Advocacy

Learn more about engaging policymakers in community health efforts.

Our advocacy efforts

The Philadelphia Immunization Coalition (PIC) aims to inform stakeholders about legislative and regulatory efforts that impact community protection from vaccine-preventable diseases. We may support or oppose specific bills or regulations if there is consensus among PIC members that the issue is of critical importance and consistent with our mission. However, PIC is a nonpartisan organization and does not make political endorsements.

How to advocate locally: What can you do?

Advocacy efforts can range from email and letter writing campaigns to legislative visits. The strategy you pick will depend on your goal, the specific situation/issue at hand, and your capacity. For a list of suggestions, see below for strategies.

Strategies for engaging with policymakers

There is a wide range of possible strategies for sharing our messages with policymakers. Here are a few ideas:

  • Establish an information system (email list) for getting important information and pertinent news to legislators
  • Include legislators on mailing list for newsletters, alerts, etc.
  • Assemble an information packet for legislators (this also can be left with legislators after an in-person visit)
  • Write an opinion or editorial piece for your local newspaper
  • Hold an event and invite your local legislators to participate
  • Conduct an in-person visit with your legislator (more information below)

Conducting an in-person visit with your legislator

Legislator visits are one way to help educate policymakers on immunization issues. They help to put a face to the issues, express constituency concern, and position you and your organization as a credible resource for immunization issues that may arise in the future.

Contact information for legislators can be found here. If you don’t know your legislator, call your County Elections Office or go to this website, click “Your Legislature”, and input your zip code.

It is important to plan ahead for a legislator visit. See the step-by-step outline below to help guide your planning efforts.

Planning a visit with your legislator

  1. Set up your team. Teams can be 2-4 people and should ideally include a wide range of local participants, e.g., those representing public health, medical, nursing, business, etc. Diversity among your team demonstrates the breadth of interest in and importance of immunization issues.
  2. Set goals. Remember to set clear goals for the visit with your team. Examples of goals include:
    • Educate legislators/staff about immunizations and statewide and local immunization coalitions.
    • Determine how involved/interested the legislator is in immunizations and what level of knowledge and awareness they have regarding this issue (to be assessed during the meeting).
    • Gather information for future visits, events, and efforts on immunizations at the local level.
  3. Make an appointment. Legislators are busy so it’s important to reach out beforehand to schedule a specific date and time for the visit. This can be done by email, call, fax, or written letter. Try to be as flexible as possible with the day and time. And, while you may prefer to meet with the legislator directly, recognize that you may meet with their staff instead. You can request to meet with a staff person whose policy area is health.
  4. Develop key talking points. What information do you want to share? Your plan should include 2-3 key points, who will lead the visit, and who will say what (preferably, everyone should speak). See the next section on this page for guidance.
  5. Determine what information to distribute. Legislators hear from many different constituents about a broad range of topics, so it’s best to leave informational materials behind so that the legislator can reference them later. For example, you can develop a packet that includes information about local immunization (IZ) program(s), as well as their impact and what gaps exist.
  6. Rehearse beforehand. Spend time (such as an hour before the visit) reviewing who will say what, double check your information packet, and make assignments for sending a thank you note and debriefing discussion.
  7. Deliver key talking points. During the meeting, make sure your team conveys the key information as succinctly as possible. Invite your legislator to ask questions or raise their concerns without attempting to argue with them. You may consider using statements such as, “Have you about [the issue] this way?” or “I see your point, and our point is…”. End the discussion by offering to be a continual resource on IZ issues but remember not to speak beyond your team’s level of expertise.
  8. Send a thank you note afterwards. You might include any information you think may be useful or follow up on a point made during the meeting. Invite your legislator to visit your team’s clinics or programs. Remember to stay in touch with the legislator after the visit and consider meeting with them again or their colleagues in the future.

Key talking points

The following are examples of key talking points you might cover during your visit:

  • Information about PIC. PIC is a wide-ranging affiliation of businesses and other organizations statewide that advocate for full immunization across the lifespan (you may include our mission statement or other information).
  • Information about local efforts. Discuss the local efforts in your area and how they complement the activities of PIC as well as how local and statewide groups work together.
  • The “why” or need for visit. In Philadelphia, for example, low immunization rates remain an ongoing public health challenge, particularly among certain ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic groups. Disparities in immunization coverage can lead to severe health consequences (e.g. you might share statistics about rates of vaccine-preventable diseases in vulnerable populations, such as infants and toddlers).
  • Those at risk. Children 2 years or younger are at highest risk for getting vaccine-preventable diseases. These diseases can have serious complications that can be devastating for both the child and their family, including hospital costs, time away from work, permanent disability, and death.
  • Barriers. Philadelphia children who are in school have immunization rates over 90% because you cannot enroll in a licensed day care or school unless you show proof of immunization or a personal belief or medical exemption. However, before kids go to daycare or school (around ages 2-3), immunization rates are lower when they are most vulnerable to disease. Missed opportunities exist during check-ups, and barriers include a lack of information about the immunization schedule, lack of insurance coverage, and inconsistent healthcare access.
  • Immunization registries. Immunization records are unfortunately sometimes incomplete: families move, insurance changes cause clinician changes, parents lose records, doctors’ records are sometimes incomplete, health records are lost, or information is not given to parents. Incomplete records can then lead to missed or extra immunizations in children. To address this problem, Philadelphia uses a computerized system for recording immunizations. However, not all clinicians access the system and not all children under 2 years are included. There is no systematic, automatic way of recording a child’s immunization history. National, state, and private funding has enabled PA to develop a regional registry system, but additional funding for continued expansion to a statewide registry is needed.
  • Cost savings. Immunizations save anywhere from $14-21 per health dollar spent on reduced medical costs. Immunizations have been demonstrated to be the most cost-effective use of health dollars.

Additional topics to discuss with legislator

  • Concerns they have about immunization
  • How aware they are of the immunization programs in their jurisdiction
  • Interest in being kept informed about immunization