Project 3:The “we Need A State Coalition To Make Great Things Happen” Project

Through collaboration of the players and the strategic use of data and technology, we can find a way to ensure that no child or parents lacks access to timely medical and dental care. We are not trying to simplify our nation and states’ most complex challenges in a sentence. We are advocating for the start of a long-term, local dialogue about how we end health disparities. This is a conversation that’s been going on for decades involving the public and private sector. This particular project is about joining or creating a countywide and statewide network of health advocates and providers who believe that care is not a luxury, it’s what civilized governments ensure. A coalition will allow you to have a strong voice in your community as well as your city, county and state government. You may find that local lawmakers, while sympathetic to this issue, do not see addressing health disparities as the role of county or city government. For this reason, coalitions matter and they can be a force for awareness.

Your county and state network can educate local lawmakers about a new role for government: ensuring that no child, student or parent is marginalized because they can’t afford care. The coalition can work to elect officials who will prioritize care access for all, utilizing technology to connect everyone in the network with a shared vision, goals, activities, data use, communication and messaging, and an evaluation process. Your action teams start with identifying who is in the lead with health care reform. Given that the goal of ending health disparities has been bubbling up for decades, odds are good your state has heroic people working on this as a coalition. Find them.