Ma Makin king the Case for g the Case for Syst Systems Cha ems - PDF document

Ma Makin king the Case for g the Case for Syst Systems Cha ems Change ge Bui Building P lding Public ublic Will to Achi Will to Achieve Health E eve Health Equ quit ity Dr. Tiff r. Tiffany ny Ma Manuel nuel Ema mail: : DrT DrT@T @The heCas CaseM eMade. ade.co com Presentation Notes

2 “ Building the public will necessary to transform the systems that shape health outcomes in our communities, is one of the most critical challenges of our time .” Dr. Tiffany Manuel Obj Objectiv tives es fo for This This Sess essio ion of of the the equity” means; wh why health equity is a Co Conve vening ing shared public concern; and wh what systems Dr. Manuel’s session outlined three changes are needed to advance better primary goals – to help session health outcomes for all. participants: To Too often o often we l we let et our our data, data, resea esearch h • recognize both the challenges and evidenc and evidence s e stand tand-in for a s for a str trong ong and the importance of public will call all-to to-action. tion. And And when hen we do, we do, it building around health equity often often backfir backfires. es. Tha That is, is, ou our data data • rethink how they are currently ultimately ltimately be becom omes es the the neg egativ ative flas e flash h making the case for health equity poi oint f t for or p people eople who who feel feel • identify areas where their disco disconnec ecte ted d fro from m thes hese iss e issues es more more casemaking could be leveraged gen ener erally ally, , or who dis who disagree wi agree with th the the to strengthen public support. broad br oader er ag agen enda a da around equ d equit ity. Now, Now , mor more th e than an ev ever, , we we n need to eed to We often overestimate the extent to which invest in invest in building p building publi blic w will ill. data, research and evidence can move The work to build the public will to public support for action. Surely, data are advance health equity may be tougher important for designing, implementing and than many of us realize. While we are evaluating health equity programs, but lifting data, policy and programmatic they must be embedded in a broader effort solutions, we are often missing the to make the case for equity and systems opportunity to change the narrative about change, if they are to be helpful in why health equity matters; wh wh what “health elevating public support. www.T .TheCas heCaseMade.c eMade.com om

3 “…the more problematic issue here is that the economic plight of low-income Americans is worsening, and we do not have the public support we need to scale policies that would improve their well-being and transform the racially/ethnically segregated neighborhoods in which they live….” Dr. Tiffany Manuel Who Gets to Live Where, and Why? The Answer May Be Settled by Our Narratives Building publi Buildi blic wi will a ll aroun ound equ d equity ity If our If our goal oal is is to bu to build ild publi blic s suppor ort t requi equires es us s to be m to be mor ore in e inten tentional tional for for equit equity, , we n e need t eed to redefi o redefine wh e what at about H abo t HOW OW we we m mak ake th e the ca e case se for for it means to “make the case” fo for th the e systems system s chan hange. e. poli olicie ies, s, p programs ograms and i d inve vestm stmen ents ts we we know know wo would h ld help. elp. As advocates for health equity, we have At the most basic level, effective all learned and mastered the art of casemaking to support systems change making the case for change by is defined and shaped by several presenting logical arguments with our principles. data and evidence. However logical those arguments are, they miss the mark when they do not recognize and anticipate how those arguments will be received by public audiences – audiences who already have predisposed beliefs about how the world works. Our task is to be intentional about how we make the case for health equity – at very least to do no harm and at most, to change the public conversation in ways that lift up the need for systems change. www.T .TheCas heCaseMade.c eMade.com om

4 “ Achieving health equity in our communities is only possible to the extent that we can convince others that it is a goal worthy of collective and corrective action .” Dr. Tiffany Manuel Effective ca Effecti e casem semakin ing does does n not m ot mean ean The The good n ood new ews s is t is that hat the there ar e are e a a number mber of of ev eviden idence-based based that we’re able to convince ev ever erybo body dy th that e at equit quity is is an an imp impor ortant tant strategies strategies for for str stren enghten htenin ing h how ow goal oal. . It It m means eans th that we ar at we are a e able to ble to we m we mak ake th e the e case ase fo for system systems s resh eshap ape th e the p e publi blic c conver onversati sation on so so chan hange. e. that that those those whose op whose opinions inions can be can be Dr. Manuel introduced several evidence- redir edirec ected, ed, wi will be. ll be. based elements of effective casemaking: It is unrealistic to expect that our • Establishing Trust, Belonging & Stake improved practice of casemaking will from the Start impact all people in the same way. While • Creating a sense of We ” & “ Why ”, we won’t win over everybody with a more Before “ What ” or “ How Many ” thoughtful casemaking approach, we • Carefully navigating the dominant HAVE TO win over some of them. When narratives the often reduce support for deployed effectively, casemaking can be collective solutions instrumental in building stronger public • Using our data to anchor solutions, not support for equity by reducing the social to further credential the problems we distance or disconnection they feel from are trying to mitigate the issues we are raising as advocates. • Positioning equity as a “systems problem (a challenge for smart, I I wa was s there the there the day day t the he conve onversation sation changed… adaptive leaders to solve, NOT a challenge of failed or flawed people) Change does not happen overnight, but • Telling the “Story of Us” rather than the the best way to judge if your casemaking “Story of Marginalized People” redirections are working is by listening to • Reposition listeners in the context of the public conversation on the other side our collective future. of it. www.T .TheCas heCaseMade.c eMade.com om

5 Additional casemaking resources by Dr. Manuel: • Anchoring to Strengthen Your Region’s Case for Systems Change • Who Gets to Live Where, and Why? The Answer May Be Settled By Our Narratives • Triumph over NIMBY attitudes is not only possible, but necessary • Using Data to Create Opportunity • Finding, Measuring, and Addressing Urban Equity For more information about trainings, workshops, consulting and resources around casemaking, email Dr. Manuel at: DrT@TheCaseMade.com Our mission is to transform communities all over the world by helping leaders build the public will to intentionally tackle the issues of equity and inclusion. We work across sectors and issue areas to help leaders understand the power of effective casemaking and to use it as a critical instrument for systems change. Our approach is to use trainings, workshops, community engagement and consulting to deliver resources that are transformative. Connect with us through our website, social media or email - @TheCaseMade. www.T .TheCas heCaseMade.c eMade.com om