Communicating about Public Health with Policymakers: Barriers, Strategies, and Tested Messages

Effective public health practice starts with effective communication. Every policy, decision, and investment in public health directly shapes people’s daily lives, from the water that flows from our taps, to the safety of our neighborhoods, to the opportunities we have to live full and healthy lives. 

Yet too often, public health is seen — and sometimes positions itself — as an invisible force that prevents crises rather than a proactive force that creates well-being and prosperity. 

In December 2025, the de Beaumont Foundation will release Communicating About Public Health with Policymakers: A Toolkit for Public Health Professionals, a toolkit based on new research with former elected officials and senior aides, which provides tested messages, framing strategies, and practical tools to help public health professionals engage decision-makers with confidence and clarity. 

The research revealed three main barriers to effective communication with policymakers: public health is often seen as zero-sum, ideological rather than practical, and dismissive of individual agency. 

Join the de Beaumont Foundation, CityHealth, the National Association of Counties, and the American Public Health Association for a conversation on ways to overcome these barriers, strategic and on-the-ground tips for engaging policymakers, and ways to make every interaction with policymakers more productive, persuasive, and impactful.