Things To Do to Get Involved in Advocacy That Don’t Require Money

As a second-year legislator I’ve learned quickly about how things get done in Jefferson City. It’s not complicated. It is 197 elected members who are trying to learn about all the issues that are put before them and then vote in a way that would best serve their constituents. There’s no way to know everything about every one of the thousand bills that are filed every year. That is why advocacy matters. Ten people emailing their representative about a specific issue might be the only thing she hears about on that particular subject. Physicians need to advocate for medicine in Missouri. Here are ten easy ways to get politically involved:

1. Look up your legislators at www.house.mo.gov and www.senate.mo.gov. Know their names. Write down their email addresses. Write down their phone numbers.

2. Email your representative about an issue that you care about. Write your phone number and address on the email so that they know you are a constituent. They should at least read and respond to your email.

3. Meet your representative back in your district. Go to one of their town halls. Call them and ask them to come speak to a group of doctors at your office or hospital. Build a relationship with your state legislators. Politicians are human. This doesn’t mean you have to become hunting buddies. Just don’t have the first time you meet your legislator be the time you call her to encourage her to vote one way on a certain bill.

4. Go to your legislator’s official website and sign up for their Capitol reports. They’ll email you every week about the issues that they are working on.

5. Sign up to be MSMA Physician of the Day at the Capitol. Both your representative and senator will go out of their way to meet with you. You’ll be introduced and thanked on both the House and Senate floor. You’ll be providing a public service. There will be little to no actual doctoring required.

6. Take time to learn about issues that affect physicians in Missouri. Read the weekly update emails from MSMA. Read the brief bill summaries online. All the bills have one page summaries that are written in non-legalese and posted on the House and Senate websites.

7. Get upset sometimes. It’s okay to disagree. If you strongly disagree with your representative about an important issue, let them know. Respectfully tell them you’re a constituent and you disagree with them, and tell them why. They are paid to represent you. It’s part of the job to hear from their voters.

8. Take time to write your legislator thanking them for a vote you agree with. Legislators receive dozens of emails and letters a week, mostly from constituents that are unhappy with their vote. Be the bright spot in their day.

9. Get your colleagues involved. Talk with people in your specialty about issues that affect you directly. If it’s a really important issue get a group of you together for coffee and invite your representative.

10. Join your local medical society. They have people who are tied in politically and will get you more involved if you want.

This past year the House once again passed a prescription drug monitoring (PDMP) bill. We voted on it once and then left for the weekend. By the next week when it was time to finally vote on the bill and send it over to the senate, eight members had changed their “yes” vote to a “no.” Why? Because over the weekend they received emails from some constituents telling them they disagreed with their vote. Political advocacy matters. It’s not hard. Get involved.