What You Will Talk About in Your Promise Meeting?
With the start of the Promise Campaign only a week away, you may be wondering what you will be talking about during the meetings with your Members of Congress. Have no fear – you don’t have to go into these meetings without guidance from JDRF Advocacy! We have already developed talking points for you to use, which I have summarized in this blog post:
- The most important part of the Promise meeting is telling your story to the legislator. By sharing your experience with type 1 diabetes and its impact on your life, you are giving the Member a chance to see what living with diabetes is like. Your story is your most valuable asset, and it is what the legislator will remember most about your meeting.
- However, it is good to remind your Member that you are only one of 26 million Americans with diabetes, which cost the U.S. over $174 billion each year. The hope for a cure lies in research, and JDRF is doing its part, having provided approximately $107 million for research in 2010. The Special Diabetes Program, which was renewed by Congress last year, is also critical for bringing us closer to a cure and new treatments for type 1 diabetes. The program has funded research into the artificial pancreas, which is the main point of the meeting.
- As we have mentioned before on this blog, the artificial pancreas has currently shown remarkable results in hospital settings, but the FDA needs to provide guidance in order for outpatient trials to begin. The FDA has made this technology a priority and Congress has shown their support as well. After a majority of Congress sent letters to the FDA requesting that they provide guidance promptly, the FDA promised the draft guidance for the artificial pancreas will be available later this year. We need Members of Congress to call or write FDA Commissioner Hamburg to ensure that this issue remains a priority and that the draft guidance is indeed issued no later than this fall.
Don’t worry, you are not expected to memorize all of these facts and topics! If you are signed up to attend a meeting with your Member of Congress, you will receive the talking points via email beforehand (if you have not signed up yet, you can do so on the new Promise website). If you have any questions about the Promise Campaign or it’s talking points, feel free to leave them for me below.