Community advocacy project

doi:10.15406/mojph.2016.04.00066

MOJ

eISSN: 2379-6383

Public Health

Opinion Volume 4 Issue 1

Community advocacy project

Tanicka Shelton

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Department of Health Services, Walden University, USA

Correspondence: Tanicka Shelton, Walden University, Department of Health Services, USA

Received: December 30, 2014 | Published: January 18, 2016

Citation: Shelton T. Community advocacy project. MOJ Public Health. 2016;4(1):11. DOI: 10.15406/mojph.2016.04.00066

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Opinion

There are a lot to consider when planning a public health advocacy project. To promote my public health advocacy project “Be Protected” that promotes sexually transmitted disease awareness and provide supportive services for my community, I need to know what my limitations are. As a nonprofit organization I have to determine “which activities are permissible for the public’s health and which are more restricted lobbying may be a matter of great confusion.¹ In this paper I will discuss any legal or ethical barriers that my employment setting may have on my ability to implement my advocacy plan. I will also discuss how I may use special interest groups to create public health policy change and the potential social change implication of my advocacy efforts. Working in a teaching hospital my employment falls under the nonprofit organization section 501(c) (3) of the tax code, a public charity.¹ The barriers I face to implement my advocacy plan is limited lobbying so my place of employment can continue with its tax exempt status. Lobbying to much or lobbying with federal funds is not permitted since the hospital receives its funding from federal grants. In order to comply with these limitations I can advertise my public health advocacy to the public in a newspaper. I can advertise in a newspaper or newsletter to the public because it is addressing the public and is not asking them to act on any legislation, there is no direct or grassroots lobbying.

Special interest groups like Planned Parenthood can be used for unlimited lobbying because of their social welfare organization title and are not tax-exempt. The Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project can engage in legislative and electoral activity that includes advocacy, education campaigns, grassroots organizing, and electioneering.² I would use them to help with advocating my sexually transmitted disease awareness policy because Planned Parenthood also provide services that prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.²

The potential social change implication of my advocacy effort to provide awareness of sexually transmitted diseases and provide supportive services to minority teens in my community is reduced reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases and more community involvement. With community involvement the participants are able to give their input and ideas, and by allowing participation among adolescents to actively engage in change processes exhibit positive health behaviors.¹ To plan an advocacy project I need to know the limitations of non-profit organization. Not only do I need to know my federal limitation for tax exemptions I also need to know my goals, my strategies, the resources, the action plan and have community support. With these components I can have an effective public health advocacy project.