Process Steps for Making Policy Statements

This page outlines the process by which the Moving Forward Coalition Steering Committee will make statements related to nursing home policy on behalf of the Moving Forward Coalition. The term “statement” may refer to a general public statement, a comment letter on a proposed rule or other public document, request for comment, editorial, or other such public-facing document. Official statements, as well as action plans and their corresponding NASEM report recommendations, will form the basis for Coalition public- and policymaker-facing advocacy.

Proposing Topics

The Steering Committee will propose topics for making policy statements using some combination of the following approaches, as determined on a case-by-case basis:

The Steering Committee will identify topics directly from the NASEM recommendations.
The Steering Committee will poll the broader Coalition community to identify issues (as well as outcomes/solutions) they think are most important for the Steering Committee to consider. (Any such poll would include a disclaimer that not all suggestions may be taken on by the Committee.)
Steering Committee Members will propose topics from their own organization’s work that align with the Coalition’s mission.

Deciding Whether to Make a Coalition Statement

After preliminary discussion of a proposed topic and the purpose/goals of making a statement on it (~1 meeting), the Steering Committee will determine if a topic will be considered for an official position statement. The Committee will discuss whether a statement is likely to support the Coalition’s mission and vision, is likely to be aligned with the NASEM report and its recommendations and is likely to be supported by broad agreement among Members. To proceed, Members will have to show broad interest in making a statement and a group of at least two Members must volunteer to act as a primary writing group.

Acknowledging Alternative Perspectives

The Steering Committee will discuss in each case whether a minority statement would be valuable. Ultimately, any Member(s) expressing an alternative perspective will be supported in writing a minority statement to be included alongside the official position, if they wish to do so. To be included, minority statements must be signed by at least one Member.

Signing the Statement

After the writing group has completed a full statement based on the agreed upon position and Members have had a chance to offer revisions, the statement will be signed by “The Moving Forward Coalition.” The Steering Committee will decide on a case-by-case basis if individuals and organizations on the Committee can also sign on. Such a decision will be made based on the desire of the Members to add their signatures and the degree to which additional signatures will enhance future advocacy.

Disseminating and Using the Statement

After completing and signing the statement and minority report (if relevant), the statement will be posted on the Coalition website and considered public. If it is a letter, editorial, or other such statement, it will also be submitted accordingly by the Chair and/or Director.

Subsequently, the Steering Committee will discuss and execute strategies for effective dissemination and advocacy. These may include turning the statement into a petition for other Coalition participants to sign, sending the statement to specific leaders or submitting as an official comment, scheduling meetings with specific leaders to discuss the contents of the statement, hosting public events to share the content of the statement, producing derivative content of the statement to support the sharing of its message, and/or other conducting other related activities.