How Can You Make a Difference? Build Relationships With Your Members of Congress!
It is important to get to know your member of Congress. This may appear intimidating, but members of Congress are people too. Most members of Congress are professors, attorneys, and businesspersons. Some of them are physicians, nurses, and doctors of various professions that understand why we are so valuable. These are real people who come from all walks of life, who are public servants seeking to improve public policy. Advocacy is not just sending a letter but actually building relationships, so when important issues come up, we have somebody that will listen and take action on our behalf.
Here are four ways to do this with the help and support of your APTA Home Health Federal Affairs Liaison:
- Join hundreds of other APTA members by advocating for physical therapy and our patients on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on July 24-25 for APTA Capitol Hill Day. Attend advocacy training on July 24th and meet your House Representative and Senators to talk about important issues that will impact the future of the profession. Registration is open today! Don’t miss your chance to give your patients a voice!
- Schedule a district office meeting when your member of congress is home for recess. Meet with them in the district simply by making a phone call to their office and asking for an appointment. Being a constituent makes you an important person. Knowing the issues is equally important. Read our Federal Affairs Liaison Briefing Memo for the latest update.
- Attend a town hall meeting. Often members of Congress will hold a town hall meeting where they will discuss important issues that they see as important to their Congressional district. It is a great opportunity for you to attend and raise issues that you also believe are important.
- Organize a college visit if you are a student. Your campus can host a member of Congress who represents the Congressional district where the college presides. The member of Congress can discuss issues of importance to your University and get to know you. Trust me, they will be grateful for exposure to potential voters.
We have seen, through the years, the profound impact advocacy can have on the profession of physical therapy. APTA has always been able to count on an extremely “deep bench” of seasoned advocates, who have continued to move the needle in the halls of Congress, but now we turn to you. Learn, Educate Advocate, Our Patients & Physical Therapy are Counting on Us!
Dr. Eva Norman, PT, DPT, CEEAA APTA Home Health Federal Affairs Liaison [email protected]
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