Advocacy & Policy
Advocacy & Policy
Congressional Advocates Program
AGA’s Congressional Advocates Program is a national grassroots network of engaged gastroenterologists who advocate for our profession and patients.
Decisions made on Capitol Hill impact your practice environment, research funding and our patients’ access to care. If gastroenterologists don’t engage with lawmakers, they will make decisions without a complete understanding of consequences for you and your patients.
The AGA Congressional Advocates Program has one goal: help you share your story with Congress.
Congressional Advocates participate in a wide variety of advocacy opportunities from contacting their legislators via email or social media to meeting them in-person or virtually. You can take action in our AGA Advocacy app in less than two minutes or take the time to write about a policy issue of your choice. At whatever level you choose to engage, your participation and your voice matters.
New members are accepted on a rolling basis.
Overview
The Congressional Advocates Program is a key component of AGA advocacy. It supplements direct lobbying by AGA staff and political activity through the AGA Political Action Committee (PAC).
Congressional Advocates Program members play a critical role in driving GI’s legislative agenda forward on Capitol Hill by:
- Representing AGA’s position on important issues through direct, personal communication with legislators or congressional staff.
- Developing relationships with their lawmakers’ office and serving as health care issue experts for their staff.
- Being the first we call on when critical health policy issues are being considered and action is needed.
Advocacy opportunities
- Use the AGA Advocacy App to learn about policies affecting gastroenterology, contact your elected officials, act on issues impacting GI and more.
- Action alerts: When a critical health policy issue comes up, we notify CAP members by email to contact your members of Congress using the AGA Action Center.
- Stay up to date on the latest health policy with AGA’s monthly Washington Insider newsletter.
- All Congressional Advocates will receive a quarterly Congressional Advocates Program newsletter which provides advocacy tips and ways you can get involved.
- Develop a relationship with a member of Congress by meeting with them in-district/state or virtually.
- Write about a policy issue of your choice:
- Publication opportunity in AGA’s weekly member newsletter, eDigest.
- Author an editorial piece. Here’s guidance to help.
Member benefits and recognition
We love to recognize our advocates across our website, newsletters, social media and more!
AGA Congressional Advocates will receive the following benefits:
- Include your participation on your CV or LinkedIn profile.
- Advocacy training.
- Breaking GI-specific policy and advocacy news.
- Special legislative or political briefings.
- Networking events.
- Ribbon at DDW.
- Opportunity to attend AGA’s annual Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C.
Questions?
For more information about the program and advocate responsibilities, contact Sarah Heckman, senior manager, political affairs and advocacy, at [email protected].
