Coalition Leadership

Coalition Leadership

            Coalition Leadership The American Heart Association (AHA) is a national organization that advocates for health policy changes relating to cardiovascular disease and stroke. The organization has a presence in all the 50 states and the District of Columbia where it advocates for state laws and local ordinances relating to heart disease. Currently, in Florida, AHA’s activities are coordinated by Mark Landreth, Rivers Buford III and Julie Howell. Landreth and Buford are the organization’s government relations directors while Howell is the grassroots director (American Heart Association, 2018b). AHA has strong leadership as evidenced by its advocacy planning and activities in Florida.

            Each year, AHA enrolls volunteers from different parts of Florida to serve on its advocacy committee. The volunteers include both nonprofessionals and professionals with different backgrounds. The leadership then uses the volunteers’ views and opinions to guide the organization’s state policy agendas on the prevention and management of heart disease and stroke (You’re the Cure, 2016). The other aspect demonstrating the organization’s strong leadership is the implementation of grassroots lobbying activities focused on educating the public and policymakers on the healthcare issue and policy of concern.

            AHA has several partners who fund their lobbying activities and programs. The partners include Amgen, Bayer Pharma, Edwards LifeScience, Gilead, Philip Electronics and Novartis. AHA also collaborates with the partners in planning and implementing health education programs and treatment guidelines to ensure continued improvement of the health of individuals, families and populations (American Heart Association, 2018a). Some of the details that I will want to add to the upcoming interview from the work of the coalition include the 2017-2018 policy agenda, the organization’s key lobbyists at the state and national levels and the ways the individual can engage AHA in lobbying for a healthcare issue.