PHC Expands Advocacy Capacity Through Online Resources

In the months following the advocacy training held in March, the Public Health Council worked to build out two online advocacy initiatives: a newsletter and a directory of public policy-related organizations. The organizations highlighted are involved in policy work on the priority health issues for the Upper Valley and operate in either Vermont, New Hampshire, or on the national level. The two resources serve as more informal, on-demand resources for our members and community members. Coupled with advocacy trainings and legislative events we have held over the past year, these two additional forms of outreach help expand the Public Health Council’s capacity to support advocacy. We hope we are now better positioned to reach legislators, public health stakeholders and community members, and better facilitate collaboration on public health policy among them all for the years to come.

Directory of Upper Valley Organizations Dedicated to Public Health Advocacy

To leverage the work and commitment of organizations who are both committed to legislative public health advocacy and are aligned with our priority areas, we created a directory accessible via our website. On the table display, each organization is characterized by which of our priority areas they align with. We have linked to their respective public policy agendas and encourage regional partners and community members to connect with these organizations on policy issues of interest to them.

You can view this resource, as well as other information on our advocacy initiatives here.

Advocacy Newsletter

As a more regular form of outreach to our local legislators, the Public Health Council developed an e-newsletter to clearly communicate our policy goals and interests. We intend to send this out three times a year, mainly to highlight how public policy initiatives affect work in our communities, and to highlight recent advocacy initiatives in the community.

You can view our first newsletter here, or subscribe via the link to our news page, attached here.

— Written by Claire Thomas, Dartmouth College Student and Class of ’82 Upper Valley Community Impact Fellow