Families USA Internship Program 

Spring 2012 Internships

Communications Internship

The Communications intern works, in conjunction with the Communications Department staff, on outreach to national, state, and minority broadcast and print media. This often includes rapid responses to breaking news. The Communications Intern will have the opportunity to work on a variety of different projects. Potential projects may include:

• Compiling daily media clips;
• Assisting with logistics for press conferences;
• Pitching story ideas to print, radio, and TV reporters at the national and local levels;
• Supporting Families USA’s story bank project; and
• Building or expanding media databases.

Interns at Families USA are considered part of the staff and attend weekly staff meetings and internal team meetings to discuss Families USA's advocacy strategy and new initiatives to ensure health care access to all U.S. residents. In addition, Families USA encourages interns to take part in the active political community of Washington, D.C., by attending hearings on Capitol Hill, press conferences at the National Press Club, and policy forums at other major organizations and think tanks, such as the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Center for American Progress.

Interns are also expected to participate in “brown bag” discussions of advocacy work and political issues.

Qualifications:

• A passion for progressive causes and an interest in politics are a must.
• Strong oral and written communication skills are essential.
• The intern must also be highly organized and pay close attention to detail.

Interns are paid ($8.25 per hour) and work 30-40 hours per week.

To apply for Families USA’s Communications Internship program, please send a cover letter, current resume (listing applicable work and educational experiences), 3-5 page writing sample, and the names and contact information for three references (two of the references must be non-academic) to: Director, Internship and Fellowship Program, Families USA Foundation, 1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005; fax: 202-347-2417; email: internship@familiesusa.org.

For further information, call 202-628-3030 and ask for Melissa Rosenblatt.

Health Policy Department Internship

Families USA’s top priority is to bring the voice of low-income health care consumers to health policy debates. The Health Policy Department provides the analytical support for Families USA’s federal and state health care advocacy work. In 2011 and 2012, Families USA’s work will focus on 1) public education about the Affordable Care Act, 2) consumer-friendly implementation advocacy at both the federal regulatory level and within the states, and, 3) Medicaid defense work in the context of budget politics.

The Health Policy Department is responsible for preparing fact sheets, issue briefs, media reports, and other written materials for the organization. We work closely with the Communications, Field, Government Affairs, Health Equity, and Publications/Web departments to tailor written products to different audiences and meet current advocacy needs.
   
Interns work closely with Health Policy Department staff on a variety of activities, including the following:

• Conducting and translating research on the impact of the Affordable Care Act, including the Medicaid expansion, the new state exchanges, the new premium and cost-sharing subsidies, new rules and requirements in the private insurance market, new consumer insurance protections, and initiatives to improve quality and reduce health care costs
• Conducting and translating research on proposals to alter the Medicare program and the potential impact on beneficiaries
• Surveying state agencies and state advocates
• Collecting specific data for health policy media reports
• Preparing drafts of other short- and long-format materials that are relevant to current health policy debates.

Interns with Families USA’s Health Policy Department work collaboratively with staff to take a written product from start to finish and often have an opportunity to be listed as a co-author on one or more products. Interns in the past have co-authored issue briefs for state advocates and materials posted on the Families USA Web site.

Interns at Families USA are considered part of the staff and attend weekly staff meetings and internal team meetings to discuss Families USA's advocacy strategy and new initiatives to ensure health care access to all U.S. residents. In addition, Families USA encourages interns to take part in the active political community of Washington, D.C., by attending hearings on Capitol Hill, press conferences at the National Press Club, and policy forums at other major organizations and think tanks, such as the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Center for American Progress.

Interns are also expected to participate in “brown bag” discussions of advocacy work and political issues.

Qualifications: 

• Strong research, writing, and computer skills are essential.
• Knowledge of the Affordable Care Act and health care policy in general is a plus.
• We are looking for interns who can demonstrate a commitment to the issues of low-income people.  

Internships are paid ($8.25 per hour) and normally work 40 hours per week.

To apply for Families USA's Health Policy Internship Program, please send a cover letter, a current resume (listing applicable work and educational experiences), a three-to-five page writing sample, and the names and contact information for three references (two of the references must be non-academic) to: Melissa Rosenblatt, Director, Internship and Fellowship Program, Families USA Foundation, 1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005; fax: 202-347-2417; email: internship@familiesusa.org. 

For further information, call 202-628-3030 and ask for Melissa Rosenblatt.

Health Equity Department Internship

Families USA, a national, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high quality, affordable health care for all Americans, is looking for a Health Equity Intern. The intern will work as part of Families USA’s Health Equity Department to support our efforts to advance health equity and remove barriers to accessing high-quality, affordable healthcare that frequently challenge communities of color.

The Health Equity Department at Families USA is currently focused on ensuring the Affordable Care Act’s viability and promoting health care equity during its implementation. We aim to promote and facilitate advocacy at the national and local levels by, among other activities, providing our network of health equity activists with the information, materials and technical assistance they need to maximize their advocacy impact.

The intern’s tasks will include:

• Supporting State-Based Advocates
  State-based advocates undertake extensive public education and policymaking work to implement the new health care law. Families USA supports them with resources and technical assistance. This could include:
• Tracking contacts made with state-based advocates and identifying trends in the states;
• Supporting work to further public education activities in the states; and
• Working as part of a team to help advocates develop and implement their media and community organizing strategies.


• Online Advocacy
  The Health Equity Department of Families USA will be expanding its online advocacy work in an effort to educate the public about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act (particularly for communities of color) and enhance advocacy work around health reform implementation. The Health Equity Intern will help to think strategically about the direction of our online advocacy efforts, identify topics to blog, tweet, and facebook about, and draft action alerts and blogs.


• Database Administration
  The Health Equity Department of Families USA cultivates a list of activists across the 50 states that are engaged in minority health and eliminating health care disparities. The Health equity Intern will help update, refine, and enhance our list of advocates.


• Research Support and Materials Preparation
  The Health Equity Department creates and adapts a variety of resources (such as fact sheets, talking points, and issue briefs) to educate minority health advocates on the impact of health reform on their communities. The Health Equity Intern will help to create these materials by conducting research, collecting data related to communities of color, and preparing draft publications.

Requirements:

• Passion for health care equity advocacy and social justice
• Strong research, writing, and editing skills
• Ability to work individually, as well as part of a team
• Dependable and detail-oriented
• Knowledge of online organizing tools and technology
• Knowledge of database administration and content management systems is a plus
• Fluency in a second relevant language a plus

Internships are paid ($8.25 per hour) and normally work 40 hours per week.

To apply for Families USA's Health Equity Internship, please send a cover letter, a current resume (listing applicable work and educational experiences), a three-to-five page writing sample, and the names and contact information for three references (two of the references must be non-academic) to: Melissa Rosenblatt, Director, Internship and Fellowship Program, Families USA Foundation, 1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005; fax: 202-347-2417; email: internship@familiesusa.org.

For further information, call 202-628-3030 and ask for Melissa Rosenblatt.

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