advocacy committee/workgroup or designate one staff person as coordinator

ü Have an advocacy work plan in placeü Incorporate advocacy as a standing agenda item at staff and board

meetingsü Pass a board resolution on advocacyü Register 50% of staff and board as Health Center Advocates ü Host at least one NHCW eventü Host one elected official (local, state, or federal) at the Health Center at

least annuallyü Establish an account for the Health Center on at least one social media

platform (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.)

Advocacy Metrics1. Can someone get the target on the phone?

2. Can you get the target to your center (how often)?

3. How often is the center in the media?

4. How many local organizations/elected officials do something CONCRETE to support you?

5. How many grassroots advocates do you have? How active are they?

6. How many voters have you registered? Do they vote?

7. How much of what you ask your targets for do you get?

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.

– Edmund Burke

Questions?

For More informationWhitney Allen, MPH

Coordinator of Community Development and Outreach

Kentucky Primary Care Association226 West Main St.

Frankfort, KY 40601Cell: 502-229-7398