Advocacy is the support or defense of a cause and the act of leading on behalf of another person. Communicating effectively is a key element to successful advocacy and education. The main goal of advocacy is to inform and influence the behavior of decision-makers. This page provides a collection of resources that CHAMPS has assembled for communicating the value of community health centers to various stakeholders.
Please remember, the type of political activities nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and employees are allowed to engage in is very specific. Please visit the Voter Registration and Ballot Measure Advocacy Resources page for more details.
Please follow the links below for:
Outreach to Elected Officials
Specific Issues Resources
Social Media Tips
OUTREACH TO ELECTED OFFICIALS
Communicating with elected officials is a great way to build relationships while educating about the important work your Health Center does in the community. This section contains information on finding your representatives, communicating with elected officials, and inviting them to your Health Center.
FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
Common Cause
Find your representatives, how to contact them, bills they have introduced, committees they serve on, and political contributions they have received.
Find Your Representatives
USA.gov
Learn how to get in touch with your federal, state, and local elected leaders.
How to Contact Your Elected Officials
Ballotpedia
Find your current representatives with this tool.
Who represents me?
HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS
Association of Public Health Nurses (APHN)
Advocacy toolkit written for nurses, with insightful information for all.
Public Health Policy Advocacy Guide Book and Toolkit
Idaho Counseling Association (ICA)
“Do’s and Don’ts” for communicating and working with elected officials.
Tips for Effective Advocacy: Communicating with Elected Officials
Mental Health First Aid – National Council for Behavioral Health (NCBH)
Handbook to help advocates be effective in their aims and advance public policy and expand access to care.
A Handbook for Advocates
National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
Resources to help advocates create and maintain good working relationships with elected officials.
Working with Elected Officials
National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Tips for advocating for public health.
Public Health Advocacy: Informing Lawmakers about What Matters Most in Our Communities
Ohio Travel Association (OTA)
General resource that provides tips on how to most effectively write brief, focused, personal, and professional letters to your elected officials.
Legislative Advocacy 101: Writing Letters to Elected Officials
HOW TO INVITE ELECTED OFFICIALS TO YOUR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OR EVENT
American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL)
A guide to help arrange tours for any elected official.
A “How To” Guide to Facility Tours for Elected Officials
National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
Invitation, scheduling, and communicating tips for Congressional visits to community health centers.
Public & Civic Support
SPECIFIC ISSUES RESOURCES
Throughout the year, various issues arise at the Federal, State, and Local levels that pertain to the community health center movement. This section will be updated with new resources on specific issues that affect community health centers, their patients, and their communities.
Scroll or follow the links below for:
Homelessness/Public Housing Advocacy Resources
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Advocacy Resources
Medicaid Expansion Advocacy Resources
Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFW) and Their Families Advocacy Resources
Substance Use Disorders (SUD)/Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) Advocacy Resources
Veterans Advocacy Resources
HOMELESSNESS/PUBLIC HOUSING ADVOCACY RESOURCES
Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH)
State and federal policy priorities and fact sheets.
Policy & Advocacy Work
Health Care for the Homeless, CHC
Resources from this Maryland CHC on legislative issues, community engagement, and storytelling.
Advocacy
National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH)
Explanations of the connection between homelessness and health as well as action guides for advocacy.
Health and Homelessness
Guide for planning a National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day event.
National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day Organizing Manual
National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC)
Links to resources on federal issues and priorities, health care reform, policy statements, action alerts, and more.
Policy Issues
Toolkit focused on engaging with and educating policymakers about homelessness to help create better-informed decision-making and resource allocation.
Advocacy Toolkit
Visit the CHAMPS Homeless and Public Housing Resources webpage to learn more about providing quality health services to persons experiencing homelessness and residents of public housing.
LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER (LGBT) ADVOCACY RESOURCES
Bolder Advocacy
Short overview of the laws and regulations that apply to 501(c)(3) public charities when they engage in lobbying and advocacy, including how to shape advocacy during election time.
LGBTQ Advocacy Toolkit
HIV.gov
List of HIV/AIDS awareness days with event planning guides, social media kits, and more, around which to orient communication and education.
Awareness Days
National Coalition for LGBT Health
Materials for promoting and communicating about National LGBT Health Week.
National LGBT Health Week
Visit the CHAMPS Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Resources webpage to learn more about providing quality health services to LGBT individuals.
MEDICAID EXPANSION ADVOCACY RESOURCES
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP)
Toolkit for state advocates of Medicaid expansion.
Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion
Community Catalyst
Information on closing the Medicaid Gap, updated information on Medicaid expansion.
Medicaid and Medicaid Expansion
Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)
Up-to-date map of states’ decisions about adopting Medicaid expansion.
Status of State Action on the Medicaid Expansion Decision
National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC)
Resources on Medicaid Expansion for health care for the homeless community health centers.
Medicaid & Health Care Financing
MIGRANT AND SEASONAL FARMWORKERS (MSFW) AND THEIR FAMILIES ADVOCACY RESOURCES
Farmworker Justice
Information on access to healthcare, health awareness and disease prevention, and improving farmworkers’ occupational and environmental health, as well as their living and working conditions.
Advocacy and Programs – Health
Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN)
Position statements on health justice issues for migrant workers.
Position Statements
Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF)
Information and resources on National Farmworker Awareness Week.
National Farmworker Awareness Week
Visit the CHAMPS Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFW) and their Families Resources webpage to learn more about providing quality health services to Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFW) and their families.
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (SUD)/OPIOID USE DISORDER (OUD) ADVOCACY RESOURCES
Community Catalyst
Regularly updated news information, partnership opportunities, and resources for SUD advocacy.
Substance Use Disorders
Faces & Voices of Recovery
Collection of resources to address SUD needs and advocacy.
Resources
Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)
Issue brief on community health centers’ place at the front lines of addressing the opioid epidemic.
The Role of Community Health Centers in Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
Legal Action Center
Information on promoting prevention and treatment as well as combating discrimination.
Addiction & Substance Use Project
National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC)
Landing page for various advocacy resources on SUD.
Advocacy Page
National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
Policy paper on several elements at play in the opioid crisis.
Policy Landscape for Community Health Center Integration of Behavioral Health & SUD/OUD Services
Snapshot on policies, regulations, geography, and more influencing SUD/OUD treatment.
Landscape for Community Health Center Integration of Behavioral Health & SUD/OUD Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Information on this annual health observance dedicated to increasing public awareness of, and action around, mental health and/or substance use disorders.
National Prevention Week
Visit the CHAMPS Substance Use Disorder Resources webpage to learn more about treating and supporting patients with substance use disorders and related conditions.
VETERANS ADVOCACY RESOURCES
Cohen Veterans Bioscience
Updates on progress around veterans’ brain health and advocacy.
The Coalition to Heal Invisible Wounds
National Rural Health Association (NRHA)
Policy brief on advocating to expand access to care for rural veterans.
Rural Veterans: A Special Concern for Rural Health Advocates
Vets First
Up-to-date list of laws and regulations relating to paralyzed veterans and all veterans with disabilities.
Advocacy Action Center
Visit the CHAMPS Veterans Resources webpage to learn more about supporting veterans as patients and potential candidates for employment.
SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS
Community Health Association of Mountain/Plains States (CHAMPS)
Tips for developing successful social media content.
Social Media Content Development Tips
ECRI Institute
Slide deck from the “Social Media in Healthcare: Lessons for the Digital World” webinar. (March 2019)
Social Media in Healthcare: Lessons for the Digital World Slides
Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality Center (HITEQ)
Brief list of tips and resources to help community health centers get started with managing and maintaining a professional and engaging social media presence.
Effective Social Media Management for Health Centers
Online Marketing Institute
Suggestions for creating content that consumers will want to share and engage with.
12 Tips for Creating Shareable Social Media Content
Sprout Social
Guide to social media in healthcare, engaging with challenges around educating the public, creating communities for patients, providing customer care, and more.
Social Media in Healthcare: A Surgical Guide for Marketing Professionals
Please contact the CHAMPS Programs Coordinator, Population Health if you have any questions about these materials or would like to share any other useful resources.