The MHAC Advocacy Team is a statewide network of individuals who care and are affected by mental health who promote mental health, expand access to services and transform systems of health care by developing relationships with public officials. MHAC has fostered the MHAC Advocacy Team to give voice to the Colorado mental health and substance abuse community.

The Mission and Purpose of the Team

• Engage and educate elected officials to make mental health issues a priority.
• Engage and educate your community to make mental health issues a priority.  

Who is the Advocacy Team?
The Advocacy Team consists primarily of Key Contacts and Community Liaisons. These Advocacy Team members educate and establish personal contact with their public officials and legislators. The MHAC Staff and Lobbyist support these efforts by providing information and resources to the Key Contacts and Community Liaisons. Click the links below to read more about these roles.

Key Contacts
Everyone on the Team has the role of a Key Contact. Key Contacts establish personal contacts with their elected officials.  It is important for Key Contacts to communicate MHAC'S objectives, goals, concerns, and issues at meetings and during follow up activities.  It is vital to this role to have perseverance, and to establish and maintain credibility with elected officials.

The specific responsibilities of a Key Contact are to:

• Develop personal relationships of trust and respect with elected officials;
• Establish two-way communication with an elected official, inform him or her about issues involving mental health and substance abuse and key bills, and solicit the elected official's response and concerns;
• Respond to “Take Action Alerts;”
• Keep elected officials and their staffs fully informed on legislative and regulatory activities involving mental health and substance abuse community that could affect his or her district;
• Promptly share any contacts and results of these discussions with the Community Liaison or MHAC Staff to keep the other Team members informed.
  

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Community Liaison
The pivotal link between MHAC’s efforts in the State Capitol and the Key Contacts is the Community Liaison. The Liaison keeps the Key Contacts in the area and or affiliate informed about MHAC legislative priorities. Every community Team has a Liaison and every local affiliate of MHAC elects a Liaison. An effective Community Liaison should have strong knowledge of the affiliate and the community, be able to grasp the public policy issues facing MHAC, and be willing to learn the legislative process. As a community leader, the Liaison must have strong communications skills, attend to detail and follow-through, have strong motivational skills, and have the time to devote to doing the job.

The specific responsibilities of a Community Liaison are to:

• Recruit a core group of Key Contacts (at least 5 people);
• Maintain consistent contact with Key Contacts to stay apprised of their activities, and consult with them to ensure important actions are carried out;
• Send out “Take Action Alerts” to the communities and implement the action alerts;
• Organize group meetings and events at which elected officials speak to the affiliate or the mental health and substance abuse community;
• Provide feedback to the MHAC Staff on significant legislative or political activities at the local level.

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The MHAC Public Policy and Advocacy Department Staff
The MHAC staff is made up of the Vice President of Public Policy and Systems Advocacy and the Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator. Staff works directly with elected officials and organizations to develop legislation and monitor existing legislation and current government policies and build coalitions with other community organizations. It is MHAC’s role to keep the community Teams informed, equip the Teams with the necessary tools to educate the elected officials and communities, and take feedback from the mental health and substance abuse community.

Contact Affiliate & Grassroots Coordinator

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MHAC Lobbyist
The Lobbyist is MHAC’s consultant at the State Capitol and expert on state legislative affairs and depends on the MHAC Advocacy Team to educate the elected officials about the mental health and substance abuse issues in their districts and communities. His (or her) job is to monitor the activities at the Capitol that will affect the mental health and substance abuse community. (S)he may attend hearings, listen in committees, and meet with elected officials to talk about specific legislation. The Lobbyist works to round up votes in favor of good mental health and substance abuse policy. The Lobbyist reports to MHAC Staff.

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