Policy & Public Affairs
Sponsoring a Congressional Tour
TO: Members of the ASN
RE: Sponsoring a Congressional Tour
As a part of our efforts to increase funding for the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) and continue our work on ASN's core policy priorities, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) asks you to consider hosting a Congressional tour at your hospital, research lab, or dialysis clinic during a Congressional Recess. We find this one-on-one type of education to be very successful with Members of Congress and their staff. The level of knowledge and support for research about and treatment of kidney disease should be greatly enhanced following a tour at your facility. This type of relationship building is pivotal to ASN's overall efforts to effect national health care and research policy.
We have taken the liberty of drafting a sample letter, which you can use, to invite your Member of Congress for a tour. Please take the letter and proceed in the following manner:
1. Decide on the suggested date, time, and place. While you will only put one date and time option in the letter, please remember that you will need to be flexible on this aspect, if the Member is going to agree.
2. Re-type the sample draft letter on to your own personal letterhead, filling in the date, time, and place. Also, since this is a somewhat generic letter, you should add a few sentences to personalize the letter to specific concerns related to kidney disease research or medical practice at your academic health center or private practice.
3. Please cc: the letter to Paul Smedberg, Director, Policy & Public Affairs. Upon receiving the cc: copy of the letter, the ASN will call the scheduler for your Member of Congress. This will ensure that the letter was received and properly routed. Also, this will enable the ASN to gauge the interest of the office and begin the negotiation process. Following this phone call, the ASN will call you to discuss what steps need to be taken to ensure that your Member of Congress accepts your invitation.
4. After your Member of Congress accepts the invitation, the ASN will work with you regarding the actual tour, specific points you will want to make with your Member of Congress, background information on the Member and on the status of current health care issues, and etc.
We want to thank you in advance for the effort and energy you will expend on behalf of the ASN and our efforts to secure greater funding for kidney disease research and increased access to care. If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Paul Smedberg, through our website or by phone at (202) 416-0646 for further assistance.
SAMPLE INVITATION LETTER
Date
The Honorable Ken Bentsen
128 Cannon HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Congressman Bentsen:
I am writing to extend an invitation to you and your staff to visit [Insert Tour Site] and spend some time with us, and other members of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) from around the state, learning about kidney disease. We would share with you information regarding the research being conducted to find the causes and cures of kidney disease, and about the care being delivered to those who are living with the disease.
To facilitate the scheduling of your visit, I would like to suggest [Insert Date and Time] as a possible time. However if this suggestion does not work, I would be happy to change the date and time to one that is convenient. I will be in contact with your office sometime next week to confirm or change this date.
[Insert a paragraph that specifically describes your medical practice and research]
Nationally, until a cure for kidney disease is found, the costs continue to escalate as the number of people with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) .... now in excess of 300,000... continues to grow about 8% each year. However a good way to curtail the explosive cost to the federal government and the nation, while enhancing the quality of life for people with kidney disease, is to provide increased federal funding for research and greater access to the specialty care provided by nephrologists. I will show you real world examples of this statement when you come to visit our facility on [date].
Let me thank you in advance for considering my request. I look forward to seeing in [Month of Visit Request].
Sincerely,
Your Name Here
CC: Paul Smedberg, ASN