The Everyday Advocate
By Nichelle Sims, Associate Director, Research and Advocacy
The Georgia General Assembly is well into their 40-day legislative session for 2016, and the legislators are fervently reviewing tons of bills to decide which ones will become laws in Georgia this year. The legislators depend heavily on constituents’ opinions to help them decide which bills to push through. Also, because this is an election year, the legislative session will be very quick and hurried, with the last day of session already scheduled for March 24. The state lawmakers are all up for reelection, so they are eager to return to their districts and campaign for reelection (since they are not allowed to raise campaign funds during the legislative session).
You may think of yourself as a private citizen, community member, or constituent of your district; and you are, in fact, all of the above. Your voice matters to the bleeding disorder community and just by telling your story or talking to your friends, family, and other community members, you are being an advocate for the entire bleeding disorder community.
Advocacy does not have to be intimidating; it can simply be using the power of your voice to share how your life has been impacted by a bleeding disorder. More specifically, how you and your family have fared with access to health insurance and providers. Many legislators are unfamiliar with bleeding disorders and have no clue about the access to care or insurance billing issues that you and your family deal with on a day-to-day basis. As the legislators review access-to-care bills this session, we want them to think of your stories and circumstances and how you would be impacted by their decision to vote Yes or No on a bill. Therefore, your voice does not only have to be heard on Hemophilia of Georgia Day at the Capitol; it can be heard each and every day you choose to inform or enlighten anyone about bleeding disorders and the health care concerns related to having a bleeding disorder. There are several ways you can act as an everyday advocate in your community and start educating those around you:
- Write a letter or call your state representative and tell him or her how important your Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) is in helping you manage your bleeding disorder. If you need help identifying the name and contact information of your state representative, please contact Nichelle Sims at the HoG office or by email at npsims@hog.org.
- Schedule an in-service at your child’s school.
- Share updates from the Hemophilia of Georgia Facebook page with your friends and family.
Please save March 7th on your calendar – this is the date for the 2016 Hemophilia of Georgia Day at the Capitol. The Georgia General Assembly will introduce a resolution recognizing Hemophilia of Georgia and the bleeding disorder community. We will host a Hemophilia of Georgia table inside the Capitol and visits with legislators. This year our priorities are pushing for network accuracy (requiring health insurance carriers to maintain accurate provider directories) and minimizing surprise out-of-network billing to consumers. If you cannot make the Hemophilia of Georgia Day at the Capitol, you can visit the Capitol and meet your state representative any time during the legislative session (through March 24). Simply contact Nichelle Sims at HoG and let her know when you would like to plan your visit.
Whether or not you believe you can be a strong advocate for yourself and the bleeding disorder community, you most certainly can be—by simply using your voice. And you can start right now. We may not get every bill we support passed this legislative session but we may be able to educate others and give them an understanding of the needs of the bleeding disorder community. That in and of itself is a Win!