engaging government: securing earned media, finding the uninsured and more

© 2016 Enroll America | StateOfEnrollment.org

Engaging Government: Securing Earned Media, Finding the Uninsured and

More!

© 2016 Enroll America | StateOfEnrollment.org 4

1. Background Summary

2. Why Engage Government?

3. Health Department Strategies

4. Power of Community Coalitions

5. Panelist Questions & Answers

6. Brainstorm Next Steps

Agenda


So why engage government?

Let’s Set the Stage…

• Media interest is challenging — find

new “hooks”

• Institutionalize - Make our best practices “evergreen”

• Reach remaining target uninsured populations — who are they?


Graciela Guzman, ChairChicago Affordable Care Act Consortium

Gregg Ross, Public Affairs Specialist U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

Kai Tao, Deputy Commissioner & Chief Program OfficerChicago Department of Public Health

The Team-Presenters


Best Practices from a Large City Entity

Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) Strategies


Start with City Council

Step #1: Engage Elected Officials

• Direct Liaison with city council ward members SEE HANDOUT


STEP #2: Who Do You Know

#1: Insurance access is relevant to almost everybody-ask federal, state, city and local officials to hold events

3#: Pastors/Leaders for Places of Faith: engage churches, temples, synagogues

#2: Stars & Celebrities: Da’ Bulls


• Business Affairs & Consumer Protection- tabling with taxi drivers

• Chicago Public Libraries/City colleges-put GCI connector widget on home page

• Cultural Affairs and Special Events-Town Hall event for artists/musicians (flu shots)

• 311- hold queue plays auto GCI message

• EMS- flyers for all ambulance users

• Police- CAPs meetings, 145 beat meetings/month

• Sanitarians- flyers with all inspections

Click To Edit Master Text Styles

• Third level

Step 3: Connect with City Agencies


1. Mayor’s Office2. Health Department3. Identify Champions who are

decision makers; providers of underserve patients are also natural champions.

4. Start with a general survey which will solicit interest and provide a soft introduction to EA work with gov’t agencies.

Step #4: Where Do You Start?


1. Show up at meetings, ask for what you need, follow up with timely emails, provide canned scripts/templates/toolkits to ease any burden.

2. Work with your coalition/consortium. Make it easy to for them to reach you, this sets the baseline and tone for future communications.

3. Host or join any community based consortium/coalition. They are your backbone.

4. Sit down with federal partners at HHS and divide the work ( e.g. IL State could focus on other parts outside of Chicago). Minimal resources, delegate and conquer.

5. Be bold and ASK

EASY WINS ANYONE CAN DO


Graciela GuzmanChair, Chicago Affordable Care Act ConsortiumEnrollment Coordinator, Patient Innovation Center

Power of Community Coalitions: Boots on the Ground


Chicago ACA Consortium

55 partner organizations

82 individual stakeholders

11 languages spoken

3 assister programs: Navigator, IPC, and CAC

12 FQHC and 5 Hospital Partners

35 Community Organizations

3 Tiers of Government

8 National, State, Local Healthcare Advocates

Stakeholder Partner Profile


Life Before OE 3 Partnerships: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

• ”trying way too hard for little outcome”

• “never figured out how the right ask”

• “too many asks going at the same time”

• no real conversation about big needs and influencers

• a lot of complaining, headache, heartache and spinning of the wheels

• culture of “why bother” among agencies


Facilitating New Assister Partnerships for OE 4

OE 3: Coalition-Activated Government Engagement

U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development

and Chicago Housing Authority• Emails to all residents• Training of resident advisors

Uniform Messaging for Consumers and Earned Media • Everyone used one website and one call-in number for scheduling appointments• All parties agreed on one “message frame”• Leveraged HHS political relationships for earned media

Expansion of City-Sponsored Opportunities for Assisters

• Assisters present at Aldermen Flu shot days• Assisters present at Chicago-run city colleges• Assisters included in city events and opportunities for hard-to-enroll communities.


Lessons Learned in OE3:

Takeaway Lessons for Successful Engagements

• Don’t Be Afraid to Ask: Many times, offices have not been approached because

we assume “somebody already did.” An ask is always appreciated and a great opportunity for quick check-ins and project-specific buy-in.

• Prepare Concrete Asks: Come prepared with specific actions that government

agencies can take and different levels of asks. Examples: add the scheduler link to their website, include enrollment information in services “intake” forms, etc.

• Successful Engagement is a Two Way Street: Aim to find needs your local government has from assisters and offer to help. Communicate on outcomes often. Be timely and attentive to goals set together and be accountable for promises.


Pursued engagement with Chicago Department of Public Health

Lessons in Practice: Making the Ask

Ask: Assister entry into City Colleges for high-traffic consumer enrollment:

Sub-ask: Tabling during student open houses and registration days

Outcomes: direct contact to Associate Vice Chancellor, Chicago City Colleges; invitation to open house events and connections to student wellness centers

• Prioritize: What is your most crucial ask?

• Levels: Organize a soft, middle, and reach ask that you go for depending on how the meeting is going.

• Funnel: Keep your list of asks to no more than 3-4 in a meeting

• Keep in Touch: Drive the accountability- know who is going to be responsible for specifics; offer to send back notes so you can loop back in.


Gregg RossU.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Engaging Federal Government and Elected Officials


Joint USDA/HHS Statewide Media CallTarget audience: Rural communities

Who: HHS Regional Director; USDA State Director in IN, OH, and WI

Strategy: Press calls are more successful when the message is specific to a particular, targeted audience. In this case, rural communities.

Outcome: Rate of success varied among states, but overall successful in generating local coverage in otherwise untouched areas

External Validator


Ohio:http://sidneydailynews.com/features/health/12750/healthcare-coverage-deadlines-loom

Wisconsin:http://www.wpr.org/listen/873671

Press Hits…

20

http://sidneydailynews.com/features/health/12750/healthcare-coverage-deadlines-loom



http://www.wpr.org/listen/873671


HUD Partnership

Target audience: Low-income housing units

Who: HUD Field Office Director

Strategy: In order to maximize press coverage and attendance, utilize multiple contact lists

Outcome: In Indianapolis, HUD and HHS teamed up to host a kickoff enrollment and press event

External Validator


Cook County Elected OfficialsTarget audience: All remaining Chicago uninsured

Who: Cook County President Preckwinkle; Cook County Hospitals CEO Dr. Shannon; Illinois Secretary of State White; Chicago Dept of Public Health Commissioner Morita; Sen. Dick Durbin

Targeted media: Chicago TV22


Chicago Kick-off with Mayor Emmanuel:http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-aca-open-enrollment-1117-biz-20151116-story.html

Chicago “Morning Takeover” Radio:http://wgci.iheart.com/onair/chicago-morning-takeover-55915/get-covered-illinois-talks-with-the-14326101/

Chicago County President Preckwinkle:http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/01/26/health-officials-pushing-uninsured-to-sign-up-for-coverage-ahead-of-affordable-care-act-deadline/

Press Hits…

23

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-aca-open-enrollment-1117-biz-20151116-story.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-aca-open-enrollment-1117-biz-20151116-story.html

http://wgci.iheart.com/onair/chicago-morning-takeover-55915/get-covered-illinois-talks-with-the-14326101/

http://wgci.iheart.com/onair/chicago-morning-takeover-55915/get-covered-illinois-talks-with-the-14326101/

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/01/26/health-officials-pushing-uninsured-to-sign-up-for-coverage-ahead-of-affordable-care-act-deadline/




Action steps:

External Validator

• Reach out — confirm your validator!

• Draft “talking points” for validator and scheduling a planning call.

• Use your validators' contacts for a press list.

• Have validator identify “must-have” media outlets for pitch calls


Theme Events for Media “Hooks”

Howard Brown Health CenterTarget audience: LGBT community

Who: Representative Quigley, local alderman, community partners (Equality Illinois), consumer

Targeted media: Windy City Times, the only Chicago gay media outlet


Chicago “Southland”Target audience: African American males 18-35

Who: IL State Rep. Evans, IL State Senator Harris, community groups, Black Greek life

Targeted media: African-American Times (church weekly)

26


Mayor Op-Ed Outreach

Target audience: Local newspapers

Strategy: Asking Mayors that HHS has relationships with to pitch a 300-word op-ed written in their names to dailies (and/or weeklies)

“Barnstorming”Target audience: local radio, print and TV outlets

Strategy: Host a series of press conferences in multiple cities with local elected officials, assisters, and consumers in advance of a deadline.

Leverage Contacts


Action steps:

Leverage Contacts

• Reach out to Mayor’s office either

several weeks before OE begins or a month before the deadline to make ask

• Follow-up calls to Mayors to confirm

• Offer to send draft op-ed to your Mayor


• External Validators• Theme “Hooks”

• Leverage Contacts

Key Takeaways:


What are your questions?

What are you best practices?

Let’s discuss.

Questions and Answers


Where do we go from here? — Next Steps


Action steps:

Where to now?

• Check out the “how-to”

worksheet provided.

• Step up! Reach out! Be bold!

• Map out all your resources.• What are all the government agencies that

touch uninsured’s lives?


What are you taking away from today?

What will you immediately act on?

Open Discussion: Immediate Action


THANK YOU!