I plan to address the issue of opioid addiction and overdose prevention. This issue will be addressed to the state governor, who has the authority to implement statewide health initiatives and allocate resources.

Program competency #2.  Advocate to address a public health priority.

The purpose of an advocacy statement is to express your view, supported by evidence, about a topic, usually to a politician or a political office, in order to promote a position.  In public health, these advocacy letters take on an important role in promoting a public health issue that a member of the public health community feels is not being adequately addressed by those in power.

https://linguaholic.com/linguablog/how-to-write-an-advocacy-letter/Links to an external site.

(This website should give you some basics as to what must go in this letter)

Here are some basic requirements for your advocacy letter:

Pick a public health issue you feel is not adequately addressed either locally, on a state level or on a national/international level.  (Topic examples: gun control, vaccines in school, combatting obesity, school lunches, food insecurity, access to healthcare, drug abuse, reproductive health, sex education, LGBTQIA+ issues in PH, etc.)  No topic is off-limits. (Part 1)

Then, research your topic so you can make fact-based salient points in your advocacy statement. (part 2)

The requirements of the research paper are as follows:

1. The paper should be 3-4 pages, not exceeding 4 pages double spaced, using college-level English, and including at least five appropriately cited sources from peer-reviewed journals and at least five other sources. (total of 10 sources at least)  
2. The paper should describe the research done, the purpose of the letter, and the reason why this issue is so important to public health.
3. The language used in the research paper may also be used in the advocacy letter.
4. The paper MUST be written in the third person; the advocacy letter should be in the first person. 
5. Be sure to proofread your paper.
   

   Background research paper	40 points total
   Identification of issue, population at risk	Does the paper identify the issue and the population at risk? Does the paper identify the law or policy that needs to be created or changed? Is the correct level of government identified for the issue?	0 – 15 points
   Effective use of research	Does the reference list contain a desirable range of appropriate sources, including several professional publications?  (Minimum 5 sources from peer-reviewed journals; at least 5 other sources) Specific examples used to support assertions Limited use of generalities Critical thinking/analysis evident	0 – 15 points
   Writing quality	Does the research paper conform to College level standards, 3-4 pages, double-spaced  Does the reference style follow that of public health journals (Chicago, Vancouver or BMJ)?	0 – 10 points