Thursday, Jul. 29
- Board of DirectorsMeet the board of directors.
- Board Meeting Schedule
- AdvocacyThe Advocacy committee identifies priority health issues related to health education and empowers InSOPHE members to advocate for funding, science-based policies, and health education issues.
- By-Laws/LeadershipLearn about our by-laws and leadership
- Continuing EducationInSOPHE's Continuing Education committee provides workshops and trainings for professional health educators to improve their skills in a variety of areas
- CommunicationsThe InSOPHE Communications committee supports communication to and among InSOPHE members that enhances public health education in Indiana.
- MembershipInSOPHE maintains a membership dedicated to the advancement of health for all people and the advancement of the health education and promotion profession.
- Chapter DelegateEach of the 25 chapters of SOPHE has a Chapter Delegate. These 25 delegates make up the House of Delegates of SOPHE
Advocacy
The Advocacy committee identifies priority health issues related to health education and empowers InSOPHE members to advocate for funding, science-based policies, and health education issues.
As public health professionals, InSOPHE members must be able to see beyond health fairs and information booths. It's our job to create public health changes in our community. How can InSOPHE members do that? By advocating for what we believe in!
Health education is important to increase awareness in the community, but the next step is to get key decision makers to support public health policies. It's proven that smoke-free policies are more effective to decrease smoking rates than cessation classes, and that health and safety legislation saves lives and money. So why aren't we knocking down the doors of our legislators?
Health educators are mostly seen at the "grassroots" level, creating and conducting programs to those in need. InSOPHE knows that's important, but we need to be seen more at the "grasstops" level meeting with legislators and key decision makers to let them know the importance of public health policies. Not only will our voices be heard, but people will see us as the experts in public health. You are not only advocating for public health, but for public health professionals as well. InSOPHE can help you become a great public health advocate. To help you learn more about what advocacy is and how you can do it successfully, please see the following documents.
- Learn the basic steps for health education advocacy (PDF)
- Learn the difference between advocacy and lobbying, as any public health professional can do advocacy (PDF)
- Learn how you can lobby as a 501(c)3 organization (PDF)
Who are your legislators? Find out by first looking at the district maps for the Indiana House (PDF) and Senate (PDF). Then, open up the legislative directory (PDF) to find the contact information of your legislators.
Through Project Vote Smart you can learn about your candidates and elected officials in five basic categories: biographical information, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances, and interest group ratings. Go to vote-smart.org for more information.
Stay informed on Indiana bills and/or resolutions scheduled for action on the House and Senate floors with BillWatch. Go there now to sign up for this free service. Also you can review the list of bills by subject area.
The Indiana General Assembly web site will provide you with information on how to determine your legislator, their contact information, bill watch information, useful links, current session information and much more. The website is a great resource for everyone to learn more about Indiana state government.
Indiana Legislator Listings:
Indiana House of Representatives
Indiana Senate
If you are interested in joining the advocacy committee, please contact us today.
