Home Advocacy Guide

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PROPOSALS FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM

Click on the related file link at the bottom of this page to see our proposals for health care reform to meet the needs of individuals with severe mental illness.

REGIONAL APPROACHES FOR EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY

Prepared by NAMI PA, Main Line

NAMI PA, Main Line has been working with other southeastern Pennsylvania NAMI affiliates to advance lawmakers’ awareness of issues related to mental health and increase their support for policies and funding to improve medical treatment and other resources for individuals with mental illness and their families.  Our affiliate and its partner affiliates launched an advocacy campaign that began with preparation of Voters' Guides for the fall, 2006 election.  The Voters' Guides were based on questionnaires sent to the candidates concerning their positions on mental health issues, as well as limited information concerning positions taken by incumbents.   After the election, we scheduled meetings with lawmakers to begin ongoing relationships.  Relationships with lawmakers are maintained by the affiliates periodically updating lawmakers on important issues, providing the legislator with new information that will help the legislator better do his or her job, and thanking them when they take positions or support legislation of interest to our members. In addition, affiliate officers and members send letters to our legislators asking them to take actions such as cosponsoring or voting for various pieces of legislation.

Advocacy plans, like the election calendar around which they revolve, are cyclical.  As such, there is no specific activity or time period that one must start to begin an effective advocacy campaign. Below are the components of our successful program.  Click on the related files at the bottom of this page for in-depth information on how to execute a particular component of the plan:

How to Prepare Voters' Guides for NAMI Affiliate Members
Regional Cooperation for Introductory Meetings with Legislators
Maintaining Relationship with Legislators
Grassroots Advocacy -- Advocacy Alerts
Tracking Legislators’ Positions and Votes for Use in Voters’ Guides

Related Files

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