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🚨Tweetorial 🚨Advocacy 101: how to get involved in sharing your message about pts with cancer 🎗with lawmakers 🇺🇸 @ASCO #ASCOadvocacysummit
Advocacy101: I’m a busy oncology Physician/ Nurse/ Pharmacist/ APP/ Patient/ Caregiver/ Etc. I want to express my opinion, but where do I start? @asco #ASCOadvocacysummit b
Step one: VOTE! Register here: usa.gov/register-to-vo… #ASCOadvocacysummit
Advocacy101: What are the current oncology issues? Where do I find those? A great shortcut option is the @asco ACT page. Go to: asco.quorum.us/action_center/ #ASCOadvocacysummit
You can also follow @ASCO on twitter. Big issues will be shared by leaders such as @ASCOPres or ASCO CEO @CliffordHudis. Look for posts from past/ future leaders such as @bertagnollimm, @drbrucejohnson.
Advocacy 101: How does Congress work? Let’s revisit our social studies class (it’s been awhile). 😊 There are a total of 535 Members of Congress: 100 serve in the U.S. Senate and 435 serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. 🇺🇸 The bills in the House & Senate are different.
Advocacy 101: How do I find my member of Congress? Step one: House of Reps. You will need to determine your home district. house.gov/representative…
You may need the “last four” of your zip. Look here: tools.usps.com/zip-code-looku…
Are you interested in a bill that is in the House? Identify it as follows: #HR913 or House Resolution 913. Find the language and sponsors of the bill here: congress.gov/bill/116th-con…
Is it a new bill? Has it been to Committee yet? Click around and find out. For this example, the bill has only been introduced. Here’s the “life” of the bill: congress.gov/bill/116th-con…
How do I find my member of Congress? Step two: Senators. senate.gov/general/contac…
What to do if there is a bill in the House but not Senate? A companion bill may be coming. Try this ex: “Dear Senator, I support HR913. I look fwd to a companion bill in the Senate. I appreciate your support of this issue: ensuring access to clinical trials for pts w/ cancer.”
This is pretty fun. Is there an app for that? I’m glad you asked! 🇺🇸 countable.us @countable
In @countable, you can save info on your members of Congress. Check their votes. Quickly see bills that they sponsor. Are they sponsoring or co-sponsoring a bill to protect/ support cancer pts? If no, why not? Click to ask. Note that a personalized message is always best!! 
Did your member of Congress vote in a way that makes you happy? TELL him or her. It only takes a second to send a quick email to say “thanks.” In our current political climate, a sincere thanks may mean alot.
Track bills here also: govtrack.us (More traditional w/ details)
Ok, this sounds ok, but not very impactful. I mean, what do these offices even do with these calls and emails? newyorker.com/magazine/2017/…
“There are 535 small businesses that together form the legislative arm of government, and their way of dealing with constituents can differ as much as their politics.” 😳newyorker.com/magazine/2017/…
Brad Fitch of @congressfdn spoke today at #ASCOadvocacysummit. In 2015 survey by his company of 200+ senior congressional staffers, when it comes to influencing a lawmaker’s opinion, personalized e-mails, personalized letters, & editorials in local papers all beat out the phone.
In a piece from Wired, they point out how inefficient these offices are, given the inundation of constituent (and non-constituent) input. newyorker.com/magazine/2017/… Most staffers are in their 20s & underpaid. sunlightfoundation.com/policy/documen…
Still, they listen.
Don’t lose heart. Be passionate about the issues. Share your story of WHY this matters to you & your patients. Personalize your message!
And if you really develop a ❤️ for advocacy, come to the Hill and meet with your members of Congress & their staffers— that will be another tweetorial 🤓 Thanks!!
@threadreaderapp please unroll
