Written by Lisa Van Allen, Chair of the RSDSA Advocacy Committee, for the RSDSA blog.
Communicating directly with your legislator is the best way to promote change in the laws and policies affecting healthcare in the United States. When you meet with a legislator or staff member, preparation is important to assure your message is clearly and succinctly communicated. A “one-pager” is the best way to do this.
A “one pager” helps effectively deliver your message and facilitates a productive conversation on the issues of importance to you and your organization.
Meeting with a legislator or staff person in your local office or in the Capitol is a great way to share your CRPS story, information about your disease and/or organization, and problems that you and/or your organization face. We recommend creating a one pager to use as a tool during a meeting and to leave behind with the legislator or staffer at the end of the meeting.
A one pager is a brief fact sheet and should be one single page. When creating a one pager, present the information clearly and use concise bullet points.
Your one pager should include:
- A brief statement on the organization you represent and what the organization does.
- A brief summary of the problem that you are seeking help on. Use data and reference studies (when applicable) to support your position on the issue.
- A brief summary of the solution to the problem, such as legislation, and what it will do for you and/or the pain community.
- What your legislator can do to help, also known as the “Ask.” Example: Support the Protect Rare Act, HB 6094
- Include a list of supporters such as a group of other organizations that support your position or piece of legislation, the co-sponsors of the legislation, and/or the other signers of the letter.
- Include your contact information so that the legislator and staff person can contact you if they have any questions.
Creating your one-pager before your meeting with legislators is an excellent way to prepare and to create strong brief messages that will have an impact.
Below you will see a sample one-pager on the PROTECT Rare Act. Do you have a one-pager that worked well in a meeting with a legislator? We’d love to hear about it! Contact the Advocacy committee at [email protected].
