The Challenge
Entering a difficult legislative session, Washington's governor proposed addressing a $1.6 billion budget shortfall, in part by cutting $72 million from funding for the state's nursing homes and assisted care facilities. The cuts would continue a downward spiral in state funding that had already caused 70 residential facilities to close or file for bankruptcy.
The Washington Health Care Association (WHCA), representing several hundred care facilities statewide, retained APCO to mobilize WHCA's members to stop the cuts. The APCO team faced a very short legislative session, a crowded field of interest groups facing similar cuts and harried lawmakers struggling to balance the budget.
The Solution
Working in a tight, six-week timeframe, APCO directed a three-pronged strategy:
- Amplify the message locally and in Olympia. Thousands of facility administrators, staff, residents, and residents' families were mobilized to serve as an effective megaphone delivering WHCA's messages to the local media and in the state capital, Olympia.
- Provide tools & know-how. APCO provided WHCA members with the communication tools and know-how to contact legislators, with a focus on generating phone calls, letters and emails. A user-friendly "Legislative Action Toolkit" provided everything they needed to contact legislators and the media. APCO also developed and deployed a "Respect our Seniors" video, guest editorials, yard signs and posters, and mobilized members with regular "Action Alerts."
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- Ensure direct and effective contact. APCO planned and coordinated a high-profile "Have a Heart" rally on Valentine's Day in Olympia, attended by approximately 800 seniors and nursing home workers who afterward visited their legislators to deliver hand-made Valentine cards opposing the budget cuts.
The Result
WHCA's relentless activity in Olympia resulted in a resounding victory. The Washington State Legislature rescinded all but $2.8 million of the cuts, putting $69 million back into long-term care. A key legislator cited the "ruckus" caused by WHCA members as a primary reason the cuts were avoided.
Services Provided
- Coalition building
- Creative services
- Crisis management
- Government relations
- Internal communication
- Issue management
- Media relations
- Positioning
View all APCO services
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APCO really came through on a tight timeline and helped us organize our members and the public to speak out in opposition to the long-term care cuts. The result of these efforts was a remarkable impact on the state legislature and a highly successful outcome for WHCA.
