|
ADVOCACY
and LEGISLATION
- Provider Advocacy: Ways to Get Involved
Advocacy and Legislation |
Updates |
Ways to get Involved |
Communicating with Legislators |
Advocacy Links |
Legislative Fund
Getting involved in state
and local government is another way for sleep professionals to care for
patients and the community. Provider advocacy is a highly effective
way to affect change in the issues important to your patients and
practice. Who better to share experiences and expert viewpoints to help
legislators better understand the impact of proposed policies? It doesn't
take a major time commitment to be an effective advocate. Despite busy
schedules, there is a lot that physicians can do to shape the future of
medicine. Tips
for Communicating with Legislators
Get to
Know Your Legislators
Take advantage of
opportunities to meet your legislators. Attend town hall meetings,
fundraising events, or other civic activities. At GASP events, there are
usually opportunities to meet one or more Georgia legislators. Though
these individuals may or may not represent your district, they are friends
of medicine and key players in the issues facing sleep medicine.
Offer Your Opinion
Write or call your legislators. Some
legislators consider receiving comments from as few as a dozen
constituents an overwhelming response to an issue.
See Tips
for Communicating with Legislators.
Stay
Informed
The most focused and
relevant sources of information about policy issues that affect you and
your patients will come from the professional associations to which you
belong. The Georgia Association of Sleep Professionals is
active in the Georgia General Assembly and posts regular updates and
alerts to the GASP website.
|
