Strengthening a state's health advocacy infrastructure

Although coordination among advocates may be a critical ingredient for achieving health policy change, opportunities for discussions that lead to cooperation among advocates are rare. For the past seven years, the California Wellness Foundation has funded an annual two-day retreat for California health advocates. These gatherings have created a reflective time period for them to consider their differing advocacy agendas as well as areas of overlap. The retreats have also helped to soften the fault lines that can be barriers to cooperation. An independent evaluation has provided some important points for foundations to consider when making grants for such a retreat.