Meeting with government officials is easier than you think!

Contacting government officials lets you take an active role in influencing public policy. Meetings with constituents give policymakers the opportunity to learn about issues and make informed policy decisions. As a health professional student, you have a powerful voice to promote and protect human rights.

Things to Consider When Scheduling a Meeting

• Timing: Start calling the office a few weeks ahead of time, because it may take several calls or faxes to schedule an appointment. Ask for the scheduler’s name and the name of the appropriate aide. Find the contact information for your Representatives, then fax or email the meeting request. You can use our sample Meeting Request letter (.doc) as a starting point. It’s likely that you’ll meet with an aide, rather than the congressperson; your meeting will still have an impact on the policymaker.
• Participation: Two to four people is ideal. Include people who are from the legislator’s district or state who have some level of expertise on the issue, and people who are articulate, respectful, and confident.
• Preparation: Know your facts. Read the bill before you meet with your representative! Be able to explain, succinctly, why this issue is important to you. Practice and know who will say what. If you don’t know the answer to a question that arises, don’t worry: tell the staffer you will get back to then—a great way to ensure follow up and continued conversation after the meeting. Use the Global HEALTH Act fact sheet (pdf) to develop your talking points. Know as much as possible about the member’s background in general (especially which committees she or he sits on) and on your issue.

Tips for the Meeting – Remember the 4 Cs!

• Connection: Recognize past support of this issue or others. Chat about personal connections or relevant news. Be polite, respectful, and formal when addressing the member of Congress.
• Context: Give background info on the issue, why it’s so important, your connection to it (perhaps most important), and the Representative’s connection to it.
• Commitment: Do not be afraid to ask for what you want: “Can we count on your support for the 2010 Global Health Act?” If you don’t ask, you don’t know for sure their position.
• Catapult: End on a friendly note. Thank the member or aide. Get the card of the appropriate aide. Discuss the next steps for follow-up.

After you have met with your congressperson please complete the Meeting Report form (.doc) so PHR can follow up and leverage your work. These meetings can make a big difference. Email us at bcastro[at]phrusa[dot]org and set up an appointment today!

Check out the new GHWA Toolkit for more information.

This year we’re encouraging chapters to focus their GHWA on the global health workforce crisis and the 2010 Global HEALTH Act, which will be introduced soon in the House of Representatives. You can raise awareness about the need for more health workers and better health systems in developing countries, and then take steps to address that need.

The first step: set your Global Health Week of Action date. Because April 7, 2010, is World Health Day, April 4-10 is the official week of action date. If you need to move the date because of spring break or campus calendars, go for it – just try to stay within 2-3 weeks of this date.

Please refer to the GHWA Toolkit to find resources for planning a successful week of events! The Toolkit includes an Issue and Action Guide, ideas for great events, suggestions on how to fundraise and publicize, and resources to share with your community.

We hope these resources – along with your creativity, energy, and education and advocacy skills – will help ensure that your GHWA has real impact.

Want more support? That’s what we’re here for. Email Hope O’Brien anytime at hobrien[at]phrusa[dot]org.

This year, in keeping with the 2009 theme of Universal Access and Human Rights, we’re dedicating World AIDS Day and Human Rights Day to getting the United States to ratify the Convention to End All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Join us for the 10,000 in 10 campaign, which aims to collect ten thousand signatures for US ratification of CEDAW during the ten days between World AIDS Day (Dec 1) and Human Rights Day (Dec 10)!

There are a variety of opportunities to join the national action, depending on your interest and capacity:

1. Mobilize the health professional student and faculty communities to urge the US to ratify CEDAW as a step forward in protecting women’s rights and health. PHR is doing this in partnership with a number of other organizations, allowing for a greater national movement. Our challenge to each PHR chapter: collect 100 signatures of support for CEDAW from your community.
2. Host educational events on campuses nationwide about women, HIV, and the human rights context/approach.
3. Organize an in-district meeting with your Senator to personally deliver the signatures you collect and urge him or her to support CEDAW.

As you plan your school’s involvement in World AIDS Day, download our 2009 World AIDS Day Toolkit to receive educational & organizing resources to reach out to students and faculty, organize successful events, and educate members of your community. And stay tuned to the Student Blog for more hands-on advocacy resources available mid-November.

This year, in keeping with the 2009 theme of Universal Access and Human Rights, we’re dedicating World AIDS Day and Human Rights Day to getting the United States to ratify the Convention to End All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Join us for the 10,000 in 10 campaign, which aims to collect ten thousand signatures for US ratification of CEDAW during the ten days between World AIDS Day (Dec 1) and Human Rights Day (Dec 10)!

There are a variety of opportunities to join the national action, depending on your interest and capacity:

1. Mobilize the health professional student and faculty communities to urge the US to ratify CEDAW as a step forward in protecting women’s rights and health. PHR is doing this in partnership with a number of other organizations, allowing for a greater national movement. Our challenge to each PHR chapter: collect 100 signatures of support for CEDAW from your community.
2. Host educational events on campuses nationwide about women, HIV, and the human rights context/approach.
3. Organize an in-district meeting with your Senator to personally deliver the signatures you collect and urge him or her to support CEDAW.

As you plan your school’s involvement in World AIDS Day, download our 2009 World AIDS Day Toolkit to receive educational & organizing resources to reach out to students and faculty, organize successful events, and educate members of your community. And stay tuned to the Student Blog for more hands-on advocacy resources available mid-November.

CEDAW, which was adopted by the U.N. general assembly in 1979, is the premier document in international law dealing with women’s rights. CEDAW addresses a diverse array of women’s rights and human rights issues including equality in civil, social, political and economic life, protection from sexual violence, and reproductive freedom. As President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton work to move the United States to the forefront of international human rights and women’s rights work, it is imperative that we ratify CEDAW and demonstrate that we are serious about our obligations to the international community and to women worldwide.

This year, in recognition of both World AIDS Day (Dec 1) and Human Rights Day (Dec 10), PHR and other partnering organizations will mount a 10,000 signatures in 10 days campaign. Join us in letting your senator know that it’s time for the United States to ratify CEDAW and commit to women’s rights worldwide. We’ll be posting an educational and event planning toolkit next week, with many more World AIDS Day resources to follow, so stay tuned!

CEDAW, which was adopted by the U.N. general assembly in 1979, is the premier document in international law dealing with women’s rights. CEDAW addresses a diverse array of women’s rights and human rights issues including equality in civil, social, political and economic life, protection from sexual violence, and reproductive freedom. As President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton work to move the United States to the forefront of international human rights and women’s rights work, it is imperative that we ratify CEDAW and demonstrate that we are serious about our obligations to the international community and to women worldwide.

This year, in recognition of both World AIDS Day (Dec 1) and Human Rights Day (Dec 10), PHR and other partnering organizations will mount a 10,000 signatures in 10 days campaign. Join us in letting your senator know that it’s time for the United States to ratify CEDAW and commit to women’s rights worldwide. We’ll be posting an educational and event planning toolkit next week, with many more World AIDS Day resources to follow, so stay tuned!

CEDAW, or the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, is an international convention adopted by the United Nations in 1979. It serves as an international bill of human rights for women, specifically extending provisions laid out by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to women while also addressing issues unique to women worldwide. Many of the provisions laid out in CEDAW, such as the right to health for women, the right to civil and domestic equality, and the right to reproductive freedom, directly pertain to controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS. Although women all over the world have used CEDAW to enact positive changes in their own countries, the United States remains one of only eight member countries of the U.N. that have not ratified CEDAW—the others include Iran, Sudan and Somalia. This World AIDS Day, we’re looking to change that.

To gear up for your school’s involvement in World AIDS Day, here are a few introductory factsheets on CEDAW and U.S. Ratification. Use these as articles for discussion groups, addendums to relevant course reading, informational handouts during tabling or events, etc. These serve as a great way to familiarize yourself, your chapter, and your peers with what CEDAW is and how the United States can join the international community in supporting women’s rights:

• The American Bar Association’s Information on and Summary of CEDAW
• Amnesty International’s CEDAW Factsheet and Common Myths
• Amnesty’s CEDAW and Maternal Health Factsheet
• The Working Group on Ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women’s Factsheet

For a more in depth read, check out these sites:

• Official CEDAW Site with the Full Text of CEDAW
• U.N. CEDAW Committee Webpage

If you’re wondering how exactly CEDAW and the global AIDS pandemic relate:

• UNIFEM’s free informational booklet on CEDAW and AIDS, Turning the Tide
• UNAIDS Global Coalition on Women and AIDS

Finally, check out some of PHR’s material on the feminization of the pandemic:

• Epidemic of Inequality: Women’s Rights and HIV/AIDS in Botswana & Swaziland
• Health Rights=Healthy Women Platform
• Halting the Feminization of AIDS: Lessons from Kenya

CEDAW, or the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, is an international convention adopted by the United Nations in 1979. It serves as an international bill of human rights for women, specifically extending provisions laid out by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to women while also addressing issues unique to women worldwide. Many of the provisions laid out in CEDAW, such as the right to health for women, the right to civil and domestic equality, and the right to reproductive freedom, directly pertain to controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS. Although women all over the world have used CEDAW to enact positive changes in their own countries, the United States remains one of only eight member countries of the U.N. that have not ratified CEDAW—the others include Iran, Sudan and Somalia. This World AIDS Day, we’re looking to change that.

To gear up for your school’s involvement in World AIDS Day, here are a few introductory factsheets on CEDAW and U.S. Ratification. Use these as articles for discussion groups, addendums to relevant course reading, informational handouts during tabling or events, etc. These serve as a great way to familiarize yourself, your chapter, and your peers with what CEDAW is and how the United States can join the international community in supporting women’s rights:

• The American Bar Association’s Information on and Summary of CEDAW
• Amnesty International’s CEDAW Factsheet and Common Myths
• Amnesty’s CEDAW and Maternal Health Factsheet
• The Working Group on Ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women’s Factsheet

For a more in depth read, check out these sites:

• Official CEDAW Site with the Full Text of CEDAW
• U.N. CEDAW Committee Webpage

If you’re wondering how exactly CEDAW and the global AIDS pandemic relate:

• UNIFEM’s free informational booklet on CEDAW and AIDS, Turning the Tide
• UNAIDS Global Coalition on Women and AIDS

Finally, check out some of PHR’s material on the feminization of the pandemic:

• Epidemic of Inequality: Women’s Rights and HIV/AIDS in Botswana & Swaziland
• Health Rights=Healthy Women Platform
• Halting the Feminization of AIDS: Lessons from Kenya

With the delay in voting, we have more time to advocate for an end to the federal ban! President Obama is in a unique position to urge the Senate to make needle exchange a priority as the vote approaches. During his campaign, President Obama promised to end the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs. Senators need to hear from President Obama that his Administration supports syringe exchange.

Now is the time to urge President Obama to fulfill his campaign promise to end the ban and urge the Senate to act. Want to help? Organize a Call-in drive on your campus over the next two weeks to ensure Obama hears from the public to take action.

All it takes is:

1. Booked space in a public area on your campus
2. Call-in instructions and script
3. Needle exchange fact sheet

It could make the all the difference in how the Senate votes.

Why support stronger Syringe Exchange Programs? SEPs promote health and human rights. More than a dozen scientific reviews of SEPs have shown that when implemented as part of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention strategy, SEPs help reduce HIV transmissions without increasing drug use. Indeed, SEPs do more than provide clean syringes and properly dispose of used ones; they link people into the health care system and drug treatment programs that save lives.

President Obama’s leadership is key to moving this issue forward in the Senate. His support could help save the lives of thousands of people. 20 years is too long—help us end the ban today! Contact me if you want to get your campus involved.

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• Support PHR While You Shop Online

Also, you can set up a Kaiser Health News personal RSS account to regularly receive major health care news stories.