L. Jeffrey Lowenstein, DMD Legislative Correspondent
Advocacy Playbook: Pushing the Right Buttons
“I just know how to deal with the players different now. You’ve got to learn as a coach, and especially first year with new players, which buttons to push, and how to push them, and when to push them.” – Sam Mitchell
You may have seen the equation: EFFORT = REWARD and it is definitely the truth!
In this edition of the advocacy playbook we discuss one of the characteristics that separates those who are successful at advocating and those who are not, “pushing the right buttons.’ It took over 10 years for one dentist from Massachusetts to change an important policy by the state dental board of registration and include it a new bill that was signed into law by the governor last month. The change in the law was actually quite simple, to allow a dentist to enter a diversion program rather than face disciplinary action, but the manner in which the bill made it to the finish line was not. The successful process included expanding the lobbying effort to include bringing in the state dental society’s governmental affairs and dentist health and wellness committees to implement a social media campaign reinforced with roadshows throughout the state to increase awareness of the problem and in turn encourage dentists, dental team members to contact their legislative representatives. Once the specific legislative contact was identified who could get the bill out of committee and onto the governor’s desk an all-out lobbying effort ensued and the bill was successfully signed into law!
While all of conversations concerning the issue felt important at the statehouse, they were also sometimes deflating. Advocacy can be like that. It’s rare that you’ll leave any given meeting with a very specific outcome or a solid promise of action. Throughout the ten years, new information was collected and communicated to the dentists throughout the state via all available media platforms and personal correspondence. After all the town-halls and webinars, plans of action and promises were never made. However, along the way, more dentists joined the group and added to the voice for change. Change for the better. But even so, there were doubts. Was the time and effort worth it? Was the ever expanding group of dentists accomplishing anything? And after the long ten years of persistently educating and advocating, the change in policy finally came to realization by pushing the right buttons at the right place and at the right time.