Advocacy

The dictionary definition of advocacy is “a means to espouse a cause by argument, to plead in favor of, to recommend publicly”. The real issue in public health is not just documentation but to advocate for issues that directly affect the community. In the field of public health, advocacy is important because it brings the pressing issues plaguing the community to the forefront.
How is your agency involved in advocacy efforts within the local service delivery area?
My agency deals with the business of minding the business of vulnerable individuals in the community while protecting and education them about HIV/AIDS and how to prevent transmission. They approach of advocacy as a matter of human rights and reproductive justice by conceptualizing HIV policy issues by innovating community-based solutions to those issues starting front the grassroots up. The experiences of those directly impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic take center stage, and the social determinant of health that shape sexual and reproductive health outcomes.
How might the advocacy work done at your agency inform policy makers (local and state level)?
Sister Love works in various areas including HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care, health inequities and disparity, intersection of sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice, and stigma, discrimination and violence. The policy and advocacy work done by my agency engage with both the federal and state agencies to pursue and defend policies that impact on communities of color, women, youth, and other key population disparately impacted by prevailing reproductive health inequities and structural oppression.
Provide an example of an action or actions your agency might take to better inform policy makers.