(Circulation. 1997;95:1978.)
© 1997 American Heart Association, Inc.
Articles |
Changing the Public Health Landscape Through Advocacy
Correspondence to Brian Gilpin, Office of Public Advocacy, American Heart Association, 1150 Connecticut Ave NW #810, Washington, DC 20036.
 |
Introduction |
|---|
Advocacy created the environment for the advancement of democracy in Eastern Europe and the eventual destruction of the Berlin Wall, which served as a symbolic and physical barrier to freedom.
Potsdammer Platz, a no-man's-land created by the Berlin Wall, is now the site of ambitious building projects as East and West Berlin work to update their once neglected and outdated infrastructure and meet the 21st century as a modern, unified city, producing a dramatic change in the once dreary landscape.
Advocacy is not a new concept nor is it new to the American Heart Association, but new emphasis and priority are being given to advocacy, and it is being recognized more and more as a valuable public health tool. Advocacy is more than legislation and regulation. It can include company policies, community issues, and neighborhood projects.
Advocacy, though sometimes complex, with many possible branching components, usually contains a mix of four essential elements: grassroots mobilization; coalitions and partnerships; lobbying or influencing decision makers; and media and communications. When linked together, these components become a powerful tool for accelerating change at all levels, including Congress, state legislatures, city councils, local school boards, and our neighborhood block.
The AHA has identified advocacy as one of four key work processes that will guide its work into the 21st century. The other key work processes are generating resources, discovering/interpreting and processing science, and communicating cardiovascular science and medical and consumer health information to the general public.
The benefit of advocacy is that it can