Last October, we held our capstone advocacy event of the year, You’re the Cure on the Hill 2019 in Washington D.C. The event was a smashing success for our federal policy priorities, and we thank the hundreds of advocates and AHA staff that attended the fantastic 3 day event.
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Beginning on October 16th, nearly 250 YTC advocates painted Capitol Hill red, continuing their dedication to be a relentless force for a world of longer healthier lives. They participated in 3 days of advocacy filled action at our biannual You’re the Cure on the Hill event (YTCH). Highlighted by our trip to Capitol Hill to meet with Representatives, Senators and their staff, YTCH saw 3 days of non-stop action and of course fun! Activities included an Advocacy Academy to train advocates on new tactics and techniques to help make an impact on local, state and federal policy, an advocacy awards dinner and of course the lobby day itself!
On Thursday, October 17th YTC advocates had 250 meetings with members of Congress and their staff to advocates for 3 key AHA policy priorities. Sticking with the theme of the event of “Paving the Path Forward”, our advocates asked Congress to help us continue the path to longer healthier lives by supporting:
- Increasing funding for life saving medical research and prevention programs at the National Institutes for Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control
- Passing legislation that would protect patients from financially crippling surprise medical bills
- Passing legislation to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products which have helped fuel a new youth tobacco epidemic, including electronic cigarettes, cigars, and menthol cigarettes.
The hill meetings were a remarkable success! Several offices committed to cosponsoring legislation based on advocate meetings and we heard countless times that hearing personal stories for why they support specific legislation is critically important for our work. The impassioned voices of YTC advocates, survivors and caregivers truly “rang out” on Capitol Hill that day and our advocates left D.C. knowing that they had made a difference!
You can get a behind the scenes look at all the You’re the Cure on the Hill 2019 fun by checking out of photo album on Facebook. You can even watch our special Facebook chat with award winning actress, heart survivor and AHA advocate Susan Lucci!
You’re the Cure on the Hill 2019 was so much more than just a day for advocacy in D.C. YTC staff developed a robust “virtual lobby day” experience for advocates that could not make the trek to Washington D.C. and they were able to make their voices heard to Congress right from home. And boy did they make their voices heard…sending thousands of letters and personal stories to members of Congress ahead of our legislative meetings.
To everyone who participated in You’re the Cure on the Hill 2019, whether in Washington D.C. or from your own home, you all played an important role in helping us pave the path forward to a world of longer healthier lives. We are so appreciative of our impassioned advocates and all that we can accomplish when we come together in a strong, unified voice.
Always remember, in the fight against heart disease and stroke… You’re the Cure!!!
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