2010 Strategic Plan

Background: Robust physician leadership is vital to the achievement of single payer in California. Physicians have the frontline credibility to reject insurance industry falsehoods about single payer quality. Physicians possess the knowledge and communication skills to educate the press and public on the merits of single payer. But physicians must have an organizational infrastructure to foster their activism. PNHP California (PNHP-CA) has developed a 7 point plan for 2010 to grow the size and influence of physician support for the California single payer movement. An effective grassroots movement of physicians in collaboration with other single payer organizations will eventually lead to single payer financing in California, the key step in a state-by-state route to a national health program.

7 Point Action Plan:
Executive Director. PNHP-CA will hire an executive director (ED) with legislative advocacy and grassroots development expertise. Our ED will be charged with strategic development and execution of the following goals:

District Leader Network. PNHP-CA will implement a comprehensive single payer legislative advocacy network. The network will include constituent teams of PNHP members and their coalition partners in every State Assembly and State Senate District in the state focused on monthly actions to influence their legislators to pass SB810.

Four Regional Chapters. PNHP-CA will redouble their efforts to build local physician activism by developing four regional hubs with both financial and organizational support. The four local chapters, because of their geographic proximity to the membership will be better equipped to pursue the grassroots goals of education, advocacy and growth.

Membership/activist growth plan. PNHP-CA will implement a strategic plan for membership and activist recruitment including: outreach to progressive physician organizations (e.g. Doctors For America, National Physicians Alliance, and Physicians for Social Responsibility); shared investment with PNHP to purchase booths at scientific assemblies and physician conventions in California; development of grand rounds specialists to seek out grand rounds opportunities in California.

Medical Student Fellow. PNHP-CA will continue the only PNHP Medical Student Fellowship (MSF) in the country. We will rename the MSF as the Shearer MSF in memory of our friend and passionate single payer advocate, John Shearer, MD.

Communication Plan. We will produce an improved website which will become a useful resource for California single payer news, events, educational materials, strategy and district advocacy. PNHP-CA will produce biweekly bulletins that inform the membership on strategy, news and activism. We will employ twitter and facebook to improve our internet outreach.

Annual Conference. PNHP-CA will host an annual conference designed to educate members on policy and activist skills, improve networking among members, improve communication between the state and regional chapters.