At the meeting, our other advocacy session included two presentations. First, former U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.) gave another exciting presentation on the importance of advocacy. He emphasized the need to personalize our messages to members of Congress and the need to engage at both state and local levels. He told the story of a physician constituent of his who never once came to D.C., but who invited Sen. Hutchinson to his practice back home. Sen. Hutchinson got to know him so well that when he had a question about something that would affect health care, the senator would call this constituent and ask for his thoughts. This physician became a key contact for the senator.
To fill this very need, the ACR has launched its Key Contacts program. Many of you already have personal relationships with members of Congress, perhaps in areas outside of medicine. Others lack the resources and know-how to establish that connection. The ACR wants to help.
Our second speaker was Kristen Burke of Schmidt Public Affairs, an expert in social media who shared her thoughts about using Facebook and Twitter to reach Congress. She discussed a surprising result from a survey of Capitol Hill staff, which revealed that only a relatively small number of tweets or Facebook posts about an issue is enough to prompt them to explore an issue. Ms. Burke also demonstrated our new outreach platform, VoterVoice. Through either the ACR website or a downloadable app for iPhone and Android, members can connect with the ACR to learn about the issues we’re working on, send messages to their elected officials and register for our Key Contacts program. You can also sign up to receive action alerts (not too many, I promise!) about important issues and when we need you to act.
This year has already seen its share of political fireworks. From Speaker John Boehner’s resignation to the averted debt-ceiling crisis, it’s been a busy fall in Washington, D.C. As we head into what promises to be an exciting election year, we cannot lose sight of our objectives or stop pressing for changes that have to happen to our healthcare system. In years like this, it’s sometimes difficult to engage in controversial discussions with our government officials. Sometimes, it’s easy because those debates happen in front of a primetime TV audience, as commentary about drug pricing has been in the last two presidential debates.
Regardless, we need to double our efforts. We have to maintain our will to fight for what is in the best interest of our profession and patients. I look forward to another 365 days of continuous advocacy until we gather for the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., barely a week after the presidential election. Please reach out to me if you have issues for us to address, and get involved by signing up with VoterVoice. I certainly have the drive to carry on the fight and hope you will join me.
