Coalition Building
Coalitions are combinations of groups or individuals who join together to pursue specific objectives through joint action. Coalitions involved in healthcare include both consumer-oriented groups such as the Council for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) or service oriented groups such as allied health groups. ATRA is an active member in several coalitions including the CCD. The ATRA Public Policy Team and ATRA Executive Office have found that their involvement in coalitions has been invaluable in their advocacy efforts. The ATRA Executive Office and State Initiatives Team recommends joining coalitions as the first step in becoming politically active on a state level.

You may ask - how important are coalitions? Many organizations when trying to pass a practice act will go to all the consumer coalition groups first to get their support, even before finding a legislative sponsor for the bill.

What are the benefits of joining coalitions?
· Establishes a presence for your organization

· Helps you to identify the issues

· Greatly increases your network

· Cuts down on your research because the coalitions already have the information and the contacts with the legislative and regulatory offices

· Provides guidance from people who have been involved and have more experience

· Gives access to list servers you can join to receive information

Where do I start?
· The best way to start is to find a consumer group. Every state has a federally funded Developmental Disability Council, The ARC (formerly the Association for Retarded Citizens), and a Mental Health Council.

· Each state also has a Hospital Association, which has sections, i.e.. Long term care, rehabilitation, etc. You can reach out to these people to find coalitions.

· You need to set priorities as to which coalitions to join and which meetings to go to. Make sure the priorities of the coalitions are meaningful to you and your consumers.

· Some coalitions may have membership fees so you may want to ask your chapter for support.

What happens when you join?
· You do not have to be present at every meeting, you learn after a while which meetings to go to, based on the topic.

· You will be asked to sign on in support of certain issues, you may decline.

· Many coalitions have task forces that you can join which in turn introduces you to other active groups, i.e., Physical Therapy, Music Therapy, etc.

· You can offer to take on tasks of a time-limited nature, i.e., doing a letter drop at the capital. When you contribute to a cause of the coalition it will increase your credibility and so Recreation Therapy's credibility.

We strongly urge chapters who want to become politically active on the state level to start looking into joining state coalitions. It may seem like another "committee" to take up your time, but in the long run it actually saves a great deal of time and moves your agenda along much faster. It provides you with a wealth of information and resources you can never achieve on your own.

If you would like more information on coalitions or on State Initiatives please contact Pamela Griffin, ATRA State Initiatives Coordinator by mail at 31 Woodstown Drive, Freehold, NJ 07728, by phone at 732-409-3590, or send e-mail to griff31@gateway.net.