Ask your U.S. Senators and Representative to Attend the November 8th COPD Hill Briefing
October 31, 2007
The U.S. COPD Coalition is hosting a Congressional Briefing for members of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and their staff on Thursday, November 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. As a key partner in the Coalition, the AARC is asking its members to write their members of Congress, urging them to attend this important session.
The briefing will feature talks by Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), co-chair of the Congressional COPD Caucus; Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, director of the National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI); and Grace Anne Dorney Koppel, national spokesperson for the NHLBI’s COPD Learn More Breathe Better Campaign. The intent is to inform Congressional members and staff about the important work being done by the Caucus, such as support for pulmonary rehabilitation legislation (HR 552 and S 329) that will require Medicare to finally issue a national coverage policy.
“While the members of the COPD Congressional Caucus may be aware of the disease and its impact, many of their colleagues in the House and Senate are not so informed,” says AARC Director of Government Affairs Cheryl West. “The November briefing is expected to bring many other members of Congress up to speed on COPD and the needs of those who have it.”
The U.S. COPD Coalition is an affiliation of health associations, consumers, and patient advocacy groups whose goal it is to educate policymakers on the prevalence of COPD and encourage them to change the policies of the country to provide better access to care for the COPD patient, fund greater research into the disease, and highlight the importance and effectiveness of COPD care management.
The Congressional COPD Caucus is comprised of members of Congress who recognize the impact that COPD is having on our country and who have committed to support legislation and policies that address the many issues surrounding the disease. For example, in addition to supporting the pulmonary rehab legislation, Caucus members are supporting measures to ease air travel for oxygen patients.
Please help assure the best turnout possible for the November 8 briefing by contacting your members of Congress through our Capitol Connection and asking them to attend the session. Put your zip code into the search box and you’ll receive a list of all of your members of Congress, along with direct links to their e-mail addresses.