1. Health Center Advocacy for Board Members
August 29, 2017
Elizabeth Kwasnik
Manager of Grassroots Advocacy, NACHC

2. Today’s Agenda Advocacy refresher Creative ideas & best practices
BMAC & toolkit
Discussion

3. For starters… The Basics Keys to Successful Advocacy
Know what you want
Know who can give it to you
Know what they want
The squeaky wheel gets the grease!
Advocacy is an ongoing effort
Keys to Successful Advocacy
Advocacy is a competitive activity
There are winners and losers, and sometimes a stalemate is a win!
Advocacy is an ACTIVE, not passive, process
You are not the only one who wants something, so you have to be heard through the din of all the other interests

4. Because there is too much at risk NOT to advocate.
Why Advocacy?
Because CHCs can and should be part of the solution for challenges facing the health care system
Because CHCs are one of the few things that still have bipartisan support
Because many of the more than 26 million patients we serve would have nowhere else to go
Because our network is 140,000 advocates strong
Because we are facing the potentially devastating Health Center Funding Cliff on Sept. 30
Because there is too much at risk NOT to advocate.

5.   Dos and Don’ts Don’ts: Dos: Offer Answers You Don’t Have
Know What You’re Asking For
Know Your Audience
Know Your Opponents
Know The Rules
Make a Commitment
Be Polite
Say THANK YOU
Keep it Simple
Don’ts:
Offer Answers You Don’t Have
Assume Knowledge of Health Centers
Believe Someone Else is Taking Care of Your Advocacy
Burn Bridges
Be Intimidated
Confuse Being Quiet for Being Polite
Express Partisanship
Forget to make your ASK  

6. Advocacy is story-telling!
Your story: You are an expert, your story matters, it’s PERSONAL! The Health Center story: Why and how did you get involved? What good is data without the human element and impact? It’s PERSONAL & it’s about our patients! Remember, YOU are an expert!

7. Taking Advocacy to the Next Level
In order to realize the full potential of our grassroots power it is critical that we create a culture of advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels… starting with your Health Center!
Building a culture of advocacy means:
Changing the culture and attitude from within the health center, recognizing advocacy as a critical and mandatory component to daily work and planning.
Making a commitment to doing the work to build and organize our grassroots in order to fully realize the potential of our grassroots power.
Growth and recognition of grassroots advocacy and effectiveness the same way other critical skills and programs are recognized for health center staff and boards.

8. Board-Specific Activities: Planning & Infrastructure
Make sure all board members are registered as advocates (and take action when necessary!)
Pass a resolution on advocacy as a priority at your Health Center
If your HC has an advocacy committee, mandate board member participation and/or create a board subcommittee
Add advocacy as a standing agenda item at all board meetings (have HC staff update board on latest activities, NACHC/statewide campaigns, etc.)
Survey members for connections/relationships within the community
Apply for ACE status!

9. Board-Specific Activities: Action Items
Participate in the Board Member Advocacy Certificate (BMAC) program
Work with your CFO/finance staff to complete a Health Center data analysis (for the cliff & Medicaid)
Have a job outside the Health Center? Engage your employer.
Participate in NACHC’s monthly webinars (next one on Sept. 7 at 3:30PM Eastern!)
Visit to take action and connect with your Members of Congress NOW

10. Other Ideas & Best Practices
Annual board retreat
Advocacy as part of board orientation
Thank you notes from HC CEO to board members’ outside employer
Pair up board members and staff for community events
Develop CEO/board chair relationship
Board “corner” or contribution to staff/community newsletter
NHCW Consumer Board Member Day

11. What is BMAC?
A program specifically designed for board members to complement our other advocacy programming
An effort to increase education and engagement of board members
The program provides the opportunity to share best practices and network with peers

12. The checklist/application
10 required items- including webinars, conference sessions, office hours (via phone)
All items must be completed within an 18-month period
Webinar and office hour recordings will be posted online for those who cannot join live
Hard-copy and online checklist available
Attendance lists will be reviewed to confirm participation

13. The checklist/application
Topics covered by BMAC:
Advocacy 101
How to Prepare for P&I
Advocacy for Board Members
National Health Center Week
Importance and How-tos of Community Partnerships
Other Board Programming from NACHC
Advocacy Legalese
The Board’s Role in Advocacy Planning

14. FAQs Applicable programming Conference attendance
Any activities completed on or after January 1, 2017 count toward completion of the certificate.
Conference attendance
Attending an advocacy session at your primary care association’s annual conference can be substituted for attendance/participation at any (one) NACHC conference.
If your state’s Primary Care Association doesn’t hold an annual conference
NACHC is aware that there are states whose PCAs do not organize an annual conference. NACHC will work with the PCA to provide some form of advocacy training for all advocates in that state, including board members who want to complete BMAC.

15. FAQs BMAC and ACE NACHC Membership
Completion of BMAC alone does not make a Health Center eligible for Gold ACE status. All Bronze and Silver items, as well as the other Gold items, must be completed in order for a Health Center to be approved as a Gold ACE. However, if a board member has completed BMAC, their Health Center does NOT also have to complete the ALP participation requirement; Gold status requires EITHER ALP or BMAC participation.
Board members do NOT have to be at an ACE Health Center (current or aspiring) in order to participate in BMAC.
NACHC Membership
Board members do NOT have to be NACHC individual or organizational members to participate in BMAC.

16. FAQs
NACHC’s Certificate in Health Center Governance Program for Board Members
This certificate program requires 31 contact hours through attendance/participation in education sessions offered at one of NACHC’s three national conferences, over the course of three years. In addition to the required sessions (7 hours), 24 more contact hours are needed; advocacy education sessions at NACHC conferences required for BMAC can count toward these additional hours.

17. Board Member Advocacy Toolkit
An opportunity for those who do not wish to participate in BMAC, but still want to learn more (or for HC staff who want to further engage their boards)
Consists of:
PowerPoint presentation
Downloadable templates

18. Contact us: grassroots@nachc.org
Where to find these resources
BMAC (including info, checklist, FAQs, etc.):
Board Member Advocacy Toolkit:
Contact us:

19. Thursday, September 7 at 3:30PM ET
Save the date
Thursday, September 7 at 3:30PM ET
Policy & Advocacy Update Webinar
RSVP at
Learn what you need to know about our advocacy strategy for September and tell your Members of Congress to FIX THE CLIFF!

20. Questions?

21. What is your most embarrassing advocacy question?
Discussion
What is your most embarrassing advocacy question?

22. Discussion
What is your biggest challenge as a board member? What are some potential solutions?

23. Discussion
Identify one way in which you could streamline or improve HC staff & board working together on advocacy.

24. Discussion
What are you most proud of about your Health Center or why are you proud to be a board member? How can you turn this into an advocacy tool and use it to influence policymakers?

25. Contact Us
Contact the NACHC advocacy team if you have questions or need additional information or resources!