Meeting with your Representative

Introduce yourself to your legislators and the key members of their staff by scheduling a personal visit to the legislator’s district or the Washington, D.C. office. When you contact the office of a representative or senator to request a meeting, ask to speak to the scheduler. Explain who you are, the organization you represent and the purpose of your meeting.

Consider asking to schedule meetings with pertinent staff such as the legislative assistant tasked with tracking health care issues or the chief of staff.

Scheduling Tips

Be flexible

Legislators are juggling priorities and have busy travel schedules. Many travel frequently between their home office and Washington and may be more available to meet with you in their district. Others travel infrequently due to distance or committee responsibilities and may have limited availability to meet outside of designated district work periods.

Explain the purpose of the meeting

If you explain the reason for your meeting it will allow the representatives staff to be better prepared for the meeting.

How long will the meeting take?

If you need 20 minutes, ask for 20 minutes. Do not ask for more time than you need.

Confirm the meeting

This will allow scheduler confirm the meeting time and date. This reduces scheduling errors and helps make you more visible.

Example:

Is Senator Johnson was available for 10-15 minutes on Wednesday, June 3 between 10:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. to meet with me to discuss the need for the country to must maintain a vibrant workforce in the educational pipeline to meet the increasing demand for patient care. I am the [insert title] at [hospital or health system name].

The topics that may come up in the discussion include:

Federal funding for Nursing Workforce Development Programs (Title VIII of the Public Service Act)

Federal funding for the National Institute for Nursing Research

I am in town for the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) Nurse Manager Fellowship day on Capitol Hill. AONE is the national professional organization for nurses who design, facilitate and manage care. With more than 9,700 members, AONE is the leading voice of nursing leadership in health care. AONE is a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association.

My cell phone number is 555-555-5555. Please let me know if Senator Johnson is available ANYTIME between 10:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3. Thank you very much for your time, and attention to this request.

Sincerely

[insert name]

Tips for giving a tour of your hospital

A tour familiarizes your legislator and/or staff with what you do and the challenges you face. The purpose of the tour should be strictly informative. Hospitals and 501(c)(3) cannot employ resources to influence voter preferences or the outcome of an election. Be patient with the scheduling, it takes time to schedule a tour. Keep in mind:

Prepare a factsheet about your organization. Include information about the services provided, number of nurses and other personnel, locations, services within the community, awards, information about key people and interesting facts. This gives your legislator and the staff a quick and easy look at your organization and the role it plays in your community.
Arrange for a photographer if you want photos of the visit for your internal communications.
Determine if press will be allowed into your facility. Check with the legislator’s office to see if they plan to notify the press of the visit. If you don’t want the press involved, tell your legislator that press is not allowed. If you agree to allow the press in, make sure your legislator’s office understands this tour is an opportunity to learn more about your organization and not a campaign opportunity. Assign a staffer to work with the press and determine in advance what parts of the visit are off-limits. Ensure all proper procedures are followed to maintain patient privacy.
Notify your staff of the tour date and time. Ensure your employees are aware of the legislator’s visit, and the purpose of it, so you may extoll first-hand the great services your organization provides for your community, and clearly communicate the challenges faced in the pursuit of this work.
Make a place for your tour guests to make phone calls, check email or relax before the tour begins. An uncluttered office or conference room will suffice.
Allow time for discussion. Sit down with your guests before or after the tour to discuss any burning issues and go over their questions.
Send a follow-up letter thanking the legislator for making the visit and reinforce your talking points. Send a separate follow-up note to the staffer who accompanied the legislator.

Legislators are eager to interact with their constituents during congressional recesses. Recesses generally occur the weeks before or after a major federal holiday and in the month of August. Check the latest congressional calendars. A standing invitation to tour your facility during August or other major congressional recesses would increase the likelihood of the legislator accepting the invitation.

Nurturing the relationship

It’s essential to maintain a dialogue when nurturing a strong relationship with your lawmaker and to continue to do so even when there is no pending legislation. Once you have met your legislator and staff members, continue contacting them on a regular basis on both urgent issues and matters of policy. Legislators and their staff rely on input from constituents to inform their opinions on legislation and policy. You want them to consider you a valuable resource. Email is the preferred form of communication but ask your legislators and their staff how they prefer to communicate.

Meeting day

Arrive early and bring a fact sheet about your organization – its size, history and role in your community. Bring extra copies and your business cards. Ask for staff’s business cards and how they prefer to be contacted.
Begin by introducing yourself and your organization. Share your organization’s story. Talk about the services you offer, your employees, your work within the community and the economic impact you have on the community. Invite your legislator and the staff to tour your organization to learn more about the work you do and meet the nurses who care for their community.
Send a follow-up email thanking the legislator and/or staff for meeting with you and express your desire to work together. Repeat your invitation to tour your hospital.
Thank the scheduler who arranged the visit on your behalf.