Effective Advocacy – Making Every Voice Count!, 3.0 CE
Monday, January 13th, 2025 from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM EST on Zoom
Presented by Sheila Schuster, PhD & Emily Beauregard, MPH

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Legislative advocacy – changing public policy to improve people’s lives – is important for health and mental health professionals, consumers, family members and community advocates. The legislative process - state and local - and ways to make policy change happen through advocacy will be described from the perspective of an experienced lobbyist/psychologist, policy analyst/advocate and legislators who knows Frankfort and local policy well. Questions to be addressed: “How can I make my voice be heard? Why get into the game? How can I become a player? How can I influence the outcome?” Skill Level: Beginning

Workshop Objectives

Based on the content of this workshop, attendees will be able to...

• Describe the “inner workings” of the legislative process at both state and local levels and identify the most effective communications and approaches with legislators and other policy-makers to achieve success.
• List the context of the upcoming 2025 Kentucky General Assembly session and the issues likely to be of primary focus, such as assuring the availability of services and supports for those with disabilities; issues of racial inequity and social justice which impact our most vulnerable Kentuckians; measures to improve the health of the Commonwealth and to assure equity in access to healthcare; and improving the mental health of our children and youth.
• Describe various methods of educating policy-makers at both state and local levels on issues of concern, generating the advocacy arguments that advocates’ priorities suggest, and the contributions that various stakeholders can make in mounting successful advocacy campaigns and working in partnership with policy-makers.

About the Presenters 

 Sheila A. Schuster, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who served for many years as the Federal Advocacy Coordinator and Legislative Liaison for the KY Psychological Association. Dr. Schuster also represents a number of mental health and health care organizations in Frankfort. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Advocacy Action Network, an umbrella organization encompassing the work of the KY Mental Health Coalition, and the United 874K Disabilities Coalition. Dr. Schuster also serves as Board Chair of Kentucky Voices for Health, a statewide coalition whose mission is to improve the health of Kentuckians.

Emily Beauregard, MPH, became the Executive Director for Kentucky Voices for Health after years of active health coalition membership. Under her leadership, KVH has led successful campaigns to get more Kentuckians enrolled in health coverage, protect Medicaid from harmful work reporting requirements and other barriers to care, and build a stronger safety-net that meets the basic needs of all Kentuckians. Prior to joining Kentucky Voices for Health, Emily served as Director of Planning and Communications at the Kentucky Primary Care Association, where she worked on practice improvement, community development, policy advocacy, and communications with members and policy-makers. Emily holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Audience

This workshop is appropriate for Psychologists, Social Workers, Other Mental Health Professionals

Registration Fees

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