From emails to handshakes: Making a difference on Capitol Hill

Advocacy Days are organized events where constituents meet with policymakers to discuss legislative issues. They are one component of an advocate’s toolkit for engaging with legislators and directly influencing policy decisions. Two recent participants in IDSA and HIVMA Advocacy Days — Haley Pritchard, MD, MS, and Andrew Trotter, MD, MPH, FIDSA — share their experience and how the Society’s Member Advocacy Program provides wide-ranging opportunities for members to engage with and influence policy decisions, gain advocacy skills and strengthen relationships with policymakers. 

What was it like participating in IDSA’s Advocacy Day and this year’s joint HIVMA/Ryan White Medical Providers Coalition’s Advocacy Day?

Dr. Haley Pritchard: I had an amazing experience participating in IDSA’s Advocacy Day. We were very well prepared beforehand by IDSA’s staffers and lobbyists who were with us the entire time to support us with policy information as we shared our personal stories. 

I met with Indiana and Ohio congressional offices and even got to speak directly with one of my own senators, Sen. Mike Braun, about the importance of the Bio-Preparedness Workforce Pilot Program and the PASTEUR Act. It was heartening to see how many congressional staffers were genuinely interested in learning more about antimicrobial resistance and the ID workforce.

Dr. Andrew Trotter: Preparation for Advocacy Day started with a virtual meeting beforehand, which provided an overview of the day, the advocacy priority issues and opportunities to ask questions. The advocacy team from HIVMA provides concise handouts with state-specific information relevant to what you will talk to legislative offices about, such as Ryan White funding and Ryan White patient outcomes.

During Advocacy Day, I met with Illinois Senate and House of Representative legislative offices. We discussed key issues, including how effective and necessary Ryan White funding is for people in our state and the need for continued funding. We also talked about implications of gaps in PrEP funding and the need for a national PrEP program and the Bio-Preparedness Workforce Pilot Program to address ID workforce needs.

With each issue, I try to throw in something that sparks conversation, such as U=U and treatment as prevention — often people are unaware of the irrefutable science behind U=U — the effectiveness of PrEP or how critical access to ID care is for their constituents and communities.

Why is it important for ID/HIV health care professionals to participate in advocacy?

Dr. Pritchard: Medicine is inherently political. By sharing our stories and our expertise with the people in positions to enact policy change, we ensure that we have a hand in shaping the future of medicine. I think we owe it to our patients and to our profession to advocate for fair and evidence-based health care and public health policies. No one person can fix everything, but everyone can do something, from sharing IDSA’s and HIVMA’s Action Alerts to participating in Advocacy Day.

Dr. Trotter: Many of us, particularly in HIV care, know that through our relationships with our patients, we learn so much about the challenges they face. HIV and the communities impacted by HIV continue to be stigmatized, and many people living with HIV don’t or can’t have a voice to advocate for services and programs they need. As ID and HIV professionals, we have the scientific knowledge to translate the science, but we also can share the challenges our patients face so that legislators can make informed fiscal decisions.

I have been involved in advocacy through participating in the Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., but I also stay in communication with my congressional offices by participating in Action Alerts and follow-up emails to their offices. Through these activities, I have been able to share scientific data and the challenges my patients (and their communities) face and make the case for continued funding for HIV programs.

These programs will only exist if they are funded, and funding must be adjusted to fit evolving needs. We can advocate for this funding so that our legislators are informed when conversations about future HIV and ID funding happen in Congress.

How has participating in advocacy made a difference in the field of ID and HIV?

Dr. Pritchard: During Advocacy Day, I spoke about the problems with compensation for cognitive work in ID compared to procedural specialties and specifically about the need to be able to bill accurately for the time and effort we spend coordinating care for patients with complex infections. When CMS announced that the 2025 fee schedule would include an add-on code to specifically allow ID physicians to bill for inpatient evaluation and management of complex infections, I felt an immense sense of satisfaction with my work with the Member Advocacy Program.

I didn’t really understand that the brief conversations I had during IDSA’s Advocacy Day would sink in with the congressional staffers until I saw tangible results. It feels amazing to know that I made a difference for my colleagues!

Dr. Trotter: Advocacy has been a central component of HIV care in the United States since the beginning of the epidemic. Advocacy brought marginalized voices to public light, helped humanize those affected by HIV and pushed government and institutions to allocate funding and resources to HIV care and research into treatments. Much of the advocacy has come from people and communities affected by HIV, but as HIV and ID providers, we also have a role to play.

Despite a very challenging fiscal environment and recent proposals to cut entire components of the Ryan White Program, advocacy from HIVMA/IDSA has allowed legislators to understand the real and devastating impacts such cuts would have for the health and well-being of their constituents and their communities. This has ensured continued funding and helped avert significant cuts to federal HIV programs despite a challenging funding environment.

Join the Member Advocacy Program now to learn how to get involved in IDSA’s and HIVMA’s advocacy efforts.