A public engagement workshop  - Model Practices in Policy Development
Session 4278.0 Model practices in Policy Development I
Tuesday, 2:30-4:00 p.m.
CCC Korbel Ballroom 2B (double-check the location when you arrive in Denver)

Session organized and article written by Ellie Garrett
Social justice requires that we listen to the public and hear the voices of those less often heard. The President's Open Government Directive calls upon federal agencies to incorporate public engagement into their policy-setting processes. As President Obama states, “Public engagement enhances the government's effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions.” Public engagement when done well is an extraordinary tool for improving public health policies and fostering support for the public health enterprise. But when it's done poorly, it can be harmful and foster mistrust. Against the backdrop of vitriolic town hall forums about health care reform in the summer of 2009, the public health community might well wonder whether public engagement is possible on controversial topics of health policy. The Health Administration Section is pleased to offer a roundtable workshop in which presenters say, YES, WE CAN have civil public discourse about health policy… and oh by the way, here’s how to do it.

This workshop offers an opportunity to learn from public health professionals experienced in the art and science of public engagement and to answer questions about the many choices to be made as you plan and implement a public engagement process. J. Eline (Ellie) Garrett, JD, of the Minnesota Center for Health Care Ethics, and Caroline Barnhill, MPH, of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, organized it. They recruited colleagues who have helped lead CDC-funded public engagement activities at the federal level and in several states and communities to serve as faculty. The projects concerned varied aspects of pandemic planning, but the lessons learned about public engagement methods extend well beyond the topic of pandemic.

Whether you are in the midst of planning an engagement or wondering how to start, come with your questions and ideas. During this session, you will have an opportunity to go to two or three of these eight roundtables; bring your colleagues to attend the others:

• From the top: Fostering and demonstrating agency leadership and commitment to the public engagement process. Participants at this table will discuss why public engagement should matter to public health agency leaders and what agency leaders should do to commit to the process.
• Mission recruitment: Standing room only. Worried about throwing a party to which no comes? This roundtable will share practical examples of recruitment, retention and marketing strategies for public and stakeholder engagement. 
• Hearing the solos within the orchestra. Sometimes hearing the orchestra of a community’s voices and values means listening to the solos. This roundtable will explore the advantages and disadvantages of conducting engagements for special populations and identify useful strategies for planning.
• Putting the community in community engagement. Involving partners in design, planning and implementation. Community partnerships foster increased participation from diverse community members, more culturally competent engagement methods and greater community investment in your project’s goals. At this table you’ll consider how to select and recruit partners, identify roles and discuss strategies for working together effectively.
• Facilitation: Greasing the wheels of public engagement. Skilled, neutral facilitators keep a meeting on target to reach your goals, effectively directing discussions on individual values and preferences among participants with different styles and personalities. This roundtable will cover facilitation basics, including how to find and train facilitators, whether volunteer or professional.
• Questions about questions: Framing what to ask during public engagement. Asking good questions isn’t simple, particularly if your topic is unfamiliar, uncomfortable and complicated. Are your questions lofty enough so that participants can express their overarching values? Concrete enough to encourage participants to share experiences? Inspiring enough to encourage participants to proffer ideas and solutions? Come to this table to talk about this central core of your public engagement process.
• Learning about learning from the public: Large and small group public engagement methods. Sometimes you need a big gathering with lots of voices in the room; at others a series of smaller engagements can generate deeper conversations. At this table you’ll discuss strengths and limitations of both large and small group methodology in terms of relative complexity and need for resources, as well as trade-offs in the breadth and depth of substantive input to be gleaned from each.
• A shoestring budget: can it work for engaging the public? Public engagement can be invaluable, but it can also be costly. What corners can be cut? What should never be compromised? Where can you seek in-kind contributions? If you’ve got an eye on your agency’s bottom line, this table is not to be missed.