Hemophilia of Georgia Day at the State Capitol
Jeff Cornett, RN MSN
Vice President of Research and Public Policy
Hemophilia of Georgia Day was recently recognized at the state Capitol. Through House Resolution 1521, sponsored by representatives Rusty Kidd, Matt Dollar and Dexter Sharp, the Georgia General Assembly recognized March 7 as Hemophilia of Georgia Day. In addition to presenting the resolution on the House floor, Representative Kidd also spoke about his years of involvement with Hemophilia of Georgia and the agency’s good work.
With March 7 also serving as Qualifying Day for candidates to register to run for office, HoG’s information table in the Capitol lobby was prominently displayed to long lines of legislators, legislative hopefuls and even representatives from Washington. Refuse
the Rat and Garbagebag (puppeteers Jeffrey Zwartjes and Seth Langer) joined Hemophilia of Georgia Day participants to help garner even more attention. The duo, whose performance on Hemophilia of Georgia Day was featured on AJC.com, provided entertainment, sang songs and even took the Red Tie Challenge along with other HoG supporters.
This level of support and recognition gave Hemophilia of Georgia Day participants a tremendous opportunity to lobby members of the Georgia House to pass Senate Bill 302, which requires health insurance companies to have accurate and easily accessible provider lists for their health plans. A week later, the House passed the bill unanimously.
Hemophilia of Georgia Day at the State Capitol is an annual event, open to any member of the community who wishes to advocate for people with bleeding disorders in Georgia. The date is always during the legislative session but changes from year to year. Follow HoG on Facebook to learn the date for 2017, as well as to stay up-to-date on news and happenings for the bleeding disorder community.