Recorded presentation

Clarissa Hsu, PhD¹, Pamela M. Schwartz, MPH², Kathryn Boyle³, Bill Beery, MPH¹, and Jessica Finney³. (1) Center for Community Health and Evaluation, Group Health Community Foundation, 1730 Minor Avenue, Suite 1500, Seattle, WA 98101, (206) 287-4691, hsu.c@ghc.org, (2) Center for Community Health and Evaluation, Kaiser Foundation Research Institute, One Kaiser Plaza, 22nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94612, (3) Partnership for the Public's Health, 505-14th Street, Suite 810, Oakland, CA 94612

Encouraging community stakeholders to advocate for governmental and institutional policy changes at the local level is increasingly seen as an important element of community health improvement programs. Changing policy leads toward greater sustainability of health improvement and can allow programs to have a greater impact on their communities. Foundations interested in promoting health improvement and public health leaders have been looking for ways to encourage the communities with whom they partner to build capacities and pursue activities that integrate policy change strategies with more traditional health improvement programs. Communicating the rationale, meaning and methods for pursuing policy change to communities has proved challenging. This presentation looks at the efforts of the Partnership for the Public’s Health Initiative in promoting local policy and systems change activities with 39 community-based partnerships in the state of California. Our discussion will examine the challenges and lessons learned associated with: 1) defining policy change for community groups whose primary mission is hands on work with their communities, 2) linking health improvement activities to policy change, and 3) building the capacities needed to advocate for local policy change. This presentation will conclude with illustrations of partnerships that have successfully advocated for policy changes. Key factors that contributed to success will be highlighted.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation the participants will be able to

• Articulate the reason why community groups who are carrying out health improvement programs need to advocate for policy change.
• Define what is meant by “policy change” and describe how it can be linked to traditional health improvement programs.
• Describe at least one model of successful community-driven policy change that promotes community-based public health.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Paid through an evaluation contract with the Partnership for the Public's Health Initiative

Recorded presentation