My thanks to those who submitted a letter to the editor, per the suggestion in last months Newsletter. A number of people did have their letters printed, and we’ve already seen some direct results from that effort. For example, Jenny in NJ was contacted by a state legislator who cited her letter in the paper and said he wanted to help; she and others from the NJ State Team now have a meeting scheduled with him!
Others have taken the initiative to contact the AARP, first Judy in TX, and then Mary in NY who recently received an encouraging response. We’d like to build on their efforts, and ask that if you are an AARP member please email them at “member@aarp.org“. Express to the AAPR your desire that they endorse and support passage of the Lymphedema Diagnosis and Treatment Cost Saving Act. State that the bill number was HR 2499 in the 112th Congress and is pending reintroduction in the 113th Congress by Representative Dave Reichert. Make sure to include your personal reason for wanting this bill passed.
To date we have teams in 31 states – can you help us reach our goal of all 50? We are in need of a “Team Liaison” in the following states: AL, AK, CT, DE, HI, ID, KS, KY, LA, MA, MS, MT, NH, ND, RI, UT, VT, WV & WY. If you reside in one of these states, and would consider serving as the liaison so that we can get a team started in your state, the simple responsibilities are listed below.
We are just getting underway with our state teams, so now is the perefct time to join a team or start a team. Presently we have 139 state team members, with an ultimate goal of at least one in each of the 435 Congressional districts. Just respond to this email if you are interested or have additional questions, and a big thank you to all our current and future state team members!
Heather Ferguson
Founder and Executive Director, Lymphedema Advocacy Group
www.LymphedemaTreatmentAct.org
info@LymphedemaTreatmentAct.org
New to our Newsletter? Past issues can be read here.
Please help us ensure we have a team in every state!
Team liaisons are in charge of the following:
* Maintaining an Excel spreadsheet, or Google Document, with the contact information of all team members in their state, and sending me a copy any time there are changes made. I will send you a template for this purpose.
* Handling the introduction of new members to the team as they join, and bringing them up to speed on the team’s advocacy effort. I will send the liaison the new person’s name and email and they will take it from there.
* Serving as the point of contact between the team and myself. The liaison will convey to me, on behalf of the team, questions, ideas, reports on their progress, etc. Likewise, in circumstances where it would be more practical, I will communicate only with team liaisons instead of all team members.
