• Watch Your Mouth Massachusetts: The Watch Your Mouth Coalition Is Working In Massachusetts, New Hampshire And Maine To Make Children's Oral Health A Priority. Objectives of the Watch Your Mouth Coalition are to Educate the public that tooth decay is the most common childhood disease that can cause diminished school performance and poor overall health. WYM advocates for wider access to preventive services, such as dental sealants and fluoride, and regular dental exams for all children.
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Newsletter

Vol. 3, issue 11
November 2008

Happy November! As seasons change, autumn's crisp air will soon bring us shorter days, heavier coats and a traditional holiday to be thankful for family, friends and lots of food.

There are many important updates in this issue. You can find out how recent state budget cuts are affecting community resources. Also, please welcome Health Care For All's new Executive Director, Amy Whitcomb Slemmer. Learn why using storytelling to advocate for your issue may do more harm than good to your campaign. Lastly, find out more about our campaign partner, Health Care For All. As always, remember to check out the left side of the page for new resources, trainings and events.

9C Cuts: How Budget Cuts Affect Communities

children in class

Our communities invest in public infrastructures such as schools, local health centers and public programs to keep our future generations healthy. Without these important structures in place, residents in the Commonwealth will not have access to the services and programs they rely on every day. With the state budget out of balance, Governor Deval Patrick used his fiscal authority to make cuts to the FY 2009 state budget, also known as "9c cuts." This translates to fewer resources to maintain programs that are vital to our communities.

In these tough economic times, it's more important than ever to prioritize funds to support the health of our communities. A cut to the state budget threatens the health and well-being of cities and towns in Massachusetts. The impact of these cuts will force families to choose between preventive services like dental screenings or doctor's appointments to food, shelter and fuel. We invest in schools to educate our children and health centers to prevent and treat illness and disease. Without such infrastructure in place, the viability of our communities will also suffer. We know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Therefore, restoring financial support to public infrastructures shows our commitment to our community.

We can ensure that the livelihood of our communities by voicing our concern to lawmakers through the media. The Watch Your Mouth campaign can provide you with the tools to write a Letter to the Editor or an Opinion Editorial to your local newspaper in response to the 9c cuts. To learn what you can do, please contact the Watch Your Mouth campaign at 617.275.2838 or biton@hcfama.org.

Welcome Amy Whitcomb Slemmer, Health Care For All's New Executive Director

Amy Whitcomb Slemmer

Please join the Watch Your Mouth campaign in welcoming Amy Whitcomb Slemmer, the new Executive Director at Health Care For All (HCFA).

Ms. Slemmer is a health care attorney who brings more than twenty years of health policy and management experience in national and local arenas. During her career, Ms. Slemmer has earned a reputation for her commitment to social justice, her ability to foster collaborations and partnerships, and for leading with vision and passion. Ms. Slemmer will start at HCFA in mid November.

The Problem with Telling Compelling Personal Anecdotes

Public relations experts commonly advise advocates to communicate their messages through vivid case studies. Materials from issue advocates about health issues are filled with heart-breaking stories of individuals who suffer deadly diseases, disabling conditions, and are unable to access care. However, communications research science on the effects of this practice on public understanding of social issues shows that this technique may backfire on your public policy goals.

There are three primary reasons why this kind of storytelling doesn't work to promote policy solutions to social problems:

"Not all examples are good examples" - distortion effects. People tend to generalize from the example you present, and overestimate the extent to which the specific situation portrayed occurs in the overall population.

"Can't see the forest for the trees" - episodic framing. Episodic frames focus on discrete events happening to specific people at particular place and times. Thematic presentations focus on trends, context, and broader societal forces. If we are trying to get people to understand social issues, we generally want them to think in a thematic way. The more vivid the examples, the more likely they are to draw the audience into episodic framing, completely missing structural and environmental causes and conditions.

The "Cosby Effect" - invigorating global stereotypes. Advocates must be extremely careful not to activate a global and negative stereotype when utilizing exemplary examples of individual successes. In other words, when people see a successful depiction counter to the prevailing stereotype (such as a successful, middle-class African-American family like the one shown in the popular 80's television show about the Cosby family) it does not map onto their thinking about other members of the group. On the contrary, research shows that people are left wondering what's wrong with those who do not live up to the example, and the existing stereotypes are actually reinforced.

Read the full article

November Partner Spotlight: Health Care For All

by Amy Franz, Marketing and Information Manager

Health Care For All

Health Care For All (HCFA) is a non-profit, advocacy group that seeks to create a consumer-centered health care system that provides comprehensive, affordable, accessible, culturally competent, high quality care and consumer education for everyone, especially the most vulnerable. We work to achieve this as leaders in public policy, advocacy, education and service to consumers in Massachusetts.

HCFA has several active coalitions that engage our partners and the community to advocate for policy change on various issues in the health care spectrum. These issues include oral health, children's mental health, health insurance reform, health disparities and health care quality. Through our programs department, the Consumer Health Helpline provides assistance to consumers with questions about healthcare in Massachusetts. You can access our toll free helpline at 1-800-272-4232 or complete an online form on our website. Every year, HCFA organizes events to engage advocates, consumers and new audiences through our annual Policy and Organizing Conference. HCFA also celebrates health care leaders in our community through the For The People event.

Join us in our efforts and become a member of HCFA or make a contribution today. Your membership and financial support helps us improve quality and accessible health care for all Massachusetts residents.

Learn more about Health Care For All

Thanks,

Czarina



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