Communications tips from Prevention Institute - share your prevention work!

With August Recess winding down, we want to make sure that our legislators continue to hear about the good prevention work our communities are accomplishing. It is up to all of us to speak up and make sure that we are actively shaping the dialogue around community prevention, so that the media and our legislators can understand what we already know: prevention works.

Here is just a sampling of the media coverage our community has accomplished so far during the recess:

• In an op-ed in the Wisconsin State Journal, "Getting kids to eat their vegetables," health educator Maggie Smith captures her community’s resolve to develop local solutions to better the health of their children: “The success that La Crosse County and others implementing Farm to School programs are enjoying could never happen without the commitment, dedication and contributions from the wider community.”
  


• In the Portland Tribune,"We all have a stake in fighting obesity," public health officer Dr. Gary Oxman pens an op-ed effectively responding to a piece that ignored the environment’s role in shaping our health: “…obesity didn’t just 'hit' our community. It took decades of complex and often subtle shifts in what children eat and how much they move.”
  


• In a Miami Herald feature, “Miami-Dade initiatives target childhood obesity,” Penny Parham, Miami-Dade Public Schools’ food and nutrition director, deftly cues the environment first when describing her program’s goals: “We need to give our kids the best foods from which to select and then teach them to want to make the right selections.”



• “New options in store at two tienditas” in the San Antonio-Express News highlights why changing the environment in San Antonio is crucial to changing behaviors and ultimately health outcomes: “People buy what's available. It's easier to walk across the corner to pick up (whole) milk instead of taking two buses in 100-degree weather to buy skim at H-E-B.”

It’s not too late to broadcast your community’s successes, too. Here are the core messages we need to share with legislators and media alike:

• Community prevention is evidence-based.



• Community prevention is local.



• Prevention is good for business.



• Government has a role in public health.



• The American people want prevention.

We’ve compiled all of our media advocacy resources, including talking points, sample op-eds, and messaging and framing strategies in one easy-to-use Media Advocacy Toolkit for your review.

What you can do

• Send a letter to a Member of Congress to educate your legislator about the importance and value of community prevention. Prevention Institute provides easy-to-use, tailored e-mails that you can send directly to your legislator.
  


• Write an op-ed, blog post, or letter to the editor of your local paper.



• Issue a press release highlighting the work taking place in your community.

From Prevention Institute.

"Making the Case" for prevention.

Last Monday, we kicked off the Prevention Conference with a “Making the Case” workshop with Prevention Institute. Two trainers from Prevention Institute helped us tackle tough questions facing obesity prevention advocates in Wisconsin, such as promoting the role of policy, systems and environmental change to reduce obesity and related chronic diseases, and making the case for devoting limited time and resources to prevention initiatives. Here are a few tips from Prevention Institute that can guide you as you prepare for your next meeting with policymakers, businesses and organizations in your community, and the press.

• Plan ahead for tough questions.



• Use every conversation about prevention to widen the frame from individuals to focus on environments and the many ways environments shape the health outcomes of communities.



• Rehearse your elevator pitches and prepare and review your answers to tough questions with colleagues or—as one of our trainers confessed she does—at home in front of a mirror!



• Emphasize co-benefits. Many obesity prevention initiatives have positive benefits beyond improving health outcomes, such as strengthening ties between community organizations and creating safer, more vibrant community environments that are more attractive places to live, work and play.



• Practice “pivoting.” Tough questions, such as “Aren’t parents responsible for making healthy choices about physical activity and nutrition for their children?”, can trap us in unproductive conversations that reinforce popular frames about personal responsibility for health outcomes and prevent us from making the case for environmental and systems changes to address public health issues. You can quickly address tricky questions and “pivot” back to your topic, keeping the conversation on message.
  Question: “Doesn’t your work in obesity prevention aim to limit people’s choices?”
  Answer: “Actually, we are working to expand people’s choices. In our community, too many families don’t have access to healthy choices about food and fitness. By establishing joint-use agreements that open schools and other facilities to the public, we can provide everyone in our community with safe places to be physically active. Healthy corner stores increase people’s opportunities to make healthy food choices.”

Prevention Institute is a national non-profit committed to preventing illness and injury, fostering health and social equity, and building momentum for community prevention as an integral component of a quality health system. Prevention Institute synthesizes research and practice; develops prevention tools and frameworks; helps design and guide interdisciplinary partnerships; and conducts training and strategic consultation with government, foundations, and community-based organizations nationwide and internationally.

Remember to "Keep it Local" When Planning for JFCs

Guest post written by Spencer Straub, Media & Communications Coordinator for the Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.

This season of Joint Finance Committee hearings is sure to be unlike any other. People from all walks of life throughout all parts of the state will be prepared to discuss a variety of issues, and it's important to be part of that discussion. However, while you're recruiting speakers, writing testimony, and planning JFC trips, don't forget the important role earned media can play in your communications efforts.

With the number of issues sure to be discussed at JFC, don't ignore the impact that a well-written letter to the editor in a legislator's home town paper can have. While many people will be reaching for the microphone at the hearings, not everyone will think to tell their story to the local media.

Letters are just one strategy--try holding an event on your issue and invite your local media to cover it. When effectively planned, local media outreach can effectively complement your JFC strategy.

The best part is, if you're planning your JFC presence, chances are you've already written testimony that can be re-purposed into a letter to the editor. Good letters, just like solid testimony, tell a human story of your issue's impact--or your program's success. Take advantage of your existing resources to maximize your impact.

Sometimes just getting started is the hardest part of writing testimony or letters to the editor. Luckily there are tools to help you get your feet wet. Click here for letter to the editor resources and here for testimony preparation tips to help you get started.

Pitching a National Story Locally

Challenge Chippewa took the lessons learned at the Dec. 9 Advocacy Training and pitched a national story about dietary guidelines and sugar-sweetened beverages to their local media. The Chippewa Herald ran their story on Jan. 14.

“When people count calories, they too often forget to
include the liquid ones,” said Judy Fedie, RD, CD, registered dietitian for
Chippewa County Public Health. “We need to start thinking of the sugar in
sweetened drinks as wasted calories. These calories provide no nutritional
benefits and can lead to weight gain. Water is a better choice.”

Check out the full story here: http://chippewa.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_182259f2-200e-11e0-9a89-001cc4c03286.html

Need a refresher on Media Advocacy? Here are some useful resources from the Dec. 9 training.

Media Advocacy PowerPoint
Making a National Headline Local News
Media Advocacy Tips

Or check out these tips for talking to a reporter ...

Tips: Talking to a Reporter from Wisconsin Clearinghouse on Vimeo.

Candidate Education: Obesity is a Top Wisconsin Killer

How has your coalition used the Obesity is a Top Wisconsin Killer candidate education piece that was shared at the Oct. 19 and 20th coalition training?

As a reminder, we suggested three ways you could use the education piece:

1. Educate your community

• Use it to recruit new members
• Use it to inspire your current coalitions members
• Integrate it into your current activities

2. Educate your policymakers

• Use it for in-person visits
• Use it, along with a letter, to introduce your coalition to policymakers

3. Media advocacy

• Use it to craft letters to the editor
• Take it to an editorial board visit
• Share with local media