INSIGHT & INSPIRATION FROM APHA’S 2012 MIDYEAR MEETING

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Survive All In This Friends Prevention, Strategies
& Thrive Together For Health Opportunity & Equity for Health
Speak Up for Public Health
The ability to advocate effectively doesn’t come naturally; like many things in public health, first
you have to build the capacity.
Lora Wier, director of Montana’s Teton County Health Department, told meeting attendees
about the experience of the Montana Public Health Association in becoming a force for public
health. It began in 2004, when the governor appointed a new director to lead the state’s health
department. At the time, Weir was serving as president of the state association and received a
call asking for its position on the appointment. She said she didn’t really know what to say. But
then she thought: If anybody should have a position, it should be us. In response, the association
contacted the governor’s office and met with staff (she said the association was concerned
the appointment wasn’t a good fit for the health department). It was the association’s first foray
into advocacy and policy.
From there, capacity continued to grow. The association assembled a committee dedicated to
advocacy and policy and got active during the 2007 state legislative session — we did what we
could with limited experience, Wier said. They also tried to engage association members and
along the way, learned a lot about their capabilities and barriers. Wier said members didn’t
know how to advocate and were insecure about trying. In turn, the Montana association began
offering advocacy education during all of their annual meetings.
Feeling good about its state-level work, the association moved to the federal level. And as they
got more active, they became more visible in Montana, attracting new partners and strengthening
their role as a voice for public health and prevention. When it came time to take part in
APHA’s 2011 Public Health ACTion (PHACT) grassroots advocacy campaign, they were ready.
Along with their organizational partners, the Montana association sent out letters to the editor;
had guest opinion columns published in four of the state’s seven major daily newspapers;
had four congressional district meetings; and organized a public health call-in day, asking its
members to call their national representatives and show their support for the ACA’s Prevention
and Public Health Fund.