Have a half or full day?

Only have a half or full day?  You can be a tremendously effective advocate!  Here are some examples of ways to spend your time in a meaningful way:

-          Patient-level advocacy:   Initiate and implement a patient-level QI project at your clinic.  Think kids of Spanish-speaking patients aren’t understanding asthma instructions?  Spend a day creating Spanish-language inhaler labels.  Find that patients in your practice are under-immunized?  Spend an afternoon putting together an information sheet on the HPV vaccine and its importance.

-          Community-level advocacy:  Identify an issue affecting child health in your community, and write an op-ed for your local newspaper!   A primer on op-eds and an example of crafting an op-ed on immigrant health are uploaded in the "Get Involved" section.  The AAP’s “Advocacy and Policy” section allows you to search for other op-ed examples, and the Media Outreach Center allows you to search for and contact your local newspapers by zip code!  Feel free to also check out the AAP’s Advocacy Training Module #4 (Advocacy Communication) for more information on “Crafting Your Message.”

-          Federal-level advocacy:   Attend an AAP Advocacy Day!  These occur two to three times per year, and are a great way to get introduced to the legislative process in a supportive, non-threatening way.  All AAP Advocacy Days include a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with elected officials and their staffers.  Email Jamie Poslosky to be put a mailing list for the next Advocacy Days!  (Have another organization you’re already affiliated with that relates to child health?  Many of them will organize “Storm the Hill” days as well)