Caregiving, Health Literacy, Needs Navigation, Trust
A New Advocacy Era for NPAF …
Rebecca Kirch, EVP of Policy and Programs (pictured bottom left), shares her excitement about the fresh approach to our advocacy work and how people like you can help us be seen.
The NPAF team pictured above at City Center DC. (Clockwise from left: Chanda Day, Anita Reynolds, Melissa Williams, Rebecca Kirch)
The team lovingly guffaws when I say my current mood measures somewhere on the scale between giddy and gobsmacked. They know I mean it. And I’ll wager they feel it, too. That’s because for all of us, NPAF’s new brand goes beyond its refreshed logo. The featured “…” is crafted to convey that LISTENING is an essential part of people feeling heard and understood. That’s true in everyday life. It’s true in healthcare quality. It’s true for patient advocacy. While that message may not be immediately obvious at first glance, we’re confident the logo image will achieve its aim of sparking peoples’ interest asking what we’re about.
That’s where all of you in our network can step in to help NPAF shine. Sure, we can start by saying that NPAF focuses on influencing policy to drive changes in how healthcare happens. We can also dig deeper, with vital help from our NPAF family of volunteers, teasing out the words that tell the real heart of who we are and why we’re here…
We’re a diverse community working together to make the healthcare system work for all of us.
Our agenda addresses healthcare hardships experienced by all patients regardless of where they live, their diagnosis, race, gender, age, education or income level. Fueled by our volunteer network and partners in communities across the country, it’s no exaggeration to say our team is super ultra-excited thinking about realizing NPAF’s influential potential.
Why? Our remarkable advocate network is uniquely composed and poised to lead patient-driven public demand that brings humanity back to healthcare. Expanding our grassroots reach in more communities will get us farther faster.
How? We listen to communities that are often overlooked, positioning patients and care partners in places that matter to produce actionable research and meaningful public policy outcomes. We invest in training that builds the confidence of volunteers to create change in their own communities. And we advocate for solutions that support the whole person, spanning physical, mental and financial health as on par priorities. It’s all about advancing our shared values: Authenticity. Connection. Action.
As we debut NPAF’s October 15 Policy Consortium Listening Session, I’ll invite everyone to consider opportunities you foresee to be part of the healthcare change we all want to achieve. Register to participate in NPAF’s October 15 virtual event. Sign up to get NPAF’s newsletters. Become an NPAF volunteer advocate. Engage in NPAF’s advocacy activities.
We know there’s plenty to fix with the healthcare system. It can feel daunting if not overwhelming looking at the complexities from all sides. We also know each of you are essential allies to join forces with us to start prioritizing and tackling the toughest parts based on patient perspectives that we’ll hear about to discern responsive solutions that can ease the path for everyone. I can confidently say on behalf of the NPAF team – including Alan, myself, Melissa, Anita and Chanda – that we can’t wait to dive into this new era of advocacy together with all of you. Let’s get to work in making the healthcare system work for all of us!
Rebecca Kirch is the Executive Vice President of Policy and Programs at NPAF.
