Capacity Building
Book Club — How Charts Lie: Getting Smarter about Visual Information
Data visualization is trendy for a reason. How Charts Lie by Alberto Cairo describes how well-designed charts and graphs can help make numbers clear, especially as competition for readers’ attention grows. But badly designed charts can confuse or even lie to the reader. Healthcare is more confusing than most areas so deceptive charts are more…
Read MoreGuest Blog: Why Advocacy Tools Matter by Haley Magnetta
You want to make a difference, but advocacy can be confusing, frustrating, and time-consuming. We can help. Sign up for Today’s Advocacy Tool – a month of inspiration, tips, and practical tools starting January 10. As a practicing Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I could not help but notice many areas where…
Read MoreBook Club — You Have More Influence Than You Think
By Vanessa Bohns I want to send every advocate a copy of this book. You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate our Power of Persuasion, and Why it Matters uses research to make the counter-intuitive case that people are hearing us, even if they don’t seem to be. Well-documented, including much of…
Read MoreSign up for daily tips on the Art and Craft of Advocacy
You want to make a difference, but advocacy can be confusing, frustrating, and time-consuming. We can help. Sign up for Today’s Advocacy Tool – a month of inspiration, tips, and practical tools. Every weekday for a month, we’ll send an email with insight, best practices, and lessons we’ve learned from the updated CT Health Advocacy…
Read MoreCT Healthcare employment is slowly rebounding, except for nursing homes
Download the report Like other Connecticut workers, healthcare employment was hit hard by the pandemic in March 2020, according to data from the CT Department of Labor. Since then, hospital employment has partially rebounded but not in nursing and residential facilities. At its start, the COVID pandemic sharply increased demand in a few healthcare sectors…
Read MoreCTNJ op-ed: Patient-centered or doctor-centered? Primary care planning is off track
Several state agencies and their committees are planning to expand primary care in Connecticut – that’s a good thing. But it’s being driven by primary care doctors and their needs rather than patients. Read more
Read MoreAdvocacy Toolbox Addition — Social media for advocates
Social media has become an important tool for advocates. It can be a powerful way to connect with other people advocating on your issue and with elected officials. But it can be overwhelming, and a bit scary. We’ve added a new page to the CT Health Advocacy ToolBox distilling best practices for busy advocates to…
Read MoreVery helpful data Roadmap to promote health equity in CT
While residents of Connecticut’s minority communities face significant disparities in health outcomes compared to white state residents, there has been no consistency or standardization of Race, Ethnicity and Language (REL) data collection. A new state law requires, among other things, that providers and state entities collect REL data using standard categories. A new report from…
Read MoreCT’s well-being is improving, even during the pandemic
Connecticut ranked seventh among states in overall health and well-being last year, according to the latest Community Well-Being Index from the BU School of Public Health. According to the Index, “well-being is about the interaction between physical health, finding your daily work and experiences fulfilling, having strong social relationships and access to the resources you…
Read MoreOP-ED | When Data Becomes An Excuse To Prevent Change
Data is important. The drumbeat for data-driven policymaking in health care isn’t wrong. Policy decisions that aren’t informed by independent, valid analysis can cause more harm than good. But it’s important to know when we have enough data so we can get to work. Read more
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