Members of Congress will return to their home districts during the August recess. This gives ACR/ARP members an opportunity to engage with elected officials in person. Advocacy is vital to the ACR’s mission, and you can take advantage of the recess to start or continue a dialogue with your members of Congress. Here are some ideas:
Seek out your representative at public events. Elected officials attend these events to be seen and to meet their constituents. In August, they will likely spend a lot of time out and about in the community.
To learn where they might be, check your legislator’s social media accounts for information about public events. These in-person opportunities can be a great way to introduce yourself and start a conversation about your role in the community and rheumatology policy needs. Build on that foundation in the future with a formal Hill meeting at the ACR’s Advocates for Arthritis fly-in this September or through communications with congressional staff.
Make a phone call or send an email through the ACR Legislative Action Center. As a constituent and an expert on rheumatology, you can serve as a valuable resource for your members of Congress and help educate legislative staff about how rheumatology-related policies affect your practice and patients.
Ask for a local meeting. If you have more to say than can easily be covered in a phone call or email exchange, contact your member’s office and ask for an in-person meeting at the district office or invite them to visit your practice. If your member of Congress isn’t available, you can meet with their staff; often staffers are more familiar with specific issues, such as healthcare policy.
If a meeting isn’t available while your representatives or senators are home for the August recess (starting Aug. 1 for the House and July 31 for the Senate), stay in contact with staff to schedule a meeting during the next break, likely around the November election or near the end of the year.
The ACR needs your help informing policymakers about medical professions and specialties, such as rheumatology. As a constituent, you hold a considerable amount of power, and your experience and opinions should matter to your elected officials.
We hope you will take these steps to start a dialogue and forge a relationship with your members of Congress. Existing relationships that ACR/ARP members have in their states make our advocacy team’s work on Capitol Hill stronger and more effective.
