RheumPAC has been a standing committee of the ACR since 2007. The PAC was established to increase the ACR’s presence in Washington, D.C., and is charged with managing the contributions to congressional campaigns, as well as soliciting the membership for funds to increase the purse for these contributions.
RheumPAC: One Year, One Contribution, One Opportunity
Responders to the recent ACR membership survey emphasized the importance of political advocacy for their practices and institutions. RheumPAC, the ACR’s political action committee, was created in February 2007 to focus on the legislative issues affecting the rheumatology community.
Fredrica Smith, MD, Appointed to Practicing Physicians Advisory Council (PPAC)
Fredrica Smith, MD, a rheumatologist in Los Alamos, N.M., was recently invited to become a part of the Practicing Physicians Advisory Council (PPAC), a congressionally mandated council that advises the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and the administrator of CMS on proposed changes in regulations.
American College of Rheumatology (ACR) on Capitol Hill
“By tomorrow night, there will be so many more people on Capitol Hill who know—and are sensitive to—rheumatology and the issues that impact you and your patients. There is no substitute for what you are doing,” says Martha M. Kendrick, a partner at Patton Boggs, LLP, the ACR’s lobbying firm. This is what she told the physician, health professional, and patient participants of the ACR’s 2008 “Advocates for Arthritis” advocacy event—termed a fly-in—before they took their personal stories to the lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Advocacy and More
A week in the life of the ACR
Eye on the Election
Over the past two years, we have heard presidential candidates touting their messages to voters. Each candidate has crafted messages they believe will appeal to voters, and as campaigns continue to accelerate, these messages will saturate the radio, television, and the reading materials of the American public.
How to Communicate with Elected Officials
Some people shy away from advocating for issues that are important to them because they feel it is too difficult, think their voice and opinions won’t make a difference, or feel it will be too time consuming to become an advocate.
Voices on the Hill
On September 19, the ACR and the Arthritis Foundation held a joint legislative briefing to inform Congress members and their staff about the devastating effects of arthritis and related rheumatic diseases, as well as to encourage support of the “Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2007” (S.626/H.R. 1283), or Arthritis Act.
Grassroots: Take Action
Wondering what can you do to effectively promote rheumatology issues in Washington? Here are some ways you can get involved…
ACR Attends AMA House of Delegates
On Saturday, June 23, 2007, the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates convened in Chicago; the meeting’s theme was advocacy. The ACR was represented by its delegate Melvin Britton, MD, and alternate delegate Gary Bryant, MD.