The 2017 Advocacy Summit was held March 6-7 in Washington, DC, and while the outcome is still developing, we are very pleased with the results thus far.
Arthritis affects people regardless of age or origin, so it was no surprise that this year’s Summit attendees were a mix of all ages from coast to coast.More than 400 people from 45 states attended.
Continue reading峰会的成功!Advocates Meet with Congress as American Health Care Act Released
Day two of theAdvocacy Summitstarted with lots of chatter about the Trump administration’s unveiling of repeal and replace health care legislation.
Several aspects of the bill align with ourPatient Principles for Health Carewhich outlines four principles that, if adopted, will result in a transparent health care system that allows easier access to more affordable care. The bill includes language that prevents denying coverage for people with preexisting conditions, bans lifetime coverage caps and allows young people to remain on their parent’s insurance plans until they turn 26-years-old – all good news for the arthritis community!
Continue readingAdvocacy Summit Day 2 Highlights: Advocates Meet with State and Federal Policymakers to Share Their Stories
They came from places like Runnels, a small town in Iowa with 507 residents, and New York City, the second largest city in the world.
People like Leticia Hugues and her son, Ashton, from Smiths Grove Kentucky, Lydia Meyer and her daughter Susanna from Reno, Nevada, and Kelli Carlson from Woodbury Minnesota and her friend Kelli Dwyer from La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Continue reading400 Volunteers Prepare for Meetings with Congress: Advocacy Summit Day 1 Highlights
A record number of individuals have achieved the Arthritis Foundation’s highest advocacy honor in 2016 and became PlatinumAmbassadors. At the 2017Advocacy Summit, March 6-7, in Washington, DC, 41 new Platinum Ambassadors will be recognized for their outstanding advocacy accomplishments on behalf of the arthritis community.
白金大使是一个精英团体的倡导者，他们超越了职责的召唤，完成了一份具有挑战性的倡导任务清单和四项奖金活动，同时筹集资金支持基金会的使命，以征服和治疗关节炎。
“Platinum Ambassadors are the special forces of our Advocate army,” said Sandie Preiss, national vice president, Advocacy & Access. “They use their voice and arthritis stories, at an elevated level of frequency and sophistication, to help knock down barriers to health care.”
Continue readingRecord Number of Advocates Earn Platinum Ambassador Status
Arthritis is not just your grandparent’s disease, and at this year’s Advocacy Summit, our young participants will tell Members of Congress that kids get arthritis, too!
On March 6 and 7, more than 400 people affected by arthritis from all across the country will convene in Washington, DC, as part of the Arthritis Foundation’s2017 Advocacy Summit.
Attendees will include an estimated 100 kids and teens who will participate in a specialKidsandHigh SchoolSummit track. Uniquely designed for kids/teens who are affected byjuvenile arthritis儿童风湿病，这一轨道包括互动活动，将赋予他们所需的技能和信心，以提高对关节炎社区的认识，无论老少，并帮助改变对这种疾病的看法。Then they will meet with Members of Congress, educating them aboutbarriers to health careand motivating them to consider all people who live with arthritis when they design health care legislation.
Continue readingMore than 100 Kids and Teens to Meet with Members of Congress at Advocacy Summit
Anna and Graci Diggs are on their way home. And they feel pretty good.
Anna and Graci are from Tipton, Missouri, and, along with 388 other people from all parts of the country, they traveled to Washington, D.C., March 14-15, for theArthritis Foundation’s Advocacy Summit.
安娜说:“我们来到倡导峰会，因为我们正在处理我女儿关节炎的一些问题，这些问题可以在首都这里得到改变。”“所以我们觉得我们的声音被听到很重要。希望我们能有所作为。”
Graci is 10-years-old and hasjuvenile polyarticular arthritis.
为期两天的活动于周一开始，由关节炎基金会总裁兼首席执行官安·帕尔默(Ann Palmer)致欢迎词，随后是倡导与访问的副总裁桑迪·普雷斯(Sandie Preiss)，她向与会者介绍了倡导计划和将讨论的关键问题。政治咨询机构临时演讲会(Soapbox)的首席执行长库什(Christopher Kush)向来宾们介绍了与议员沟通时应注意的事项。
Continue readingEmpowered Advocates of All Ages Share Their Stories at the Advocacy Summit
Day 1 of the 2016 Advocacy Summit has wrapped and featured learning and training sessions ranging from mock meetings on the Hill, to ways to use social media to advocate, to sessions for advocates to learn how to begin their Capital Hill journeys. Like most attendees, April McCaslin and her daughter, Nora, and Meredith Meyer and her daughter, Sophie, are both excited and nervous for their meetings with Congress members tomorrow.
April and Nora are from East Syracuse, New York, and Meredith and Sophie are from Hilton, New York. Both kids have juvenile polyarticular arthritis and, while this is their first Arthritis Foundation Advocacy Summit, they are no strangers to Foundation activities.
Continue readingFinding Their Voices: Advocates Prepare for Meetings on the Hill