Advocacy is an important part of the College’s strategic efforts to advance policy changes that will make a difference in ACP members’ daily work, professional development, and their patients’ health. The key to successful advocacy is the support and engagement of members at the chapter and grassroots level in advocating for issues that affect patients and the practice of medicine and are consistent with ACP policy.
While ¹Ü¼ÒÆÅÐÄË®ÂÛ̳ National’s advocacy is mostly focused on the federal level, ACP believes that chapter advocacy is essential, and we are available to support chapter advocacy in the ways identified below. ACP members interested in advocacy should first contact their state chapter governor for guidance if they have specific questions on a state/local issue or are interested in engaging at the local level, as the chapter may already be active on that issue.
For any and all chapter inquiries not addressed by your chapter governor or through the guidance below, we ask that you please complete this brief so that ¹Ü¼ÒÆÅÐÄË®ÂÛ̳ National can respond in the most efficient and timely manner possible.
- Advocacy at the Federal Level
- Advocacy at the State Level
- Advocacy through the Mainstream Media/Social Media
Advocacy at the Federal Level – ¹Ü¼ÒÆÅÐÄË®ÂÛ̳ National Office can:
- Provide issue briefs/sample letters/talking points on ACP priority issues on the federal level for use in advocating with members of Congress. Materials will be provided through ACP’s Legislative Action Center (LAC) or the Leadership Day homepage.
- Alert chapters to important and timely legislative issues in Congress with request for their engagement through ACP’s LAC.
- Provide educational and promotional materials on ACP’s Advocates for Internal Medicine Network (AIMn), our grassroots advocacy program. Materials include sample promotional language on the AIMn program for use in chapter newsletters, sample slides on the program for chapter meetings, and AIMn brochures.
- Host state health policy webinars by ¹Ü¼ÒÆÅÐÄË®ÂÛ̳ National on important and timely federal policies that also have implications at the state level.
- Assist in setting up meetings with members of Congress while in the district.
- Draft summaries of important federal regulations as a resource for chapters.
- Create mechanisms that enable members to provide comments on important and often time-sensitive federal regulations and other policies.
Advocacy at the State Level – ¹Ü¼ÒÆÅÐÄË®ÂÛ̳ National Office can:
- Host State Health Policy webinars to feature important state-level issues, showcase successful chapter advocacy, and grow advocacy skills for ACP members.
- Develop toolkits on policies the College deems ripe for advocacy at the state level, with materials available on ACP’s state health policy webpage.
- Support chapters in building an effective advocacy strategy at the state level by providing tips and various resources.
Advocacy through the Mainstream Media/Social Media – ¹Ü¼ÒÆÅÐÄË®ÂÛ̳ National Office can:
- Provide talking points on federal policies for use in letters-to-the-editor or op-eds for local media.
- Assist in identifying local media contacts for chapters’ use in advocacy at the federal and state level.
- Provide sample tweets/social media posts on policy issues for chapters to use in advocacy on the federal level.
Chapter Assistance Submission Checklist
Have you first consulted with your chapter governor to see whether the chapter is currently engaged in the issue in question?
Have you consulted the ACP Policy Compendium to determine if we have policy on the issue?
Have you consulted the State Health Policy Chapter Toolkits to see if we have a state advocacy toolkit on your issue?
If ACP does not have a policy position that addresses your issue, have you completed the Chapter Advocacy Assistance Request ?