Patient Advocacy
This week in my Clinical Decision Making course we were asked to write a letter of advocacy to our senator and assemblyman/woman. While I don't consider myself much of a political advocate, I understand the importance of working towards better health care for our patients. I also think it's important for those politicians to know how their votes affect health care on an everyday basis. Not surprisingly, I decided to write on behalf of student loan forgiveness--a topic near and dear to my heart.
While I followed the election closely and believe every voter should make educated choices in who they vote for- I have virtually no idea what to do in terms of contacting a politician. It's like a foreign country and I don't know the language or who the person is to talk to. With so many titles and names and commercials, the whole scene gets blurry. Thankfully my professors explained the process of contacting your senator--and all the steps necessary to get in touch with them.
Basically, you need to find your senator's address online. The APTA has a nice section of government affairs, the bills involved in each section, and which politicians have already co-sponsored the bill. This way, if your senator already supports the bill you are concerned with, you don't have to waste time writing to them about it. It's a very easy process!
Some of my classmates wrote about direct access, Medicare caps, or other personal experiences that have affected the delivery of quality PT to a variety of patients. One point of writing an advocacy letter is to remember that the issue should have an element of mass appeal. Also, keep the letter short and concise. Be clear in your position and ask for some sort of response.
Have you ever contacted a senator in regards to PT? What happened?