Public health advocacy - determining a role for staff of a public hospital

Abstract

This study explored the public health advocacy role of staff employed at a major South Australian specialist publichospital that had made an organisational commitment to health promotion.It was concluded that staff did have a role to play in public health advocacy, though the issues pursued primarilyrelated to disease and injury prevention rather than the broader social determinants of health. Staff gained valuableexperience in the political processes of public health advocacy. The hospital had to develop organisationalinfrastructures to support staff so they could undertake public health advocacy on behalf of the hospital. It was alsonecessary for the hospital to implement other changes in order to 'get its own house in order' before issues could beaddressed in the broader community.