News and Updates

Health Promotion Provisions are law

7 Tips for Contacting Congress

1. Review our briefing document and sample letters to your Senator  and other useful resources and information offered on this Website. Become familiar with the data. Prioritize your advocacy:
    
   • Contact congressional representatives by phone.
   • Write congressional representatives a letter.
   • Schedule multiple follow-up calls with each representative.
   • Meet in person with your representative if possible.
   • Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.
   • Contact the health editor of your local paper and educate them on on the issue.
   • Contact your local TV news and radio stations and educate them on on the issue.  Offer to do an interview.
   • Let your friends and colleagues know about the issue.
      
2. Determine the position your senators and representative are taking on this issue, and then let them know how you feel about their position. To identify your congressional representative, go to http://congress.org, enter in your zip code, then click on the info button by their name to get their address. Also, write down their telephone number.
    
3. When writing letters feel free to use our sample letters to your Senators . However, it’s best to write a letter in your own words and style. There are plenty of examples and data on this Website to support you. Old-fashioned typed or handwritten correspondence (snail mail) is more persuasive and noticed than email. Typically, emails are simply counted (pro or con) and not read. Your representative is swamped with emails every day. Letters are much more rare and indicate a higher level of involvement from the constituent.
    
4. Phone calls are even better than letters. You can obtain your representative’s phone number from http://congress.org or by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Telephone calls are efficient and effective because it will allow you to develop an instant dialog with your representative or their staff. You can ask questions and receive immediate feedback. For suggestions on how to structure your telephone call see Telephone Scripts.
    
5. Contact the health editor of your local newspaper and make them aware of the Building Health Promotion Into the National Agenda 2001 Resolution in the Senate and House and the position your representative is taking on the issue. Also make them aware of this Website so they can become more familiar with the issue. Write a letter to the editor. A sample is located on this site. Look it over and then write the letter in your own words.
    
6. Let your friends and colleagues know of this initiative and direct them to this Website for more information. Your state senator and representative should also be aware of Building Health Promotion Into the National Agenda. An eventual bill will ultimately fund research and information dissemination at the state level.
    
7. The best advocacy action is a personal visit with your representative. Use the materials located on this site. Make an appointment, walk into their office, and let them know how you feel about this initiative. Let them know what you would like them to do, and ask them specifically what they will do. Very few people visit their representative, so it has a profound effect on the representative when an issue motivates constituents to visit in person.

Please keep us informed by email of any information you receive from your representatives regarding this initiative, and send us copies of any editorials or stories that appear in your local paper to: American Journal of Health Promotion 1660 Cass Lake Road, Suite 104 Keego Harbor, MI 48320 . If you visit with your representative please let us know this as well. Thank you for your involvement.