Category: Uncategorized

Queens Village

In 2011, Hamilton County, Ohio (Cincinnati), had the second-highest infant mortality rate in the United States. Throughout the 2000s, about 125 infants died per year; 71, on average, were Black. Black mothers said they didn’t feel seen, valued or heard, which they thought contributed to their infants’ outlying mortality rates. In response, Cradle Cincinnati was born. It found the greatest risk factors with extreme preterm births — which are a big contributor to the infant mortality rate — were unexpected pregnancies, stress during pregnancy and implicit bias in prenatal care. In 2018, Cradle Cincinnati launched a $25-million plan to combat infant mortality and learn how racism can lead to extreme preterm birth and infant deaths. One outcome is “sacred spaces” — meetings and events for Black women to be seen, heard and valued that came to be known as Queens Village. Hamilton County saw 14 fewer Black infant deaths in 2019—a 24% decrease in Black infant mortality compared to the previous 5 years. This new milestone comes as a community of partners are focused squarely on improving the longstanding racial disparity in birth outcomes caused by the historical injustices the Black community has faced. ACS partners with Cradle Cincinnati and other infant mortality prevention collaboratives throughout the state through its work with First Year Cleveland. Learn more in this recent news article.

4 Steps to Effectively Engage in Electoral Advocacy this Year

Do you want to educate the public about important issues before the election? But, do you worry that encouraging civic engagement might affect your 501(C)(3) status?

Don’t worry – you can engage in electoral advocacy (performing advocacy efforts that do not support or oppose a specific candidate or party) without affecting your 501(C)(3) status. Our quick guide shows you how.

Follow these 4 steps to help you quickly move to action before the November 2020 election.

View and download all ACS tools here.

Census Count – Hard to Reach Communities

Ensuring everyone participates in the 2020 Census is no easy feat, so several Cleveland organizations got creative to make sure all communities are properly represented in the count. For example, the Young Latino Network launched the Cleveland Caravan. A pickup truck wove through the streets of a predominantly Latino neighborhood playing a looped message in English and Spanish about how to respond to the Census and to vote. Organizers walked alongside the caravan to distribute information. Other groups in Cleveland have been similarly creative to make sure Cleveland has an accurate count. Check out this story for more on these tactics which can work in many communities.

School nurses have to plan for every possible outcome when students return to school during COVID-19. But what happens when school buildings don’t have nurses? Ohio Association of School Nurses is advocating for a school nurse in every building. Right now, only 50% of Ohio school buildings have a registered nurse; the others rely on school secretaries or paraprofessionals to manage sick children. Learn more at https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2020/08/06/school-nurses-battle-old-buildings-lack-of-resources-along-with-covid/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=372d8477-e873-4f0e-89f2-04a4ffaa15f2

Congress is hearing our call to save child care. Both the House and Senate have passed proposals to include stabilization funding for child care in the COVID-19 recovery package, but we need to keep up the pressure to ensure child care relief makes it to final negotiations. The Senate Republican HEALS Act would provide $15 billion for the child care industry. The House passed the Child Care Is Essential Act with bipartisan support, which would provide $50 billion in child care stabilization funding. Our friends at PRE4CLE want you to contact your members of Congress today to ask them to save child care. Through Groundwork Ohio’s VoterVoice platform, you are able to submit one message to each of your members every 24 hours.

Number of Preemies Plummet Worldwide During COVID-19

About one in 10 U.S. babies is born early (before 37 weeks of gestation). Doctors in the U.S. and other countries have noticed a dramatic drop in the number of premature babies during the COVID-19 lockdown. Doctors have theorized the reasons could be more rest, less air pollution, and fewer exposures to illness during social isolation. The New York Times reports that doctors are hopeful further research into what was different during locked down might help doctors, scientists and parents-to-be understand the causes of premature birth and ways to prevent it.

Child care is the backbone of our economy, but the industry is on the brink of collapse without serious federal intervention. Over the coming days, the U.S. Senate will be finalizing the next COVID-19 recovery package, and there’s a chance relief for child care will not be included! PRE4CLE is urging everyone to take action.

The age of COVID-19 has pushed many public officials, community leaders, government, and philanthropy just to name a few, to think beyond the traditional bounds of service to others—to find more creative and ‘outside the box’ ways in which to elevate the need among many. As we adjust to this new reality emotionally, physically, and psychologically, we must also recognize that we have an opportunity. Read more here.

Lauren Sogor joins Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC as Senior Strategist

Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC is pleased to announce Lauren Sogor as the firm’s newest Senior Strategist. Ms. Sogor will direct and support government relations and advocacy, policy analysis, strategic communication planning, and strategy development for ACS clients in Ohio and throughout the country.

ACS is fortunate to have a few key partners that help bring their significant expertise and capacity to the ACS team and our clients. These are partners who have worked with us for years on multiple projects around the country. They are an extension of who we are as a firm and share our philosophy and commitment to the clients we serve. Lauren has been one of these key partners for several years, allowing her seamlessly join the ACS team and client work.

“Lauren brings an outstanding skill set to the ACS team,” said ACS Chief Executive Officer Lori McClung. “She is a wealth of knowledge regarding systems thinking, large scale project management and strategic communication especially within the public health, women’s health and healthcare policy sectors.”

Before moving home to Cleveland in 2018, Lauren served as the senior health communications manager at the National Partnership for Women & Families, where she developed and implemented strategies, messages and materials for the organization’s health policy and reproductive health and rights portfolios. Lauren also has provided communications, research and project management support to federal and foundation clients—including the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and AARP Foundation—while at federal consulting firms Hager Sharp and ICF International. She has managed multi-stakeholder national public health campaigns to promote maternal and infant health and sexual violence prevention for national nonprofit organizations including Text4baby and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

“Lauren adds even more muscle to the ACS client portfolio with her deep understanding of various public health matters, including being nimble and responsive in a time where our clients need us more than ever,” said ACS President Scarlett Bouder. “As a former strategic partner, her almost immediate integration into our work allows ACS to produce and respond to clients even more efficiently than before.”

“ACS is the rare organization that blends an authentic commitment to positive social change with a laser focus on stellar client support and professionalism, and I could not be prouder to join this incredible team full time,” said Ms. Sogor. “I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with our fantastic clients as we find new, creative ways to push for change that improves lives and organizations.”

In addition to her professional experience, Lauren serves on the board of Shaker Early Childhood Enrichment Center, a five-star-rated childcare center. Previously, she served on the board of Collective Action for Safe Spaces, a DC-based nonprofit focused on eradicating public gender-based harassment; taught graduate-level communications at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health; and served as an associate editor for the journal Health Promotion Practice.

Lauren earned her Master in Public Health from the George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan.  She lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio, with her husband Bryan, daughter Thea, dogs Hubble and Misha and cat Numbers.

About Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC

ACS is one of the only female and minority owned consulting firms in Ohio, receiving various local, national and international awards for their work. ACS has gained a national reputation for not only its advocacy, communication and strategy development expertise but also a deep understanding of matters within the early childhood, K-12, workforce, Medicaid, and health and human services fields across the non profit, government, and philanthropic sectors. Learn more about ACS at www.advocacyandcommunication.org  

 Cassie Gaffney Rejoins Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC as Senior Strategist

Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC is pleased to announce Cassie Gaffney as the firm’s newest Senior Strategist. Ms. Gaffney will direct and support government relations and advocacy, policy analysis, strategic communication planning, and strategy development for ACS clients in Ohio and throughout the country.

Cassie brings more than a decade of experience advocating for organizations at the state and federal levels and building communication, electoral, and community engagement strategies throughout the country. Most recently, she served as the Director of Government Affairs at Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, where she led the agency’s government relations and public policy strategies. In this role, Cassie worked to augment government funding to increase support services for survivors of sexual violence and increase prevention programming. Additionally, her efforts influenced public policies that support survivors and promote prevention, and created strong linkages between the Center and community partners. She supported the effort to establish a City of Cleveland working group to develop legislation that will require employers to provide job-protected leave for employees that are survivors of domestic or sexual violence, and designed and implemented the Center’s advocacy efforts that resulted in securing $250,000 in funding from Cuyahoga County to support survivors of sexual violence. Cassie also supported advocacy efforts that increased funding for Ohio’s rape crisis centers from $1.5M annually to more than $4.5M annually through the state’s operating budget.

“Cassie brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to our firm.” Said Lori McClung, ACS Chief Executive Officer, “From public policy at the local, state, and federal levels, community engagement, and communication strategy, Cassie is not only familiar with our firm and many of our clients, but brings a unique personal and professional perspective that will deepen our national footprint.”

Cassie has extensive experience in the realm of politics, policy, and advocacy at the state and federal levels – and former experience on the ACS team as a Strategist from 2012-2017. During that time, she led the development and implementation of customized policy and advocacy strategies for clients, facilitated strategy and training sessions for diverse organizations and government agencies, and created and implemented strategic communication plans for organizations of all kinds. Before her time at ACS, she managed congressional campaigns and fundraising efforts throughout the state of Ohio, including serving as a spokesperson for various political candidates.

“As was the case when Cassie was first with ACS, her commitment to the issues, clients, and people we serve is clear.” said ACS President Scarlett Bouder. “But what sets her apart from her peers is her deep experience, understanding and substantive outcomes with the type of customized projects and strategies that are the foundation of our firm.”

“It is exciting to rejoin the ACS team and to put my experiences to work with clients throughout the country.” Said Gaffney. “I will be able to continue to advance projects that I helped to build during my original tenure and of course begin new ones in the years to come.”

Cassie earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Muskingum University and completed a Master of Urban Planning, Design, and Development degree program at Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs. While at Cleveland State, she was awarded the Wallace G. Teare Award in recognition of her advocacy for quality housing for low-income and elderly individuals. In November 2015, Cassie received the National Excellence in Advocacy by an Up and Coming Practitioner award at the Professional Women in Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C. She currently serves on the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s Grievance Committee. Cassie lives in Lakewood, Ohio with her dog Bennie.

About Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC

ACS is one of the only female and minority owned consulting firms in Ohio, receiving various local, national and international awards for their work. ACS has gained a national reputation for not only its advocacy, communication and strategy development expertise but also a deep understanding of matters within the early childhood, K-12, workforce, Medicaid, and health and human services fields across the non profit, government, and philanthropic sectors. Learn more about ACS at www.advocacyandcommunication.org