This report, prepared for the Center for Community Engagement in Health Innovation by the Institute for Community Health, describes how advocates in seven states engaged their communities to win a total of 43 policy victories. Policy wins were achieved at the state and local level, as well as within health systems.

Our second phase of the Consumer Voices for Innovation program (CVI 2.0) supported seven state health advocacy organizations to build an engaged base of community members to advocate for policies and programs that expand how the health care sector addresses the social determinants of health. The program focused on food security, housing security and non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) for communities that have been traditionally left out of policy conversations including: people from low-income communities, people of color, and/or older adults.

Each project made significant pivots in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis while continuing to center relationship building and leadership development in their organizing. Additionally, each project increased the intensity of their focus on addressing systemic racism in their advocacy and organizing. This report identifies the strategies and flexibilities that enabled each project’s success. In addition, this report shares findings about how grant makers can fund successful and sustainable organizing, now and in the future.

The May 2019 final evaluation report on the initial phase of the Consumer Voices for Innovation program is available here.

Read the Report