Now…cook!

Advocacy is a lifelong endeavor – and the only way to “fail” is to do nothing. Being a policy expert is not a requirement. The role of DPAC is to make advocacy accessible & set you up for success so that all you have to do is show up! 

Two key lessons I learned after joining DPAC:

1. There are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies when it comes to politics. Things are constantly changing! The one thing that stays the same: it’s your representative’s job to serve their community. 
2. It only takes seven calls about one topic for a legislative office to mark an issue as important. These things aren’t as distant as they seem!

DPAC has already passed laws in 4 states, and has introduced legislation in 20 others.

What are our ultimate goals?

• Participate in public hearings, town halls, and coffee chats with your representatives. Ask questions, share your perspective, and advocate for policies that support your medical needs; follow up with letters, emails, and phone calls to support your efforts, always personalizing them and sharing how the policy impacts you personally.
• Utilize your social media platforms to amplify your efforts and share your story to educate others about healthcare issues and encourage others to take action by sharing with others and asking them to contacting their legislatures and continuing to spread awareness.
  • Follow @DiabetesPAC on Instagram and X/Twitter, and Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition on Facebook and LinkedIn to get daily updates on diabetes policy and information! And while you’re at it, follow other diabetes organizations & content creators!
• Keep reaching out to your legislators. These things take time. Celebrate small victories and use them as ammunition to continue to work toward the next achievement. Do not give up!

What can you do right now?

• Here’s your first step: diabetespac.org/champions.
• Learn who your local representatives are. https://diabetespac.salsalabs.org/legislatorsearch/index.html
• Join a Brown Bag webinar: our next one is May 22, 2025. Our Brown Bags are streamed onto Facebook. You can also find our previous Brown Bags here: https://www.youtube.com/@diabetespac 
• Continue to stay informed on developments related to healthcare policies. Set a Google Alert – use buzzwords like diabetes, t1d, t2d, or any words you want to get updates about. 
• If you already know you want more, and you’re interested in being spotlighted on social media, speaking at a DPAC-led webinar, or testifying in your state, contact me at arkaufman@diabetesleadership.org and ask about the Champion Corps.