Name
K06 - Evidence to Action: Building Policy Advocacy Skills for Integrated Care Professionals
Date & Time
Saturday, October 10, 2026, 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Location Name
Regency B (2nd Floor)
Description

Despite strong evidence supporting integrated behavioral health care, clinicians rarely receive training in how to engage the policy processes that shape it. This extended learning session offers behavioral health and primary care professionals a grounded introduction to the history and current policy landscape of integrated care, alongside practical skills for legislative and advocacy work. Participants will learn how to build productive relationships with policymakers, communicate effectively across the research-to-policy divide, and craft advocacy messages rooted in their own clinical experience and program data. The session moves from foundational knowledge to applied practice, equipping attendees to become informed and effective advocates for integrated care in their states and communities.

Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Financing and Operational Sustainability, Policy and Systems Change, Population and public health
Session Type
Concurrent
Describe the historical development of integrated behavioral health care policy, including key milestones, ongoing challenges, and emerging opportunities at the federal and state levels.
Identify strategies for initiating and sustaining productive relationships with legislators and policymakers as a behavioral health or primary care clinician.
Apply a structured framework to translate clinical evidence, program data, and patient narratives into compelling, policy-relevant communication and advocacy messages.

Druss, B. G., & Goldman, H. H. (2018). Integrating health and mental health services: A past and future history. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(12), 1199–1204. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.18020169

Emmons, K. M., & Gandelman, E. (2019). Translating behavioral medicine evidence to public policy. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 42(1), 84–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-018-9979-7

Agrawal, R., & Lucier, D. (2023). Advocacy curricula in graduate medical education: An updated systematic review from 2017 to 2022. Journal of General Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08244-x