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Workshop Details

11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Effective Advocacy - Every Voice Counts!, 3 CE

Presented by Sheila Schuster, Ph.D. and Emily Beauregard, MPH

Legislative advocacy – changing public policy to improve people’s lives – is important for health and mental health professionals, consumers, family members and 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

Participants will be able to:

• Describe the “inner workings” of the legislative process at both state and local levels and identify the most effective communications with legislators and other policy-makers, particularly with the access restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• List the issues of primary focus in the 2022 Kentucky General Assembly session, such as the biennial budget; expanding Medicaid 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 school and community safety.
• Describe various methods of educating policy-makers at state and local levels on issues of concern, generating the advocacy arguments which advocates’ priorities suggest, and the contributions which various stakeholders can make in mounting a successful advocacy campaign and in partnership with policy-makers.

About the Presentes:

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, the Medicaid Consortium, 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. Additional presenters may include members of the Kentucky General Assembly, staff of the KY Legislative Research Commission (LRC) and others who advocate in Frankfort on health/mental health/disabilities/social justice issues.

 Emily Beauregard, M.Ph., 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

The presentation is intended for mental health, health and public health professionals and students, as well as for professionals in related fields and for consumers, family members, and advocates interested in influencing public policy. The information gained is applicable across settings, as advocacy is a useful tool to understand and master, regardless of the specific focus of personal and professional activities and interests.

Registration Fees

Event Location
Virtual

It is important to note that APA continuing education rules require that KPA only give credit to those who attend the entire workshop.  An evaluation of the workshop must be completed. Those who arrive more than 15 minutes after the scheduled start time or leave before the workshop is completed will not receive CE credit. Partial credit may not be given.

Cancellation Policy
Cancellations received on/before January 3, 2022, will receive a 90% refund. Cancellations received between Jan. 4, 2022 and Jan. 9, 2022, will receive a 50% refund. No refunds will be available after January 09, 2022. All refund requests must be in writing to KPA, 8004 Lyndon Centre Way, Suite 202, Louisville, KY 40222 or [email protected].

CE Credits/Attendance

This program has been approved for 3 CE credits by the Kentucky Psychological Association (KPA). 

Psychologists: 
KPA is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. KPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content. KPA is also an approved sponsor for the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology. 

Social Workers & Art Therapists:
KPA is an approved sponsor for the Kentucky Board of Social Work, the Kentucky Board of Professional Art Therapists. (Provider #1004)

Pastoral Counselors: 
KPA is approved to offer Continuing Education to Pastoral Counselors as stated in 201 KAR 38:070, Section 3(1)(b) as an approved KBEP provider.

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