Even as COVID-19 continues to disrupt all facets of life, ASH’s advocacy is continuing in new ways. Although in-person advocacy meetings have been cancelled for the foreseeable future, ASH has taken advantage of virtual tools to make sure the Society’s voice can still be heard on Capitol Hill. During the pandemic, ASH has spoken up for issues that affect the hematology community such as expanded federal funding for medical research, access to quality care for patients suffering from hematologic conditions, and ensuring a robust medical workforce. To learn more about how the Society’s advocacy efforts have changed during these unprecedented times, The Hematologist sat down with ASH Committee on Government Affairs Chair Dr. Alan Rosmarin and Vice Chair Dr. Jennifer Holter-Chakrabarty.
The Society has customarily conducted several “Hill Days” each year; for these, ASH members from across the country fly to Washington, DC, to meet with their elected officials and advocate on behalf of hematology. In March, congressional office buildings closed to the public and most congressional offices halted in-person meetings with constituents, meaning that ASH and other organizations had to completely change how they would conduct meetings with members of Congress and their staff. Dr. Holter-Chakrabarty noted that the congressional building closures and social distancing requirements forced ASH to “think outside of the box and create online options to reach more members and help teach advocacy to a greater portion of the ASH membership.”
In September, ASH will host an “Advocacy 101” webinar for members interested in learning more about the Society’s advocacy efforts and ways they can advocate to support hematology practice and research. Registration is open to all interested ASH members and additional information can be found at www.hematology.org/AdvocacyWebinar. Later in September, the Society will conduct its first ever “Virtual Hill Day” to advocate for federal funding to help research that was halted due to COVID-19 and improve patient care for individuals living with sickle cell disease. Members of the ASH Committees on Government Affairs and Practice and past ASH Advocacy Leadership Institute participants will conduct phone or video conference meetings over three days with staff from the offices of their Senators and Representatives in a coordinated program that will amplify the collective voices of hematology advocates. Dr. Holter-Chakrabarty expressed excitement about the events because “virtual advocacy gives us the opportunity to learn more ways to reach our representatives and we should use every opportunity to do so.”
Virtual advocacy can have a big impact and, as the pandemic continues, legislators need and want to hear from health care providers and researchers. “Even though COVID-19 made in-person advocacy less available; it certainly has pushed the importance of health care voices in advocacy to the forefront of our leaders’ minds,” said Dr. Holter-Chakrabarty. “When I have called both my local and national representatives, they have been more than happy to connect with me and listen to my issues.”
There are several ways that you can support ASH’s advocacy efforts and further expand the Society’s message on Capitol Hill, including joining the Grassroots Network to receive regular updates and information about how to contact your members of Congress. Additionally, staff in the ASH Government Relations and Practice Department are available to help set up virtual meetings with congressional staff over phone or by video conference and provide all of the information needed for a successful meeting, including fact sheets and talking points on the Society’s priority advocacy issues.
Dr. Rosmarin noted that “advocacy isn’t limited to legislators” and suggested that all ASH members “talk with family, friends, and neighbors about the importance of access to care and the critical role of science.” He also noted that ASH members can advocate more broadly with the lay public by writing letters to the editors of local newspapers regarding clinical and scientific issues. ASH staff can work with you to help write and personalize your letter and help guide you through the process of submitting it to your local news outlets.
Dr. Rosmarin concluded with some helpful advice for navigating all of the new options for virtual advocacy, “Whatever form of advocacy you choose – and we should all choose to be advocates – just do it! There is never a better time to use our voices to speak out about what matters to us.”
For more information on how you can participate, visit www.hematology.org/advocacy or contact ASH Government Relations Coordinator Foster Curry at fcurry@hematology.org.
