​STRUCTURE OF THE CAMPAIGN

EDUCATION

What does education look like? The education portion of this campaign involves the creation and publication of a variety of articles by our journalist team on health policy and health issues.

ADVOCACY

What does advocacy look like? The advocacy portion of this campaign involves our close relations with our partners to push for the implementation of the Time For 9 Toolkit, which has 9 health policy proposals. 

The EDUCATION SUBCAMPAIGN

Read these engaging articles by our journalists!
ARTICLES WITH A FOCUS ON HEALTH ISSUES

HOW CAN WE TREAT RACISM, THE DISEASE INFECTING OUR Health SYSTEM

February 1, 2020 // PII // Frankie Stavro // Racism, Healthcare System, Racial Equity Classes
How would you react if you learned that black babies in the US are three times more likely to die when looked after by white doctors than if they are cared for by black doctors? This is the unfortunate truth; you would ...

HYSTERECTOMIES WITHOUT WARNING: ICE's UNFAIRLY DETAINEE TREATMENT

February 2, 2020 // PII // Shira Burns & Frankie Stavro // ICE Centers, Hysterectomies
​On September 14th, Dawn Wooten, a nurse working at a Georgia ICE Detention Center, filed a complaint against the facility for performing hysterectomies on women without their consent, in turn unfolding ...

​Access to Mental Healthcare in America — Barriers and Solutions

February 3, 2020 // PII // Nerika Mishra // Mental Health, Stigma, Clinical Barriers
An efficient mental healthcare system is a reflection of a society that has adequately acknowledged the importance of mental health. Mental health is a sensitive topic but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about...

​ADDRESSING THE IMPACT OF THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC IN THE UNITED STATES

February 4, 2020 // PII // Althea Ocomen // Opioid Epidemic, Addiction, WHO, Big Data
Health care is a major problem in the United States, especially in regards to the ongoing opioid crisis. In 2019, reported deaths from a drug overdose in the USA reached an all-time high of almost 72,000, with ... 

​ADDRESSING THE inaccessibility TO HEALTHCARE IN RURAL AREAS

February 5, 2020 // PII // Althea Ocomen // Rural Healthcare, Telehealth, Coverage
What if I told you that 60 million Americans are predisposed to higher rates of mortality? What if I told you that 20% of America face inequities that aren't uniquely found in urban and suburban areas? You'd probably ...

PARTNER ARTICLE: How do Diabetes Patients receive care in the United States?

February 14, 2020 // Healthcare Data Society // Diabetes, NATAP, Insulin, Accessibility
Diabetes is a disease in which the body has too much sugar in the bloodstream. This can occur for a variety of reasons, of which insulin m ...

PARTNER ARTICLE: HOW CAN WE ADDRESS COVID-19 TESTING INEQUITIES IN THE UNITED STATES?

February 15, 2020 // Sophia Sharma // Time For 9 Toolkit // Testing Inaccessibility, COVID-19
The steps towards equity in testing for COVID-19, and how they can be implemented in different communities. A keystone part of a successfu...​

PARTNER ARTICLE: PARTNERing WITH MINORITY COMMUNITIES TO COMBAT INEQUALITY IN HEALTH PROVISIONS

February 16, 2020 // Isabelle Ho  // Time For 9 Toolkit // Minority Community, Partnerships
The necessity of partnerships on local levels within minority communities, and communicating with leaders to create lasting and sustainable chan...

PARTNER ARTICLE: SECURING AN EQUAL ALLOCATION OF RELIEF MEASURES FOR MINORITY COMMUNITIES

February 17, 2020 // Hamel Haile  // Time For 9 Toolkit // Racial Disparities, Improve Coverage
The necessity for proper and careful allocations for resources in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, and how they can be im...
​ARTICLES WITH A FOCUS ON HEALTH POLICY

PARTNER ARTICLE: Examining the Social Security Act of 1935 and its impacts on the US​

Februrary 8, 2021 // Healthcare Data Society // Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP
Initially signed into law almost 90 years ago by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Social Security Program created an infrastructure to help ...

PARTNER ARTICLE: Examining THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT and ITS HISTORY

Februrary 9, 2021 // Healthcare Data Society // ACA, Obamacare, Medicaid Expansions
Obamacare, officially known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, was a healthcare plan enacted in 2010. The primary goal was t...

PARTNER ARTICLE: What are Tobacco Taxes and can they reduce tobacco consumption?

Februrary 11, 2021 // Healthcare Data Society // Tobacco Taxes, Stopping Vaping, Nicotine
A tobacco tax imposed on all tobacco products including cigarettes, vapes, and other vaporized tobacco items. The total taxation amount ...

PARTNER ARTICLE: HOW DO VETERANS RECEIVE HEALTHCARE AND HOW DOES THIS OCCUR IN THE PANDEMIC? 

Februrary 12, 2021 // Healthcare Data Society // Veterans Healthcare, VHA, Uninsurance
Veterans healthcare works in a variety of ways. Veterans are allowed to obtain private insurance if they wish, but there is also a federal program ...

Building a New Healthcare System from Start: Should the United States Implement Medicare-For-ALl?

February 13, 2021 // PII // Hriday Unadkat // Medicare-For-All, Payer, Nonpartisan Aanalysis
Nonpartisan Analysis: Medicare-For-All is a single-payer healthcare proposal in the United States that is supposed to cover all 320 million ...

WHAT IS THE HEALTH INFORMATION PRIVACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA) AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

August 3, 2020 // PII // Hwa-Jin Kwak // HIPAA, Health, Hospitals, Privacy
The HIPAA act was introduced more than 20 years ago to help protect patient privacy and increase security. Patient privacy has been an issue ...

More articles coming soon!

THE ADVOCACY SUBCAMPAIGN

~ Let's meet the Time For 9 TOolkit ~

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health disparities among minority groups have been shown by how the virus is disproportionately impacting minority groups. Not only is COVID-19 exacerbating the systematic racial disparities in the American healthcare system, but it is also targeting those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. To most efficiently aid minority and low income communities, a combination of factors that each contribute to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 must be addressed. The Time For 9 Toolkit aims to empower elected officials to effectively address these inequities by uplifting successful models of equity focused testing protocols, community-government partnerships, and resource allocation in cities and states across the country.

THE NINE RECOMMENDATIONS 
Testing Equity 
1. Access to disability-friendly and schedule-flexible walk-up testing sites within range of public transportation. 
2. COVID-19 testing options that do not require the presentation of government-issued ID, health insurance, or other traditional administrative processes. 
3. Cities should establish a department of neighborhood-familiar officers to trace viral transmission and assist infected persons in seeking safe quarantine. 
Communications/Partnerships 
1. Create Relationships with Trusted Leaders in Minority Communities 
2. Prioritize third-party involvement and funding 
3. Provide Understandable and Effective Communication Materials across Minority Populations 
Resources 
1. Ensure that minorities on food stamps have easy access to online grocery shopping
2. Prioritize the allocation of safe sheltering alternatives and COVID-19-preventative resources for homeless communities. 
3. Assist renters who are ineligible for direct rental assistance through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

Access the Full Plan Here!

Each and every member of our nation has the power to transform these recommendations into a reality that can change lives and uplift communities to rebuild and react strongly to the COVID-19 pandemic. If possible, please contact us at the Policy Initiatives Institute or take the time to visit the official Time For 9 website to learn more in depth about the campaign’s plans and how you can become involved in a group that is making a difference by working with public office holders and legislators to improve the U.S. COVID-19 response. 

What can I do?

  • Introduction
  • Phone Script
  • Email Template
  • Tweet Template
  • Join The Team!
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Each and every member of our nation has the power to transform the Time for 9 Toolkit’s recommendations into a reality--one that will guarantee equity to communities in need. If possible, please take the time to visit the official Time for 9 website to learn more about how you can get involved with our campaign, and to look at our policy more in-depth. By reaching out on social media and contacting your legislators, you can help to take action with the essential outlines of our grassroots campaign using the script found on our website. On top of that, you can endorse our campaign simply from visiting our website. As a group that reaches out to legislators to promote our key points, we would appreciate any community endorsements that we may receive to show lawmakers the necessity and public support behind our campaign. To endorse, just open the website, and wait for a pop-up that asks for your contact information to be updated about the happenings with our campaign. Beyond that, the tabs above are specific scripts and template materials that the Greater Good Initiative and Time For 9 Toolkit Team have assembled for you to use! You may copy and paste such templates or change them as you please!
Dear (legislator),

My name is (your name) and I am your constituent living in (city/town, state). 

Here in (city/town/state), we have a unique opportunity to address the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. The Time For 9 Toolkit is a campaign led by the Greater Good Initiative, a youth-led non-partisan think tank, that contains nine recommendations for localities and states to implement that makes COVID-19 testing more accessible and equitable for economically disadvantaged communities. The Time For 9 Toolkit outlines steps cities and localities can take to improve current testing methods, communication strategies/community partnerships, and additional resources to ensure that marginalized communities are best equipped to handle COVID-19. I urge [legislator] to endorse and support the Time For 9 Toolkit to make COVID-19 testing and resources more equitable and accessible to our most heavily-stricken communities.
SUBJECT: COVID-19 Health Equity Campaign Endorsement

Hello ((Prefix)) (Last Name),

I hope you are doing well and staying safe and healthy. My name is (Person Sending) and I am a constituent living in (City/Town, State).

The Greater Good Initiative (GGI) is a nonpartisan youth-led, youth-run, policy think tank working to write and advocate for sustainable, effective, policy solutions at the local, state, and federal levels. GGI’s newest campaign is Time For 9 Toolkit. It is a toolkit with the nine best practices for localities and states to implement policies that makes COVID-19 testing more accessible and equitable for economically disadvantaged and marginalized communities. Time For 9 Toolkit outlines steps cities and localities can take to improve current testing methods, communication strategies, community partnerships, and additional resources to ensure that marginalized communities are better equipped to handle the COVID-19 crisis.

I am writing to you to urge you to endorse the Time For 9 Toolkit to make COVID-19 testing and resources more equitable and accessible to our most stricken communities. Please head to The Greater Good Initiative’s website, thegreatergoodinitiative.com, for resources and contact.

Thank you again for all of the incredibly important work you do to advocate for and protect all of us.

Have a great day.

Best,
(Person Sending)​

I urge @[LEGISLATOR] to endorse and support the #Timefor9Toolkit to make COVID-19 testing and resources more equitable and accessible to our most heavily-stricken communities.
From the Policy Initiatives Institute: 
Our team is always looking for new members to assist with our operations in terms of our journalist teams (that assembled many of the articles you see above), policy analyst teams (which are actively driving change), outreach specialist teams (that orchestrate many of these campaigns), and graphic designer teams (that design our social media and website elements)! If you are looking to gain experience and drive change through campaigns like these, feel free to contact us at policyinitiatives@gmail.com, or use the application below!
From the Time For 9 Toolkit:
Interested in becoming involved with the Time for 9 Toolkit and joining a team of passionate individuals who are dedicated to making change within their communities? Check out our website, which has details about how you can contact your legislators and ask them to support the Time for 9 Toolkit’s necessary recommendations. We can also be found on social media--Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn--under the unifying username @timefor9toolkit. Our social media is constantly updated with new opportunities to join our team as either an ambassador or fellow. Ambassadors are responsible for promoting Time for 9 related social media content while fellowships available in each of our 3 sectors--Communications, Outreach, and Social Media for those willing to spend 2-3 hours a week working on Time for 9 related work. If you are interested in working with our team to make lasting change through equity in public health recommendations, contact us on any of the aforementioned sites!