Building health advocacy with trusted voices By Fyh.news

By late morning, the focus turned to communications. Adjoa (Adofo) Kyerematen, MS – NMQF Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs – ** He led a dynamic session on effective messaging, showing leaders how to articulate the issues in a five-minute legislator briefing, a Sunday announcement, or a short social video without losing precision or heart. After lunch, the program moved through urgent health equity priorities: Tom Boyer of the Diabetes Leadership Council moved participants from screening to medication access and education; Millicent Gorham, PhD (Hons), MBA, FAAN, Obesity-Related, Equity, and Advocacy; and We stand President and CEO Gary Buckrin, Ph.D It offered a new framework for advocating for health equity with a real-world application of the 340B program. Bishop Carter ended the first day with a 340B delay on the ground in Maryland, before Okachukwu directed the teams to begin formulating their advocacy plans – complete with goals, timelines and roles – followed by a final discussion and adjournment.

Day 2 began with a brief overview from Hall, then moved to the vaccine environment — what’s changing, where misinformation persists, and how trusted reporters can make a difference. Hall is joined by Iyabode (Yabo) Bessolo, MD, MPH; Abby Bonas, MA; and Julian Ritchie, MBA (Sanofi) for a rich and practical conversation about building trust in vaccines from the pulpit to the policymaker’s desk. later in the morning, Leslie Zuniga Rivas, MPH Addressing kidney disease and transplantation, he highlights the disparities communities see each week and the policy tools that can help. at lunch, Brianna Williams, MPH, CHES Bringing an advocate’s perspective from Voices for Vaccines, in the afternoon Bambi W. Gadist, Ph.D She challenged the room to decide “where we go from here,” prompting participants to turn awareness into action.

The workshop concluded with teams presenting their advocacy plans to peers and faculty, refining talking points, clarifying goals for decision makers, and timelines for stress testing. With next steps decided, attendees left with more than notes: They carried custom-made plans for the house, models for town halls and policymaker meetings, and a growing network of clergy and lay leaders committed to moving policy from paper to people. Throughout both days, one theme never wavered: trusted voices in faith and community networks are powerful engines of change. With clear data, messages, and actionable plans, these leaders are prepared to advance health equity where it matters most.

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