Margaret Stager, M.D., F.A.A.P
Director, Division of Adolescent Health
MetroHealth Medical System, Cleveland, Ohio
In April, I was one of 130 pediatricians who attended the 2015 AAP Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. We were from all parts of the country: large states, small states, big cities, little towns; some still in residency, and others well into their third decade of practice. And while we represented a wide range of practice and academic settings, we all shared the common interest in becoming more active advocates for children’s health issues.
The conference began with two full days packed with dynamic speakers and informative training sessions. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke about the importance of school nutrition programs, and Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and retired Congressman Henry Waxman of California encouraged us to continue to pursue our advocacy efforts to better the lives of our nation’s children. Breakout sessions included topics such as Poverty and Its Effect on Child Health; The Art of Negotiation; Coalition Building; Crafting your Message; and Speaking up for Kids Through Social Media. We were briefed extensively on the upcoming vote to extend the CHIP program, as well as the need for child resistant packaging for liquid nicotine containers for e-cigarettes.
On day three came the pinnacle event: the walk to Capitol Hill to meet with our regional Congressmen/Congresswomen, and Senators. We were well prepared and the bus ride to Capitol Hill was filled with chatter and excitement. Before our individual meetings, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, a relatively new Congresswoman and an advocate for many child health related issues, met with us to inspire us to take our messages to the Hill and continue to be the voice for children’s health issues. Many of used our professional Twitter accounts to post pictures and words of encouragement and thanks. See #AAPLegCon for all the great photos and inspiring messages.
I am proud to report that the vote was held the afternoon of our meetings, and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 was passed and signed into law. The child resistant safety packaging for the liquid nicotine containers is making progress and needs your support. (Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act) I encourage you to go to http://federaladvocacy.aap.org and contacting your members of Congress to gain their support for this very important measure.
Tips for those currently active in social media:
Use your platform to advocate for children’s health issues that are nearing a vote or need impetus to get a hearing.
Bear in mind that the Capitol Hill staffers follow what’s trending on Twitter, especially as it relates to issues important to the legislator.
Legislators and their staffers appreciate being recognized or acknowledged on Twitter so be sure to send messages of thanks when a meeting or a vote is supported by their office.
Advocacy can occur on many levels: national, state, community, or by topic. In order to stay abreast of all current AAP advocacy efforts, consider signing up for the various list serves and email messaging provided by the AAP. e.g. AAP Department of Federal Affairs, (kids1st@aap.org) In addition, there are opportunities for committee and section involvement at the AAP as well.
Symplur website (www.symplur.com) has created the Healthcare Hashtag project which allows you to see where the healthcare conversations are taking place, and what healthcare topics are trending in real time. It also lists current and pending TweetChats in a variety of health topic areas.
TweetDeck (www.Tweetdeck.twitter.com) allows you to follow multiple twitter conversations simultaneously. Sign in with your Twitter account information and you can custom build your page to follow up to 9 conversations at once.
Director, Division of Adolescent Health
MetroHealth Medical System, Cleveland, Ohio
In April, I was one of 130 pediatricians who attended the 2015 AAP Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. We were from all parts of the country: large states, small states, big cities, little towns; some still in residency, and others well into their third decade of practice. And while we represented a wide range of practice and academic settings, we all shared the common interest in becoming more active advocates for children’s health issues.
The conference began with two full days packed with dynamic speakers and informative training sessions. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke about the importance of school nutrition programs, and Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and retired Congressman Henry Waxman of California encouraged us to continue to pursue our advocacy efforts to better the lives of our nation’s children. Breakout sessions included topics such as Poverty and Its Effect on Child Health; The Art of Negotiation; Coalition Building; Crafting your Message; and Speaking up for Kids Through Social Media. We were briefed extensively on the upcoming vote to extend the CHIP program, as well as the need for child resistant packaging for liquid nicotine containers for e-cigarettes.
On day three came the pinnacle event: the walk to Capitol Hill to meet with our regional Congressmen/Congresswomen, and Senators. We were well prepared and the bus ride to Capitol Hill was filled with chatter and excitement. Before our individual meetings, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, a relatively new Congresswoman and an advocate for many child health related issues, met with us to inspire us to take our messages to the Hill and continue to be the voice for children’s health issues. Many of used our professional Twitter accounts to post pictures and words of encouragement and thanks. See #AAPLegCon for all the great photos and inspiring messages.
I am proud to report that the vote was held the afternoon of our meetings, and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 was passed and signed into law. The child resistant safety packaging for the liquid nicotine containers is making progress and needs your support. (Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act) I encourage you to go to http://federaladvocacy.aap.org and contacting your members of Congress to gain their support for this very important measure.
Tips for those currently active in social media:
Use your platform to advocate for children’s health issues that are nearing a vote or need impetus to get a hearing.
Bear in mind that the Capitol Hill staffers follow what’s trending on Twitter, especially as it relates to issues important to the legislator.
Legislators and their staffers appreciate being recognized or acknowledged on Twitter so be sure to send messages of thanks when a meeting or a vote is supported by their office.
Advocacy can occur on many levels: national, state, community, or by topic. In order to stay abreast of all current AAP advocacy efforts, consider signing up for the various list serves and email messaging provided by the AAP. e.g. AAP Department of Federal Affairs, (kids1st@aap.org) In addition, there are opportunities for committee and section involvement at the AAP as well.
Symplur website (www.symplur.com) has created the Healthcare Hashtag project which allows you to see where the healthcare conversations are taking place, and what healthcare topics are trending in real time. It also lists current and pending TweetChats in a variety of health topic areas.
TweetDeck (www.Tweetdeck.twitter.com) allows you to follow multiple twitter conversations simultaneously. Sign in with your Twitter account information and you can custom build your page to follow up to 9 conversations at once.
