advocacy

Get Involved Through Grassroots Action

 

Did you know that out of the nearly 7,000 bills and joint resolutions introduced each congressional session, less than five percent get enacted into law?

Grassroots advocacy involvement cannot be overstated. Through constituent letters, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings, legislators learn what’s important to the people back home and why they should pay attention to certain issues. They rely heavily on their constituents’ stories and information provided by subject matter experts, like you.

How you can get involved:

  • Take advantage of our easy-to-use eAdvocacy Action Center: This platform is APMA’s advocacy hub, designed to make it quick and seamless for members to engage with their lawmakers on key policy priorities. With just a few clicks, you can send personalized letters directly to your members of Congress, ensuring your voice and your patient’s needs are heard on critical issues impacting podiatric medicine. 

  • Schedule an in-district meeting with your member of Congress: Meeting directly with your member of Congress or their staff in the district is one of the most effective ways to build a relationship and advocate for your priorities. These meetings allow you to share real-world patient stories, highlight challenges in your practice, and explain how federal policy impacts access to care in your community.

  • Ask your member of Congress to tour your practice: Inviting your member of Congress to your practice offers a powerful, firsthand look at the care you provide and the patients you serve. These visits help lawmakers better understand the complexities of podiatric medicine, workforce challenges, and barriers to access.  

  • Attend town hall events where members of Congress discuss issues with their constituents: Town halls are a valuable opportunity to engage with your member of Congress in a public forum and raise awareness about key issues affecting your patients and the profession. By asking questions or sharing insights, you can help ensure APMA’s priorities are part of the broader health-care conversation. 

Check out APMA’s Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit

Check out information on the Diabetes Foot Health Access and Modernization Act, including key information physician advocates can use when speaking with lawmakers or staff. 

Diabetes Foot Health Access and Modernization Act Landing Page 

APMA’s lobbying team consistently communicates APMA’s legislative priorities — including strengthening access to services by podiatrists, regulatory relief, physician payment reform, and bolstering the podiatric workforce — to legislators impacting the health-care system. 

Elected officials need more than compelling arguments and sound policy ideas to influence their decisions on many issues. They want to know what is important to their local communities back home. For this, they depend on their constituents, the voters in their state or district, to let them know how federal policy affects their local community. Knowing and being responsive to the needs and concerns of the voters—the grassroots—is their top priority. Paying attention to their constituents' concerns is what got them elected and will help get them re-elected. 

For this reason, it is important for all APMA members to be involved in grassroots advocacy. No matter how involved you are as an individual, greater influence and impact are gained when large numbers of constituents speak with one voice to push their elected officials. 

Have you attended a congressional meeting? Report your meetings below: 

APMA District Meeting Follow-Up Survey 

For questions, please reach out to the APMA Advocacy Team at advocacy@apma.org.