Health Policy and Advocacy

Course Description

Explores the roles health advocates assume and how individuals working in public health settings might participate in advocacy strategies to affect policy. Focuses on frameworks for conceptualizing and promoting the right to health as well as strategies to give consumers more power in making decisions, defining issues, designing programs, and developing policies.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the role of advocacy in public health.
• Apply strategies and tools used by public health advocates.
• Develop the analytical skills of a successful public health advocate.
• Describe the mission and achievements of a public heath advocacy group.
• Describe the legislative steps involved in proposing new legislation at the federal level in the United States and at the state level in California.
• Critically evaluate the impact of existent public health laws.
• Write a bill that will impact the health of a community.
• Investigate the current legislative priorities of the American Public Health Association.

Prerequisites

• COH611