Advocating for Public Health Authority
Protecting and expanding public health authority can help ensure an equitable, healthy future for all. When equipped with the tools and resources they need, public health officials can enact laws and policies that promote health and address inequities.
Why Advocacy?
Public Health’s vision is only achievable when the authority, ability, and funding are in place to act for the public’s health. This requires intentional and sustained advocacy. Advocacy is the means by which individuals or groups attempt to bring about social and/or organizational change on behalf of a health goal, program, interest, or population.
Public health advocacy takes many forms, including educating the public and informing elected officials about the importance of an issue, program, or need for funding. Advocacy can also include lobbying, where allowable, which is a strategy to persuade lawmakers to make a particular policy decision.
Advocacy is an approach by which you can help protect and expand public health authority and vital community conditions.
Efforts to Strengthen Public Health Authority
Intentional and intersectional advocacy can be achieved through specific bills that directly strengthen authority, increase flexible funding, and call for community engagement. There have been many bright spots in public health legislation, practices, and investments since COVID-19 forced states to re-evaluate their public health landscape.
- Institutionalizing public health expertise in decision-making bodies;
- Growing capacity of public health infrastructure; and
- Expanding authority to local officials.
- Written explanation or justification for actions taken
- Public hearings or public comment; Provision of information; or
- Response to questions.
Adapted from Strengthening Public Health Authority to Contain and Prevent Communicable Disease
Further Reading
Fighting for Public Health: Findings, Opportunities, and Next Steps from a Feasibility Study to Strengthen Public Health Advocacy
Modernizing Public Health Emergency Powers Laws — Again
LawAtlas
Public Health Priorities for the 2024 State Legislative Sessions
Taking Action on Key Issues
Attacks on public health authority do not exist in isolation. Rather, they are part of broader social movements that threaten democratic institutions, civil rights, and progress toward health equity and mutual liberation. For example, over the last several years we have witnessed attacks on LGBTQ+ people, transgender rights, and abortion rights. Advocacy on specific issues and policies that safeguard people’s rights and opportunities for well-being is crucial. Such advocacy not only protects individuals but also drives systemic changes on interconnected issues and long-term shifts in power dynamics, culture, and environments that profoundly influence our health.
These issue areas are the focus of recent legislative action and need advocacy now:
ABORTION ACCESS
Taking Action for Reproductive Justice: Our Favorite Tools, Resources, and Data
ENVIRONMENTAL &
CLIMATE JUSTICE
Taking Action for Climate Justice: Our Top Tools, Resources, Stories, and Data
GUN VIOLENCE
Taking Action to End Gun Violence: Our Top Tools, Resources, Stories, and Data
LGBTQ+ PEOPLE
LGBTQ+ Health Equity Library
RACIAL JUSTICE
& EQUITY
Trend Bending Policies for Advancing Racial Justice Series
TRANSGENDER RIGHTS
Taking Action for Trans Rights: Our Favorite Tools, Resources, and Data
Advocating for Public Health
Public health advocacy seeks to advance policy solutions, shift practices, and catalyze investments. In recent years, passionate public health advocates have focused on pressing needs like law and policy solutions that protect public health, funding and workforce challenges, and are doing so with inclusive approaches that grow civic muscle and belonging.
Advance Law and Policy Solutions
In contrast to current efforts to limit government’s ability to act for public health, advocates are taking action to reinvigorate the Public Health sector, while shoring up internal capacity to advocate and advancing policy solutions to public health challenges. These efforts set the stage for long-term, effective advocacy that creates real impact.
Oklahoma advocates re-established the presence of Public Health
Virginia advocates revamped local health districts
Address Funding, Workforce, and Systems Challenges
Virginia advocates directed efforts towards workforce, funding, and authority
Grow Civic Muscle and Belonging
Washington advocates engaged with tribal groups and other advocates
While the political will may not currently exist in some places to act effectively on public health authority or cross-cutting public health issues, advocates can, and do, find ways to make incremental progress. There may, for example, be opportunity and will to address certain specific issues that can pave the way for progress.
Anyone Can Advocate!
You can be an advocate for public health! Constituents who call and send emails to their representatives to highlight the importance of public health programs are just as critical as subject matter experts and professional lobbyists. Click a button below to explore how each group can advocate.
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Further Reading
Advocacy for Public Health
Public Health Advocacy: The Basics
Making the Case for Public Health
Community Tool Box: Advocating for Change
Equitable advocacy
Whether advocating for public health authority, the rights of specific priority populations, or policy matters, equity ought to be at the forefront. Centering the individuals and communities most impacted by issues can bring about policy solutions while aligning and building community.
The 5 W’s of Practicing Equity as a Central Part of Advocacy gives us a framework by which to design and implement equitable advocacy. It helps us to examine who is impacted by an issue, what the impacts are, and why the impacts are occurring. It has us critically assess the involvement of community members in the advocacy efforts and design of policy solutions. The best solutions come from those closest to the issues.
The 5 W’s of Practicing Equity as a Central Part of Advocacy
1. WHO
Who are the communities and individuals that are the most impacted by the issue?
2. WHAT
What are directly impacted communities experiencing and what are they doing about it?
3. WHY
Why are the directly impacted communities bearing the brunt of the health consequences?
4. WHERE
Where are directly and disparately impacted community members in the advocacy structure–are they leading the advocacy efforts?
5. WHEN
When developing strategies to challenge the social and disparate health issues, are individuals that are directly and disparately impacted present and assisting in developing policy solutions?
The 5 W’s were developed by Equipped Solutions Consulting Services
Advocacy makes visible what public health does for communities, neighborhoods, health systems, and individuals, further emphasizing the importance of the work. With a public health sector that is sustainably funded and entrusted with the authority and data tools to promote health and prevent disease, communities can thrive and grow.
Reflection Questions
- What is a state level example of how public health authority is being strengthened?
- What is advocacy? Describe two opportunities to advocate for public health authority.
- How do The 5 W’s of Practicing Equity as a Central Part of Advocacy support equitable advocacy approaches?
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This concludes the learning series. Return to previous chapters or return to the start.