Community Outreach and Advocacy

In April 2007, the DC City Council passed the Budget Support Act of 2007 and DC LAW#L17-0010 which requires pre-teen female students in the District to demonstrate that they have received an Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination before a entering the sixth grade.  The legislation also contains an exemption clause enabling parents and guardians to “opt out” of the mandate for any reason. 

As a response to the DC LAW, IWA led the formation of “My Family Knows” in 2008.  “My Family Knows” was a public-private collaborative of knowledge experts and community health providers focused on establishing an educational campaign to inform the DC public of the connection between HPV and cervical cancer, the importance of protecting oneself against HPV infection, the value of screening for cervical cancer through regular papanicolaou (pap) testing, and the effectiveness and risks of the HPV vaccine.

The “My Family Knows” concept has since evolved to reflect IWA’s commitment to community outreach and advocacy.  Through “My Family Knows,” IWA encourages engagement between State and local health departments, community-based healthcare providers and members from the faith-based community to ensure that public health education campaigns aimed at priority populations are culturally competent and audience relevant.  IWA, therefore, provides specialty knowledge and expertise in the  branding, creative, targeting, media planning, and subsequent evaluative measurement of efficacy for healthcare and social marketing initiatives.