AD’ VO-CACY – (ad-vuh-kuh-see) n.
The act of supporting
or arguing for something;
intercession; active support.
Example: She is known
for her advocacy on physicians’ rights.
How do you compare as an advocate for the specialty?
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Do you know the names of your members of Congress?
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Do you know the names of your state legislators?
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Do you meet with your members of Congress or your state legislators yearly?
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Did you participate in at least two of the Academy’s “Calls to Action” in
2008?
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Do you understand the physician’s role in improving and protecting the
practice of PM&R?
Congratulations if you answered “yes” to all of the
questions above. You are now qualified to mentor other physiatrists. If,
however, your score was not a perfect “5,” now is the time for you to prepare
for the next congressional session and your state legislative session and to
learn to be an effective advocate for PM&R.
The Academy has implemented the following helpful “tools” to help members make a
difference by advocating on key health policy issues for the specialty.
AAPM&R Advocacy Action Center
The AAPM&R Advocacy Action Center is a Web-based congressional lobbying software
tool for members only that:
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Assists members in grassroots lobbying and political advocacy by providing a
simple way to contact members of Congress
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Provides updated, online contact information for elected officials
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Helps mobilize Academy members to participate in legislative action alerts and
to contact US senators and representatives on important health policy issues
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Offers strategic targeting to legislative chambers, congressional committees,
or individuals
If you would like to participate in future Academy “Calls to Action” and would
like to learn more about this important member benefit, please contact Suzanne
Butler at sbutler@aapmr.org.
AAPM&R Federal Advocacy Handbook
The AAPM&R Federal Advocacy Handbook will soon be available for members
on this Web site. This resource will assist members in navigating the congressional
and federal agency “roadmaps” and will include information on congressional
committees as well as sample constituent letters. Watch for future updates on
the Web site about this exciting resource.
State PM&R society contact information
This is a list of the presidents of the 37 state PM&R societies. In 14 states
and the District of Columbia where there are no formal state PM&R society
organizations, the list provides member contacts for legislative and regulatory
“Calls to Action.” If your state is listed among the 14 and you would like to
serve as a member contact for possible legislative activities in your state,
please contact Suzanne Butler at sbutler@aapmr.org.
General communications with legislators
For assistance with scheduling meetings with legislators or drafting sample
request letters for meetings, visit the General Information section at
www.aapmr.org/hpl/statesociety.htm.
Be sure to cruise this section for other
types of helpful information such as talking points and model letters on scope
of practice issues, and guidance on meeting with legislators.
Learn more about navigating state legislative information
To see the dates of your state’s legislative session, visit
www.ncsl.org/programs/legismgt/about/sess2008.htm.
In addition, the following Web site is gleaned from the home pages of the fifty
states, the District of Columbia, and the US territories:
www.ncsl.org/public/leglinks.cfm.
The site provides links to all state legislatures and allows you to conduct
searches on state legislation. |back to top| | 
