Texas Well and Healthy
Mimi GarciaOrganizing Director
Cheasty AndersonEducation and Outreach Coordinator
Who are we?Organizing Lead
Public Education, Policy Lead
Communications Lead
Story collection & “grasstops” organizing
Organizing: The Big Idea
• GOALS: Engage Texans in the fight for better policies for health access in Texas
• TASKS: Identify and Create opportunities to mobilize our base of supporters. Work with other networks to build our base of support.
• TOOLS: Voter Activation Network (VAN), Online Actions/Petitions, Text alert, Advocacy pamphlet, Organizational supporter network
• STRATEGIES: Building support through educational workshops, working with allied organizations, becoming a communications resource.
Challenges and Solutions
• Challenge: Scope and capacity for a HUGE state
• Solution: Managing complex coalitions across the state, within cities and regions
• Challenge: Managing complex coalitions*• Solution: Maintaining data and records on constituent
organizations and their interest/politics *Sometimes solutions can be their own challenges
• Challenge: Too much work, too few staff• Solution: prioritize. Know where to give things up, where to
push. • Experimenting with volunteers, interns, & trainers
Education: The Big Idea• GOALS: Educate Texans about the ACA, and open
discourse about health reform in general
• TASKS: Connect with disparate groups across the state (politically active or not), keep curriculum flexible and adaptable
• TOOLS: Education and organizing pamphlet, blog, Train the Trainer
• STRATEGIES: Travel. All. The. Time.
Challenges and Solutions• Challenge: varied literacy levels, low health literacy
• Solution: Develop materials that are especially flexible, a program that can be simplified or complicated, and bilingual materials
• Challenge: HUGE state, one person• Solution: Train the Trainers, Skype, health action calls, video “one-
pagers,” webinars, etc.
• Challenge: Staying strategic vs. responding to demand
• Solution: Targeted outreach based on organizer’s power analysis. Getting easier now that we have greater name recognition.
Case Study: SCOTUS reaction
• Rapid response plan• Communications• Public Mobilization• Public Education
• Challenges: • Rally without a date, lots of work means need for
clear roles, uncertainty• Solutions:
• Utilizing groups with mobilizable base, new technology of text messaging, clearly prepared plan and roles, multiple contingency plans
Outcomes• Building our List• Creating New Coalitions/Alliances• Social Media and Technology• Multiple Avenues of Engagement• Media attention: State, regional, and now
national• Medical Loss Ratio• Rate Review• Train the Trainer
New Challenges• How to build avenues of messaging on health care
reform for new (not necessarily enthusiastic) audiences
• Now even Republicans are getting interested, post-SCOTUS
• Large number of Freshman Tea Partiers in TX Lege.• 2013 Legislative session – Gov wants even more
budget cuts, lots of educating to do for members re: Medicaid/Medicare, health care in Texas
• Galvanizing constituent activism in key district for Lege w/limited lead time between elections and state of session.
Thank you!Mimi Garcia
Cheasty [email protected]
www.texaswellandhealthy.orgOn Twitter: @TXWellHealthy
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/KidsWellTexas