Below are some specific tips to help you in successfully completing this very important phone call to your two senate offices regarding Health Promotion FIRST (Funding Integrated Research, Synthesis and Training).

Getting ready

1. Read the Latest Health Promotion FIRST Act Progress Report. This document summarizes the details of the bill.
    
2. Assume that the senate office knows nothing about our advocacy efforts or this bill. Although our advocates have spoken to every Senate office in the past two years, there is high turnover among Senate staff and they hear from hundreds of advocates every week. Understand that Senator Lugar will be introducing the bill as soon as we have a critical mass of original co-sponsors, hopefully in June.

Making the call

1. Identify yourself by name, state of residence, type of work you do, and if you wish, your position and organization.
    
2. Ask to speak with the legislative assistant for health.
    
3. These legislative assistants are your link to your Senator. Gaining their attention and support is vital to earning the support of your Senator. Begin to establish an advocacy relationship with this person.
    
4. There is a high likelihood that the legislative aide will not be in when you call. If this is the case leave a detailed phone message summarizing the points below. Leave your telephone and email address so the aide can follow up with you.

During the call

1. Focus on getting the member’s view on this bill, and, most importantly, ask if each will be an original co-sponsor the bill. Yes, ask them this.

2. You should try to make the following points during your conversation:

• This bill emerged directly from the resolution Senator Specter co-sponsored in the 107th Congress H Con. Res. 11. (Senator Santorum was not a co-sponsor, so you will not mention the Resolution in his call.)
   
• Health promotion is critical to the nation because lifestyle related diseases are responsible for half of all the premature deaths in the United States and 25% -50% of the medical costs. These deaths and costs are preventable. Childhood diabetes and the obesity epidemic are two of the many examples of problems that could be prevented. In addition to producing a huge human burden, preventable lifestyle diseases threaten to bankrupt Medicare and cost most employers more than they make in corporate profits. Health promotion can prevent these diseases.
   
• Health Promotion FIRST is an important first step in integrating health promotion into national health policy because we need to have solid plans in place before we push for wide spread programs, and we need a solid science base to make sure the most effective programs are offered.
    
• Health promotion is important to my state because… (give a relevant example such as childhood obesity, heart disease, high Medicaid costs, etc.), and try to fill in something about your company, town, state, or anything to give this concept local appeal.

After the call

Thank the legislative assistant for his or her time, and follow up with a thank-you note that restates the reason for your call. Please fax the letter and attach a copy of the working draft of the bill to the letter. A sample follow-up letter is available to make this easy. Please feel free to customize it.

As an additional resource, refer to http://www.senate.gov/ for more specific information about your Senators.