Community Health Advocacy Rotation – Legislative Week
Introduction
Welcome to legislative week! The purpose of this week is to explore how you as a pediatrician can
contribute to the formation of sound child health policy and effect change on a community, state and/or
national level.
Primary Community Contact:
Maura Reilly, MPH
CHPT Pediatric Program Manager
mrreilly@ucdavis.edu or 916-734-3665 (office) or 209-609-2350 (texting)
Rotation Goals:
1. Understand how pediatricians play an important role in the formation of sound child health
policy and become empowered to advocate for the health and well-being of children.
2. Be able to identify members of local, state and national decision making bodies.
3. Research proposed state legislation, read and summarize a bill; then formulate a position.
4. Learn how to craft and communicate an effective message to elected officials.
Expectations
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Timeliness: Arrive at all appointments early or on time. If you’re unable to attend, you must
contact Maura via phone or email immediately.
Dress Code: Formal business attire for visits to State Capitol & CMA Offices. Always carry your
pager and wear your UC Davis ID badge.
Participation: We expect you to prepare questions in advance of each community visit. At each
community site you will participate via observation, volunteering and discussion with
community members.
Days-off: All personal appointments/errands should be scheduled around your community
visits. Time off will be granted in case of illness. Other requests will be granted on a case by case
basis. Requests need to be made 72-hours in advance.
Worksheets: Worksheets should be….
o Reviewed at the beginning of the week. They are meant to be filled out over the course
of the week. DO NOT WAIT until Friday to read & answer the prompts.
o Taken with you to community visits/activities for taking notes/asking questions/
collecting information.
o Unless directed otherwise, worksheets must be completed, typed and emailed to Dr.
Gogo (agogo@ucdavis.edu) AND Maura (mrreilly@ucdavis.edu) by 12pm each Friday
afternoon.
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Name:
Block:
Starting Point – Prepping for the Week
What do you already know about health policy and how it is made into law? Have you had any
experience in the policy arena before?
What are you most interested in learning about during health policy week?
What do you think is the pediatrician’s role in creating child health policy?
On Monday – Who are your players in the policy game?
Before you can start working on policy it’s important to first identify the people who make
decisions for the area where you live and/or work. Search the internet and use the links below
to find the people who are elected to represent your interests.
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State Legislature - http://www.legislature.ca.gov/legislators_and_districts/legislators_and_districts.ht
US House of Representatives - http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
US Senate - http://www.senate.gov/
City Council Member:
County Supervisor:
State Assembly Member:
State Senator:
US House of Representatives:
US Senator(s):
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Asset Based Community Development – Pt. 4
Last week you practiced identifying opportunities for a pediatrician to partner with existing
school assets to benefit their patients. This week, look for ways that you might be able to
mobilize the assets you’ve identified to help you advocate for child health policy.
Community Asset (name):
Asset type (individual, association, or institution):
What child health issue could you address together?
In what way could you team up to advocate on behalf of kids together?
Community Visits & Learning Objectives
Learning objective 1: Research proposed state legislation, read and summarize a bill then
formulate a position.
Activity:
Pick an area of child health that most interests you and research a related legislation under
consideration in the California State Legislature at: www.leginfo.ca.gov. Pick one bill and
summarize it in a short paragraph or a few bullet points. You may use additional sources on the
web, such as advocacy organizations (The AAP, Public Health Advocacy Center, etc.) that have
already distilled the bill, but be sure that your summary is accurate and complete. Consider
what position you, as a pediatrician, might take if you were joining the AAP for their annual
Spring Lobby Day at the State Capitol.
1. What is the name and number of your bill (ie: SB1 – Nutrition in Schools)?
2. Summarize your bill in a few sentences.
3. Did you use any additional resources to help understand the bill? If so, please list.
5. What is your position on the bill and why?
6. List your arguments for OR against the bill.
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Learning objective 2: Understand how pediatricians play an important role in the formation of
sound child health policy and become empowered to advocate for the health and well-being of
children.
Activity:
Interview a child health advocate (volunteer or professional/paid). What is their job? How do
they contribute to the formation of child health policy? What issues are they working on right
now?
Can a pediatrician assist them in their work? If so, how can a pediatrician get involved?
Learning objective 3: Learn how to craft and communicate an effective message to elected
officials.
Activity:
Write a letter urging a specific lawmaker to take a position (for or against) the bill you
researched. See the “My Advocacy Workbook” (page 5 & 6) at the end of this document for
letter writing tips. Mail or email your letter to your chosen lawmaker. Also, submit one copy
with your completed worksheets via email to Dr. Gogo & Maura on Friday.
Clinical Connection – Patient Advocate
Think about a medical or non-medical issue you’ve encountered in your continuity clinic. How
would a policy intervention improve or eliminate this issue?
How has this issue affected your patient’s health?
What type of policy intervention would you suggest?
Which policy maker would you engage on this issue?
How would you go about communicating with this policy maker?
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Reflective Practice – Cultural Humility
This week’s didactic focuses on creating safer communities and the practice of cultural humility.
Cultural differences emerge across a range of social categories, including race/ethnicity, age,
socioeconomics, sexual orientation, social class, neighborhoods, migration status, and so on.
For this exercise, please reflect on your CHA rotation thus far and think about a specific
example (or two) of a cross-cultural exchange where differences were bridged successfully.
What did you learn from this exchange? What felt positive about this exchange? What would
you have done differently?
Begin Writing Here:
Wrap-up & Feedback
1. What was your best community experience this week? Why?
2. What one idea/experience/resource will you take from this week and apply to your clinical
practice?
3. Do you have any lingering/unanswered questions at the end of this week? If so, what?
4. What additional community experience and/or topic do you recommend for future
rotations?
Submit your completed & typed worksheets via email to Maura & Dr. Gogo by 12pm on Friday
(or date indicated on your Google calendar). Be prepared to discuss what you learned this week
at the next morning didactic or CHA wrap-up session.
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Advocacy Resources:
Advocacy Organizations:
 American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/Pages/Advocacy-and-Policy.aspx
 American Public Health Association: http://www.apha.org/advocacy/
 California Medical Association: http://www.cmanet.org/
 Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society - http://www.ssvms.org/
Government Relations
 UCDMC - http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/community_relations/
Legislation Information:
 California Center for Public Health Advocacy: http://www.publichealthadvocacy.org/
 AAP California Chapter 1 (NorCal): http://www.aapca1.org/advocacy-updates/
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San Diego Prevention Research Center
Training-of-Trainers Curriculum - NETWORKERS
My
Advocacy
Workbook
+
Working together to make our communities healthier
San Diego Prevention Research Center
Training-of-Trainers Curriculum - NETWORKERS
Tips for Contacting Your Representative’s Office
Find out as much as you can about the problem
before you contact your representative:
- Talk to people in your community. Has anyone in your
community talked to your representative about this problem
before?
- Search old newspapers at the library for stories about the
problem. Has your representative talked about this problem
before? Promised to do something about it?
- Visit your representative’s website. Look at the laws they have
sponsored and how they have voted on similar issues.
- Make a fact sheet with all important information about the
problem to hand to advocates, government officials and reporters
(see pages #3 & 4 of this workbook for more information).
Pick the right people to make contact:
Your representative wants to hear from community members he
or she represents. Community members who help you with your
advocacy projects should live in the district of the representative
you contact.
People who make good advocates are those you include in your
Change Team: community leaders, business owners, adults,
families with children, senior citizens, representatives from
community clubs and groups, etc.
Choose people who are most affected by the problem. For
example, if the problem is unsafe equipment in playgrounds, your
best advocates would be families who use the playgrounds.
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When you contact your representative:
- Keep your message short.
- Be honest, polite and specific about what you want.
- Use personal stories and or photos to show how this issue
affects you and your community.
- Thank your representative and his/her office staff for their time.
There are a variety of ways to contact your representative. Some
ways are better than others. Your representatives are very busy
and will have limited time to listen to your message. Look at the
list below and notice which strategies are the best ways to get
your message heard.
DO
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Face-to-face meetings
Personal letters
Phone calls
Emails
Photos
Articles and editorials in local newspapers
DON’T:
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Letters, visits, or phone calls from people
outside your community
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Advertisements. An open letter in your
newspaper does not have the same meaning as a
personal letter from a community member
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Computer generated, impersonal form letters
or emails
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Mailing brochures, fact sheets, flyers, or
newsletters without an attached letter explaining
why you sent this information
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Creating a Fact Sheet
A fact sheet is a guide listing important information about the problem
and your solution. You can use a fact sheet to educate community
members, government officials, and journalists about the problem. A
well-prepared fact sheet is one to two pages maximum. Please turn to
page #4 of the workbook for a sample Fact Sheet.
Your fact sheet should include:
1) Background: Identify the problem to be solved. Write when it
became a problem, what affect it has had on you, your family, and
the community, and why it continues to be a problem. Include past
efforts to address the problem and their outcome. Finally, write
what will happen if the problem were resolved.
2) Project Activities: List the activities you are doing to address the
problem and the goals you hope to accomplish through these
activities.
3) Question and Answer Section: Think about questions a person
might have about the problem or your plans to address the
problem. Write those questions and provide answers.
4) Contact information: Provide contact information for you (or your
group) for people who need more information or want to help.
5) My Story: Include a box or blank area for advocates to write or
outline their personal experiences with the problem that they can
use in a letter or face-to-face meeting.
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Sample Fact Sheet
Background
Q&A
Latinos have a high risk for type 2
diabetes. Diabetes can lead to heart
disease, blindness, and kidney failure
and is the sixth leading cause of death in
the United States.
▲ Why is
diabetes?
The goal of this project is to help
decrease the risk of developing diabetes
for Latinos living in Westley, California.
The project will focus on preventing
diabetes in young community members.
As part of this project we will:
-
-
-
-
important
to
reduce
Diabetes treatments are expensive. In
2002 the average person with diabetes
spent $13,243. This is a very high cost
for low-income families or families with
more than one diabetic child. Diabetes
also shortens life spans and puts patients
at a higher risk for developing other
diseases.
Project Activities
-
it
▲ Why do you think your prevention
efforts will work?
Ask our city government to help
make neighborhood parks safe and
usable by the adding more lighting
and police patrols. This will help
cut down on gang and drug activity
in the parks.
Work with local schools to increase
the amount of healthy food choices
available to students.
Encourage more young people to
be involved in youth sports. We will
collect
donations
from
local
businesses to help cut the cost of
equipment and uniforms so more
kids can participate.
Make healthy food more affordable
by creating a community garden
where families can grow their own
fruits and vegetables.
Ask for funds from the State to set
up a free diabetes screening
station at the farm worker health
clinic.
Early
detection
and
education will help people avoid
diabetes complications.
The federal government studied over
3,000 people at-risk for developing
diabetes. The study, called the Diabetes
Prevention Program (DPP), showed that
a 5 %- 7% weight loss from exercise and
decreasing fat and calories in patient
diets can delay and might even prevent
type 2 diabetes. We are focusing on
these two things: getting active and
eating healthy.
My Diabetes Story:
Use this area to write down how diabetes has
affected you or someone you know like a
close friend or family member.
For more information or to volunteer please
contact:
Busters De la Diabetes
123 Main Street
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Westley, CA 95387
(209) 555-5555
Calling Your Representative
Sometimes work and family schedules can make it hard to meet with your
representative. Ask your family, friends, and neighbors to call your representative’s
office. It is a quick and easy way to show your representative that an issue is important
to you.
Prepare Your Community Members
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Create a fact sheet
Review the fact sheet with community members before they make their calls
Be prepared to send materials to the representative’s office after the call
Make the Call
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Give your name and identify yourself as a community member
Be clear, honest, polite and make a specific request
Never argue with a staff member
Offer to send more information about the issue
Ask for a letter confirming that the representative received your request
Thank the person who took your call
Record the person’s name and date and time of the call
Keep track of all contacts with the representative’s office. You can use this record
to show your representative that you are serious about this issue. (Please turn to
page #11 of the workbook for a sample call log.)
Example: “My name is Ana Vargas, and I live in City Councilman Hueso’s district. I
would like Councilman Hueso to work with the Parks and Recreation Department to put
more lights in city parks in San Ysidro. This will let community members use the parks
safely in the evening. Can I send you information about this problem? Would you
please send me a letter confirming the representative received my request? May I ask
your name? Thank you for your time.
Follow-up
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If you receive a follow-up letter from your
representative, send a thank-you letter
If you do not receive a follow-up letter, call or write the
representative and include information about your
original call
Remember, your representative’s office receives many calls
every day. It may take time for them to get back to you about
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your request. You may need to be patient but persistent.
Practice 1: Calling Your Representative
What is the problem?_________________________________________________________________
What is your solution? _______________________________________________________________
Who are you contacting? ____________________________________________________________
What are you asking them to do? __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
► Use the space below to plan what you will say during your call. Your
message should be clear, honest, polite, and make a specific request.
Example: “My name is Ana Vargas, and I live in City Councilman Hueso’s district. I would
like Councilman Hueso to work with the Parks and Recreation Department to put more
lights in city parks in San Ysidro. This will make the parks safer for community members
to use in the evening. Can I send you more information on this problem? Would you
please send me a letter confirming that the representative received my request? May I
have your name for my records? Thank you for your time!”
Practice:
Hello, my name is _____________________ and I live in _________________________________’s
(Your name)
(Name and title of the representative)
district. I would like ___________________________ to ______________________________________
(Name and title of representative)
(In one sentence, what are you asking them to do?)
_________________________________________________________________________________________ .
This will _________________________________________________________________________________
(Why is your request a good idea? What positive effects will following your suggestion have on the community?)
_________________________________________________________________________________________ .
Optional: Can I send you more information about this problem? Would you please
send me a letter confirming that the representative received my request? May I
have your name for my records?
Conclude: Thank you for your time!
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Writing To Your Representative
Connect
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Use their proper title (example: Councilman, Representative, Senator, etc.)
Identify yourself as a community member
Write about your issue and why it is important
Share a story or example of how this issue affects you, your children, and your
neighborhood
Ask
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Make your message short, clear and specific. (Example: more lights in city parks
so they are safer for San Ysidro residents to use in the evening.)
End the letter with a one or two sentence summary of the problem and what you
are asking the representative to do
Thank the representative for their time, ask for a response, and personally sign
the letter
Impress
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Keep a positive attitude while being polite and respectful
If you receive a response to your letter, follow up with another letter thanking the
representative for his or her time
If you do not receive a response, follow up with an email, phone call, or another
letter
Remember that it takes time to read and respond to all of the letters that your
representative receives each day. You may need to be patient, though persistent, while
waiting for them to respond to your request.
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Practice 2: Writing To Your Representative
What is the problem? __________________________________________________________________
What is your solution? _________________________________________________________________
Who are you contacting? ______________________________________________________________
What are you asking them to do? _____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
► Practice writing a letter to your representative by filling in the blanks below.
Date: ___________
Dear __________________________
(Your representative’s name and title)
My name is __________________________, and I live in your district. I am writing to you
(Your name)
because there is a problem that is important to me, my family, and other community
members who live in your district. The problem I am concerned about is:
_____________________________________________________________________________
(Write a few sentences explaining the issue, why it is important and how it affects life in your community)
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
I am asking you to __________________________________________________________
(Be specific about what you want your representative to do.)
By doing this you will _____________________________________________________
(Talk about the positive results if he or she does what you are asking.)
By addressing this problem you will improve the lives of everyone who lives in our
community.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns.
Sincerely,
(In the space above, sign your name. Print your name neatly below your signature)
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Meeting with your Representative
The best way to bring attention to your issue is to meet face-to-face with your
representative or a staff person.
Plan
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Prepare a Fact Sheet
Form a Change Team
o Ask people in your community to join your Change Team, such as:
community leaders, business owners, adults, families with children, senior
citizens, and members of community clubs and groups.
o Your Change Team should include those most affected by the issue. For
example, if the issue is unsafe play equipment in playgrounds you will want
to ask children and their parents to attend the meeting.
 Make a meeting plan
o Pick a group spokesperson to deliver your message and keep the meeting on
track.
o Plan who will share a personal story and when they will speak.
o Pick a person to leave information with the representative or the office staff
after the meeting.
Contact
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Call the representative’s office and ask to speak to the person who handles the
representative’s schedule.
Tell the person that:
o You are a community member
o You want to talk to your representative about [a problem]
o You will need [amount of time]
o You will bring [number of] community members with you
Call to confirm the meeting the day before it is scheduled.
Deliver
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Go to your meeting on time. If possible try to arrive
10 minutes early
Thank your representative for meeting with you
Share personal stories and explain how your issue
affects you, your family, and your community
Keep your message short, clear, and specific about
what you want
Carefully listen to your representative. He or she
may not agree with you or may have other ideas
about how to address the problem.
Community members meet with Representative
Bob Filner to talk about Juvenile Diabetes.
(Chula Vista, CA March 25, 2006)
Maximize
 Leave your business card, your Fact Sheet and any other materials you have
 Send a thank you letter
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Practice 3: Meeting with your Representative
Step 1: Identify the problem and create your message:
What is the problem? ____________________________________________________________________
What is your solution? ___________________________________________________________________
Who are you meeting with? ______________________________________________________________
What are you asking them to do? ________________________________________________________
Step 2: Plan and schedule your meeting:
Meeting Plan
Scheduling
Group size: ________________________
Called office on: __________________
Group spokesperson:________________
Scheduler’s name: ________________
People to share personal stories:
Meeting Date: ____________________
_________________________________
Meeting Time: ____________________
Person in charge of leaving information
after the meeting:
Length of meeting: ________________
Called back to confirm meeting on:
_________________________________________
________________________________
Step 3: Attend your meeting
Step 4: Meeting outcome
What did your representative say about the problem? ____________________________________
Did your representative agree to do something about the problem? Yes
No (circle one)
If yes, what are they going to do? _______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Is another meeting is needed? ___________________________________________________________
Is there another person or agency that you should contact? _____________________________
Step 5: Follow-up
Date thank-you note mailed: ____________________________________________________________
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Glossary
Advocacy: Promoting a cause and seeking support to solve a problem and
create change.
Constituent: A resident of a district or member of a group represented
by an elected official.
District: An area or section (of a city or nation) set apart for some
purpose, eg, school district, voting district.
Fact sheet: A guide listing important information about a problem and
possible solutions.
Law: The body of rules and principles governing a community and enforced
by a political authority. A law is a piece of legislation voted on and approved
by elected officials.
Legislation: A proposed or enacted law or group of laws.
Legislature: An elected group of people given the power to make laws for
a state or nation.
Policy: A plan that will influence and determine decisions, actions, and
other matters.
Representative: A person who represents others, such as a member of
the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature.
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