Take Action: Share your #CHDVoice with Legislators

March 1st, 2021 by Jessica Chenevert

Couldn’t attend this year’s Virtual Advocacy Conference? No problem! Read on for info on using your #CHDVoice from home.

As you read this, more than 250 advocates are virtually on Capitol Hill, meeting with their Members of Congress as part of Conquering CHD’s 2021 Advocacy Conference. This year there are three critical asks for Congress:

Support congenital heart disease appropriations requests for FY 2022.
– $10M to fully fund the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act
– $46.1B to National Institutes of Health

Support federal policy provisions that promote patient empowerment.
– Transparency and public reporting of CHD outcomes
– Access to specialized CHD care throughout the lifespan
– Address serious health disparities in congenital heart disease

Join the Congenital Heart Congressional Caucus in the House.

The more #CHDVoices the better! Join us in an email campaign to your Legislators TODAY!

Take action in three easy steps:

Find your Senators and Representative. If this is your first time reaching out, use the contact form on the legislator’s website to send your email. If you have had a previous contact with your member or a member of their staff, please use the direct email address you were given.
Copy and paste the sample letter below; don’t forget to add your story.
Attach the Dear Colleague Letter for the House of Representatives (closed April 2021) or Senate.
Hit send!

Hooray! If you successfully connect with your legislator or their office, let us know. The stronger our #CHDVoice, the better!

Sample Letter

Subject: Support Congenital Heart Disease Research

Dear Senator/Congressman [Fill in name here],

I’m writing to urge you to support federal research, surveillance and awareness for congenital heart disease (CHD).

Every 15 minutes, a baby is born with congenital heart disease, the most common birth defect and the leading cause of birth defect-related infant death. Even for those who receive successful intervention, it is not a cure. Children and adults with congenital heart disease require ongoing, costly, specialized cardiac care and face a lifelong risk of permanent disability and premature death. As a result, healthcare utilization among the congenital heart disease population is significantly higher than the general population.
Continued federal investment is necessary to provide rigorous epidemiological and longitudinal public health surveillance and public health research on infants, children, adolescents, and adults to better understand congenital heart disease at every age, improve outcomes and reduce costs.

We urge Congress to:

Support our congenital heart disease appropriations requests for CDC and NIH.
Support federal policy provisions that promote transparency and public reporting of congenital heart disease outcomes, allow for access to specialized care across the lifespan, and address serious health disparities in CHD care.
Join the House Congenital Heart Congressional Caucus.

To join the House Congenital Heart Congressional Caucus, please contact Shayne Woods, Bilirakis (FL), at shayne.woods@mail.house.gov -or- Anthony Theissen, Schiff (CA), at anthony.theissen@mail.house.gov.

If you would like any additional information please contact Amy Basken at abasken@conqueringchd.org.

Thank you,
[Your Name][Your City/State]