Dr. Farrell says the ACR’s advocacy efforts play a crucial role in communicating stories from the front lines to the people who make the decisions. “Without our advocacy team and our virtual Hill Day, our voices may not be heard, and decisions may be made without us at the table. Having diverse membership on the GAC has shown me how important all of our individual perspectives are in working toward similar goals.”
Dr. Solow hopes that organizing a virtual advocacy day will be the beginning of a new avenue of advocacy for ACR members. She says GAC members, in conjunction with the ACR’s COVID-19 Practice and Advocacy Task Force and the Committee on Rheumatologic Care’s Insurance Subcommittee, are diligently working on many fronts to amplify the rheumatology community’s voice in ongoing decisions related to COVID-19 response.
Add Your Voice
All rheumatologists and rheumatology interprofessional team members can share their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and voice practice concerns through emails to their legislators and on social media during the May 22 virtual Hill meetings.
Most members of Congress are now on Facebook and Twitter and monitor social media interactions very closely. Reach out to your legislators about rheumatology issues by tagging them in your posts or posting on their sites. Follow the ACR on Facebook and Twitter @ACRheum to see what is trending and repost messages, and use the hashtag #Act4Arthritis in your tweets.
Carina Stanton is a freelance science journalist based in Denver.
