Voting and Health. It's not a pairing that readily springs to mind, but the COVID pandemic, for many reasons, placed a magnifying glass on this important duo and how they impact and amplify one another and dramatically shape community health. A growing body of research confirms that the root and distribution of many diseases start with a lack of equitable, prevention-oriented policies. On a daily basis, in every healthcare setting, health teams see the unhappy faces and stressful circumstances of failing health policies and the direct connection between voter access and the critical path to improving our health policies, reducing health inequities, and building healthier and representative democracies. In this episode, as part of the growing Civic Health movement and its nationwide effort to expand and normalize healthcare settings as community touchpoints for voter access and engagement, we’re taking a closer listen to the experiences and insights of three civic health innovators who provide compelling evidence and data for why healthcare settings and healthcare professionals are particularly effective messengers and catalysts for voter engagement. Together, they have collectively created and built NursesWhoVote, Democracy at Discharge, Vot-ER, and the Healthy Democracy Kit.

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Guest(s) Featured in this Episode:

• Elizabeth Cohn RN, NP, PhD
• Alistair Martin MD, MPP
• Aliya Bhatia, MPP

Episode Resources:

• Vot-ER and the Healthy Democracy Kit
• Nurses Who Vote
• Civic Health Month
• 2021 Civic Health Conference Presentations
• Voting, health and interventions in healthcare settings: a scoping review
• We Can Boost Low Vaccination Rates The Same Way We Raise Voter Turnout
• National Voter Registration Act