University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute’s Post

"A coordinated public health ecosystem that has the capacity and passion to support broader social justice movements is a prescription for better health and better politics, and it is increasingly evident that community power and health are so inextricably linked that it is not possible to have one without the other." <-- click through the link below to read the full paper.

Building community power as a public health systems transformation strategy. Excerpts from great work done by Human Impact Partners (HIP). “Human health thrives when people experience a sense of agency and autonomy over their lives, alongside opportunities for social participation and belonging. … Community power–building organizations are the entities most active in this work: They build and organize a base of affected people to take collective action to transform their material conditions, using advocacy as one of many tactics in pursuit of this goal. … Creating a formal structure would help overcome many of the challenges identified by national organizing groups and community power–building organizations, including the lack of an understanding of what public health does, deep relationships, adequate power as individual organizations, and a bold and visible presence. … This new structure should begin with and then sustain the relationship-building work that is needed to bridge national public health and community power–building organizations with the many organizations that are ready to participate. The group should focus on clarifying roles; identifying assets and resources; determining focus areas and shared policy priorities; coordinating narratives and messaging; and helping public health and community power–building organizations learn more about each other in productive and strategic ways that lead to joint work to transform the social, economic, and environmental conditions that affect health. … A coordinated public health ecosystem that has the capacity and passion to support broader social justice movements is a prescription for better health and better politics, and it is increasingly evident that community power and health are so inextricably linked that it is not possible to have one without the other.”

Read our latest blog on how collaborative advocacy with healthcare providers and policymakers is driving meaningful change for patients. Read here: https://lnkd.in/dCz9MDzj #CollaborativeAdvocacy #PatientCare #AlignnEficient

Community power and community health are inextricably linked. In the June issue of Health Affairs, “Reimagining Public Health,” Sophia Simon-Ortiz of Human Impact Partners and her team of coauthors conduct interviews with representatives of community power-building groups and public health non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and see opportunities for partnership and more effective collective action: "With public health under attack, asking public health organizations to be bolder may seem counterintuitive and even dangerous. But in many ways, urging the public health sector to understand and support community power–building and wider social justice movements is a call for public health to return to its social justice roots and reimagine what it means to engage in advocacy." Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4cAwfyA

Check out a new article in Health Affairs from the Human Impact Partners (HIP) Team: "Community Power–Building Groups And Public Health NGOs: Reimagining Public Health Advocacy" - https://lnkd.in/daeFSA35 We conducted qualitative interviews with representatives of 22 national nongovernmental public health organizations and 13 community power–building organizations to explore the nature and potential of partnerships between public health and community power–building organizations. Our findings suggest ways to close advocacy gaps within the public health ecosystem and ways in which public health can strategically leverage its power, resources, and expertise to support social justice campaigns and movements. Co-authored by Sophia Simon-Ortiz, Sari Bilick, Maddy Frey, Solange Gould, Clara Long, Emma Waugh, and Lili Farhang

What does the #health advocacy ecosystem look like at the local-level in Greater Cincinnati as well as at the state-level in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky? Hear from our own Cory Georgopoulos talk about her work conducting a survey of over 100 organizations in partnership with Interact for Health to get the answer. #healthadvocacy #advocacyevaluation #eval #healthequity

Meaningful advocacy is powered by human connection and support from someone dedicated to understanding a person’s health needs. See what our Total Health Connections Family Advocates have to say about how they build trusted relationships to deliver the best possible outcomes for our members. #healthcare #healthadvocacy #personalizedhealthcare https://ow.ly/8kGh30sBQYC

Conversations about #HealthEquity are powering change. Learn more about the eight members of the IBX Health Equity Advocacy Council who shared their valuable experiences and perspectives. #IBXInsiders

What does an Individual Advocate do in the health system? In my discussions with some of the people involved in the early days of Health Consumers' Council WA as we were planning for our 30th anniversary this year, I learned how individual advocacy in WA emerged as a response to community need. Initially it was thought that doctors wouldn't respond well to consumers telling them what to do. But it became obvious from the calls from health consumers that people needed support to assert their rights in the health system. And so the pioneering individual advocacy program was born. Today Health Consumers' Council WA continues to be the only state health consumer peak body that offers independent individual advocacy. A testament to the early leaders of HCC and the WA government that continues to recognise the value and funds it. Our team respond to calls or emails from people with a range of enquiries: ✅️ something went wrong as they were receiving healthcare and they want to know how to make a complaint - with many people saying "I don't want this to happen to anyone else" ✅️ they're in a healthcare setting right now and feel they aren't being heard or they don't understand what treatment is being offered to them and can't get the answers they need to make a decision Our support can range from providing information about the complaints process and how to draft a complaint, through to sending a letter from us to see if that will help to get the answers being sought, through to attending meetings with the consumer. We also connect people to the various other supports that might assist. In all cases, the advocacy we provide is led by the consumer and supported by us - we are there to help their voice be heard. We help them work out the right option for them and then help them pursue it. Our team is small and the need is large. This year we're exploring ways we can increase access to individual advocacy in health and are inviting our members, consumer leaders and others to join us in these efforts. I'm delighted also to share that this year we've received a one off increase in funding from the Department of Health which means we've been able to grow our team a bit. We've been able to extend one existing contract and are recruiting to another part-time role. The closing date for that is 8am Monday 1 July. Link to find out more is in the comments. #IndividualAdvocacy #ConsumersLeadingChange #HealthRights

Meaningful advocacy is powered by human connection and support from someone dedicated to understanding a person’s health needs. See what our Total Health Connections Family Advocates have to say about how they build trusted relationships to deliver the best possible outcomes for our members. #healthcare #healthadvocacy #personalizedhealthcare https://ow.ly/j83m30sBYaO