Communicating Peer Support
Key messages in Peer Support
Peers for progress has collaborated with its partners, leaders, grantees and the overall evidence base for peer support to inform the following key messages in Peer Support:
- Peer support is NOT cheap health care for poor people, but good health care for all people.
- “8,760”: If the average individual with a disease like diabetes spends as many as 6 hours in a doctor’s or health professional’s office, that leave 8,760 hours a year they are “on your own” to manage their disease or condition→This is where peer support comes in!
- Self-management is point of care and beyond.
- Standardization by functions, not content: The core functions of peer support are global, but how they are addressed needs to be worked out within each setting.
How Can I Communicate Peer Support To Get Others On Board
Communicating peer support to others can be a challenging task. As with promoting any idea, it is important to define your audience, define your message, establish community partnerships, and use existing resources. These steps may help guide your promotion efforts so that others can get on board with the idea of using peer support in diabetes self-management.
Here are some resources to help you communicate peer support:
Peers for Progress Promotion Materials & Examples
- Peers for Progress brochure
- Key Evidence Points for Peers for Progress’ Global Initiatives to Promote Peer Support for Diabetes and Chronic Disease Management Around the World
- Peers for Progress blog series on Community Health Workers
Case studies and reports for organizational leaders and policy makers
- The World Health Organization’s Global Evidence of Community Health Workers (CHWs) examines and summarizes the roles and impacts of CHWs across various contexts (e.g., disesases, regions) as well as provides progammatic and policy implications. Particularly, its executive summary and typiology tables can be helpful in promoting peer support provided by CHWs.
- AHRQ Policy Innovation: Minnesota CHW Alliance – The Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance has created a set of integrated workforce building blocks including a scope of practice; a statewide, competency-based curriculum and certificate program; and awareness-building strategies directed to key audiences including providers, policymakers, and the public. This work led the way for the passage of State legislation authorizing Medicaid payment for specific community health worker services provided under clinical supervision.
Resources for using Mass Media Communication Channels:
- Media Advocacy Tools, from The University of Kansas Community Tool Box
- Using Social Media for Digital Advocacy, from The University of Kansas Community Tool Box
- Discussion of Social Media and Blogging by Peers for Progress
Resources for using Interpersonal Communication Channels:
- The National Diabetes Education Program suggests eight Steps to Develop Partnerships with other organizations, agencies and businesses in the community.
- A handout on workplace peer support offers Steps the Employer Can Take to Promote Peer Support and suggests ways to promote peer support at the workplace.
- Building the Business Case for Self-Management is a resource from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Diabetes Initiative for program managers looking to present a financial and nonfinancial business case.
- Since community partnerships are essential for promoting, establishing, and sustaining peer support programs, Tools for Building Clinic-Community Partnerships are helpful resources from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Diabetes Initiative organized around a framework for supporting chronic disease control and prevention.
- Building a Foundation for Recovery – A SAMHSA Community Education Guide on Establishing Medicaid-Funded Peer Support Services and a Trained Peer Workforce.
Social Media guidelines and Peers For Progress sites