Mission of the Health Education Advocate

The mission of the Health Education Advocate is to provide a central, timely source of advocacy information related to the field of health education and health promotion.

Advocacy is a critical competency of the health education specialist and an essential strategy in profession-wide efforts to foster improvements in individual and population health in all settings. The World Health Organization defines advocacy for health as “a combination of individual and social actions designed to gain political commitment, policy support, social acceptance, and systems for  a particular health goal or program.” Building effective political alliances with Congressional representatives and other policymakers is critical to strengthen and expand the resource base for behavioral/social sciences research, health education programs and practice, professional preparation in health education, and workforce employment.

 

CNHEO Advocacy

This site is supported through the collaborative efforts of the Coalition of National Health Education Organizations (CNHEO) and related partners.  Founded in 1972, the CNHEO is a non-profit federation of organizations dedicated to advancing the profession of health education. Advocacy was identified as one of the key needs for further development of the profession in the report, The Health Education Profession in the 21^st Century, published in 1995. 

In 1998, the CNHEO developed a core advocacy agenda to speak with one voice on priority issues and legislation related to health education.  The first National Health Education Advocacy Summit was held in Washington, D.C., in 1998, combining both policy advocacy training for CNHEO leaders and members and legislative visits to educate Congresspersons on priority issues in health education.

The purpose of the National Health Education Advocacy Summit and Congressional Briefings is to increase the capacity of health education professionals and students to engage in effective advocacy for a common health education agenda at the national, state, and local levels.  In addition, by involving CNHEO leaders, the Summits catalyze participating groups to provide advocacy training, materials, and resources to their own members.

In March 2002, CNHEO leaders renewed their commitment to sponsoring Annual Health Education Summits and other policy advocacy strategies to strengthen and promote health education during the next decade.   The Ninth Annual Health Education Advocacy Summit will be held March 11-13, 2006 in Washington, DC.