About The Health Center Advocacy Network

We are a robust grassroots network of over 175,000 Health Center Advocates, fighting for good policies and sustainable funding for America’s Health Centers. Join us!

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Calendar

Storytelling is a critical tool of advocacy. Amplify your health center story by joining in on these national celebrations. We encourage you to use the hashtag, #ValueCHCs, so we can follow along with your stories on social media. 

  • Advocacy Calendar 2021

    • January 2021

    • January 27: National Day of Action

    • February 2021 

    • Black History Month
    • February 17: National Day of Action

    • March 2021

    • Women’s History Month
    • March 12: Advocacy Leadership Program
    • March 14: Board Member Boot Camp
    • March 15 – 18: NACHC Policy & Issues Forum
    • March 17: National Day of Action

    • April 2021

    • Minority Health Month 
    • April 5 – 11: Public Health Week
    • April 27: National Tell A Story Day

    • May 2021

    • Mental Health Awareness Month
    • Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month 
    • Older Americans Month
    • May 4: Congressional Management Foundation Webinar – Grassroots’ Return on Investment: Turning Advocacyinto $$$ for Your Network
    • May 6 – 12: Nurses Week
    • May 19: National Day of Action – Infrastructure 

    • June 2021

    • Pride Month
    • June 2: Congressional Management Foundation Webinar – Stay-cation Advocacy: Building Relationships Back Home
    • June 9 from 3-4:30 p.m. EST: Webinar – Advocacy Storytelling: Winning the Hearts, Minds, and VOTES of LawmakersPeople have trouble remembering facts, but they never forget a good story. Effective advocacy appeals to the heart, the head, and political health of the legislator. Learn how to organize and present your stories exercising the tactics actors use. This presentation will include the seven key elements of public policy advocacy storytelling, and walks participants through an exercise to develop their own personal story to move the hearts, minds, and VOTES of lawmakers. Learn about the most effective methods for great advocacy storytelling from Seth Turner, Director of Citizen Engagement of the Congressional Management Foundation. Register here. Please share with board members and staff. This is a great opportunity to get some stories to compel Congress to make a long-term investment in CHCs!
    • June 16 at 2:00 p.m. EST: Post-Pandemic Advocacy Strategy Call
    • June 30: Infrastructure Day of Action

    • July 2021 

    • July 3 – 4: America’s Health Centers = America’s Promise Celebration

    • August 2021

    • National Immunization Awareness Month
    • August 8 – 14 – National Health Center Week
    • August 11: National Day of Action
    • August 22 – 24: NACHC Community Health Institute & EXPO
    • August 27: Advocacy Leadership Program

    • September 2021

    • National Recovery Month 
    • Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15)
    • September 1: Congressional Management Foundation Webinar – Backstage Pass: Behind the Scenes of Congressional Decision Making
    • September 6: Labor Day – CHCs are Economic Engines

    • October 2021

    • National Dental Hygiene Month 
    • Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15)

    • November 2021

    • Diabetes Month 
    • November 11: Veterans Day
    • November 27: Small Business Saturday

    • December 2021

    • TBD: National Influenza Vaccination Week
    • December 14: Congressional Management Foundation Webinar – Using Research to Connect the Dots Between You and Your Lawmaker
    • December 17: ACE Applications Due

  • Advocacy Calendar 2020

    • June 2020

    • June 11 at 4 p.m. EST – Advocacy 101 Webinar: Building Lasting Relationships with Elected Officials
      •  Advocacy should not always feel like a crisis management tool. It is always important to mobilize your constituents to share their support of your health center. In this session, we will discuss the importance of having an advocacy plan and share some tips on developing your own plan. We will also discuss how to create a sustainable culture of advocacy at your health center because advocacy should be fun!
      • Click here to view a recording of the webinar. 
    • June 17 – National Day of Action
    • June 24 at 3:00 p.m. EST – National Health Center Week 2020 Planning Webinar
      • Join us for a National Health Center Week (NHCW) 2020 Planning Webinar on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. EST. During this webinar, we will discuss this year’s theme, best practices for sponsorship, and go over event ideas on how to create space to celebrate your work during NHCW in the time of COVID-19.
      • Click here to view a recording of the webinar.
    • June 30 – Deadline to submit a 4th of July Virtual Parade Photo

    • July 2020

    • July 4 – Virtual 4th of July Parade
      • America’s Health Centes = America’s Promise Annual Independence Day parades have always been a great way to make our presence known, and remind our neighbors that we are an important part of the community. This year, due to COVID-19 concerns, most parades have either been scaled down or cancelled. Please consider joining HCAdvocacy as we celebrate YOU with a virtual parade. Submit pictures of your staff and patients, consider adding posters declaring why you value community health centers (you can find posters here). The grassroots staff will be putting together a fun virtual parade video to post on-line on July 4th. Make sure to share the video and tag your members of Congress as well as state and local officials to help remind them that important to #ValueCHCs.
      • Click here to see the virtual parade video.
    • July 9 at 4 p.m. EST –  Advocacy 101 Webinar: Breaking Through the Noise
      • Presidential election years can be overwhelming at best and tend to push folks to stand firm on their respective side of the aisle. In this session, we will explore the Congressional calendars to help you find focus on times that are important for health centers and help define the rules for remaining bipartisan as a federally funded entity.
      • Click here to view a recording of the webinar.
    • July 15 – National Day of Action

    • August 2020

    • August 6 at 4 p.m. EST – Advocacy 101 Webinar: Leveraging Social Media
      • This session will provide tools and ideas for health center advocates to engage social media influencers and build a larger audience platform for their messages. Attendees will learn how to reach broader audiences through compelling narrative storytelling.
      • Click here to view a recording of the webinar. 
    • August 9 – 15 – National Health Center Week

    • September 2020

    • September 16 – National Day of Action
    • September 22 – National Voter Registration Day
      • Click here for Voter Registration tools!
      • September 22nd is National Voter Registration Day(NVRD), a nonpartisan holiday celebrated by a diverse coalition of organizations and individuals across the country. NVRD is the perfect opportunity to get your staff ready to vote if they have not done so already. VotER has developed a sample email template you can use to encourage your staff, and partners to check their voter registration status!
      •  Step 1 – identify the best messenger. We recommend the email come from the most senior hospital member that has the ability to send staff-wide emails (ie. Office of the CEO, VP of Community Health, Office of Diversity).
      • Step 2 –  click on here to download an email template. The customizable template is ready to send.
      • Step 3 – send the email to staff on September 22 from 6 a.m. – 9 a.m.

    • October 2020

    • October 14 – National Day of Action

    • November 2020 

    • November 18 – National Day of Action

    • December 2020

    • UPDATED: December 09 – National Day of Action

Click here to download a printable version of the 2021 Advocacy Calendar