Remember, do no harm?

When the advocacy group America's Frontline Doctors appeared on the steps of the United States Supreme Court in 2020, falsely stating that hydroxychloroquine was a cure for COVID-19, their pronouncement was virally shared by right-wing media and soundly debunked by medical academicians. A year later, one of these frontliners, Joseph Ladapo, became the surgeon general of Florida and a faculty member at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He has continued to spread dangerous misinformation about COVID-19 while his academic colleagues are shamefully silent.

Advocating for Greater Inclusion of Marginalized and Forgotten Populations in COVID19 Vaccine Rollouts.

Objectives: Many countries recently approved a number of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. There is therefore growing optimism around the world about their future availability and effectiveness. However, supplies are likely to be limited and restricted to certain categories of individuals, at least initially. Thus, governments have suggested prioritization schemes to allocate such limited supplies. The majority of such schemes are said to be developed to safeguard the weakest sections of society; that is, healthcare personnel and the elderly. Methods: In this work, we analyse three case studies (incarcerated people; homeless people, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants). We propose a bioethical argument that frames the discussion by describing the salient facts about each of the three populations and then argue that these characteristics entail inclusion and prioritization in the queue for vaccination in their country of residence. Results: Through an analysis informed by ethical considerations revolving around the concepts of fairness and equality, we try to raise awareness of these important issues among decision makers. Conclusion: Our goal is to advocate for the development of more inclusive policies and frameworks in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine allocation and, in general, in all scenarios in which there is a shortage of optimal care and treatments.

A Trainee-Led Social Media Advocacy Campaign to Address COVID-19 Inequities.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the health of people globally. Yet, not all people are being affected by this crisis equally. In the United States, this pandemic has exacerbated long-standing inequities and entrenched structural racism. At the onset of the crisis, few data were available detailing the demographic characteristics of individuals with COVID-19. However, as data emerged, it became apparent that communities of color were disproportionately affected. To illustrate these inequities, we analyzed publicly available race and ethnicity data on COVID-19 cases and deaths and were one of the first groups to compile these findings. We launched a social media campaign to highlight these racial and ethnic inequities and raise awareness among public and elected officials. Given the tremendous amount of missing data, we demanded transparency in state reporting of race and ethnicity data. Using both messaging and mapping tools, we publicized state and city efforts to address these inequities, focusing on the creation of task forces tackling the racial inequities of COVID-19. As racial and ethnic data on COVID-19 cases and mortality became more widely reported, statistics emerged about the downstream effects of these inequities. Despite initial false reassurance that COVID-19 largely spared children, the pandemic has exacerbated many social needs, leading to significant negative impacts on children. For example, as pediatricians, we saw how worsening food insecurity was affecting children. Using social media and infographics, we launched an additional stage of the campaign to illustrate these inequities and highlight advocacy opportunities.

Between the Waves: Building Power for a Public Option.

Given the close division of power in Washington, DC, how might health reformers pursue their bolder aims? In particular, how might they pursue the robust public option that was a centerpiece of Joe Biden's health plan during the campaign? This new iteration of the public option-far more ambitious than anything seriously considered during the debate over the ACA-is not in the cards right now. But instead of giving up on it, advocates should recast it in an inspiring vision that can structure immediate initiatives designed to make its achievement more feasible. This strategy, which might be called "building power through policy," would involve using the openings for policy change that are likely to exist in the near term to reshape the political landscape for the long term. Three interim steps in particular could advance the public option's prospects: (1) pursuing immediate improvements in the ACA that are tangible and traceable yet do not work against the eventual creation of a public option, (2) building the necessary foundations for a public option within Medicare while encouraging progressive states to experiment with state public plan models, and (3) seeding and strengthening movements to press for more fundamental reform.

Moving Forward While Standing Still: A Case of Mental Health Advocacy Evolving in the Time of COVID-19.

There have been shifts over time in the value placed on long-term psychotherapeutic modalities even though they can be life-saving. For example, the province of Ontario in Canada has been dealing with a government proposal put forward in 2019 to limit the length of psychotherapy treatment. In response, stakeholders from numerous groups came together to advocate for the importance of continuing unrestricted access to long-term psychotherapy. Approaches to this advocacy then had to unexpectedly adapt to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that came to the forefront in 2020 and will continue to develop in response to this changing landscape.

The twin faces of ageism, glorification and abjection: A content analysis of age advocacy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have varied across the globe, there has been a unifying cry from academia and public health professionals warning of the detrimental effects of attaching our understanding of this new threat to our already ageist attitudes. What is inescapable is that COVID-19 has an age-related risk component and the latest data shows that risks start to rise for people from midlife onwards. As governance agencies, professional practice, and academia work towards assessing, communicating, and addressing this risk, we ask: are existing gerontological conceptualisations of ageism appropriate for this exceptional situation and what is being (re)produced in terms of an aged subjectivity? Following van Dyk's (2016) critique of gerontology's 'othering' through both 'glorification' (third age) and 'abjection' (fourth age), a content analysis of statements and policy documents issued in response to COVID-19 provides evidence of well-meaning and inadvertent ageism through homogenizing language, the abjection/glorification binary within 'old age', and the power binary constructed between age and an age-neutral midlife. The paper concludes with reflections on future directions for ageism research beyond COVID-19.

Interprofessional Education: Reaching Health Professionals With an Interactive Professional Virtual/Online Event on Advocacy and Policy.

Competencies in health policy and advocacy should be developed by all health professionals to effectively advance their professions but also effectively collaborate in interprofessional teams to improve public health. However, the COVID-19 epidemic presents a challenge to reaching students of health professions through face-to-face offerings. To meet this need, the University of South Florida College of Public Health developed asynchronous and synchronous online health policy and advocacy modules delivered to an interprofessional group of students pursuing health careers. After learning policy and advocacy material individually through a self-paced online curriculum, faculty gathered the students for a synchronous online event where they formed collaborative groups. In interprofessional teams, students prepared and presented advocacy briefs that were critiqued by the faculty. Post-event evaluation results showed that most students strongly agreed that the interprofessional event was very effective, and they all would recommend the program to other students. Universities and colleges educating students of health professions can take advantage of the technologies employed to keep students safe in the COVID-19 pandemic and still reach students effectively with interprofessional health policy and advocacy content.

Expanding psychology training pathways for public policy preparedness across the professional lifespan.

Psychological and behavioral health policies are critical in the successful public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychologists trained in policy and advocacy can lead efforts to integrate psychological science and mental health considerations into policy responses to the pandemic. The authors summarize existing opportunities and propose expanding training opportunities, including undergraduate and graduate coursework, seminars, online, one-time trainings, continuing education, and postdoctoral fellowships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Leveraging the power of mutual aid, coalitions, leadership, and advocacy during COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the norms, patterns, and power structures in the United States that privilege certain groups of people over others. This article describes COVID-19 as an unprecedented catalyst for social transformation that underscores the need for multilevel and cross-sectoral solutions to address systemic changes to improve health equity for all. The authors propose that the American Psychological Association (APA) and its membership can initiate systemic change, in part, by (a) supporting mutual aid organizations that prioritize the needs of vulnerable communities; (b) leveraging the efforts and strides APA psychologists have already made within the association, in the profession, and in policymaking to attend to the health equity and the needs of marginalized communities; (c) building capacity for collaboration between a broad coalition of health associations, health experts, and policymakers to address the physio-psycho-socioeconomic needs of disadvantaged communities; and (d) increasing the APA's participation in the formulation and implementation of an advocacy agenda that prioritizes the physical and psychological health of the communities whose lives are most endangered by COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).