talkingpoints introduce yourself and thank clb members

Talking Points

Introduce yourself and thank CLB members (audience) for opportunity to share about our

American Diabetes Association Advocacy Priorities and accomplishments.

NOTE: Whenever you’re doing an advocacy presentation to your CLB or other group,

please begin your presentation by making sure your audience understands the BIG

PICTURE of our advocacy work, and how it fits with our Mission.

Talking Points:

Before we get into the details of our Advocacy work, I want to make sure you get the big

picture of our work. Advocacy at the American Diabetes Association has four main areas

of focus:

1. Increase federal and state funding for diabetes prevention, treatment and research

2. Prevent diabetes

3. Improve the availability of accessible, adequate and affordable health care

4. Eliminate discrimination against people with diabetes

NOTE: You probably will not have time to share all of slides 2-6. Please choose to highlight

those accomplishment that will be most inspiring and relevant for your CLB.

• REFERENCE DOCUMENT & HANDOUT: 2014 Advocacy Accomplishments Document.

Please print and share the document with all CLB members.

TALKING POINTS:

One of the handouts I’m sharing with you today is our 2014 Advocacy Accomplishments

Document. I hope you’ll take the time to read this at your leisure after this meeting. It is a

great way to learn about the many areas in which we work in advocacy, and is filled with

examples of how we are fighting – (and winning!) for people with diabetes every day through

our advocacy efforts.

For now – I’d just like to highlight a couple of areas from this document (NOTE: Choose which

highlights you’d like to talk about & modify the slides accordingly)

NOTE: Have printed copies of the Association Legislative and Regulatory priorities (tiered version)for

your CLB. If you are speaking to a general community audience, then use the non-tiered version of the

priorities, and adjust your talking points accordingly.

TALKING POINTS

So, now that you’ve heard about some of our successes from 2014, I want to focus on the road ahead…

Our priorities and goals for 2015. I believe that together, in 2015, we’ll accomplish even more! So let’s

dive into the details.

Another of the handouts I’m sharing with you today is our Legislative and Regulatory priorities document.

These priorities are drafted by our Legislative and Regulatory Subcommittee of the National Advocacy

committee, then approved by the full committee, and finally by the National Board of Directors.

As you can see, the document includes both Federal and State priorities, and two different tiers of

priorities, to help guide which issues are highest priority.

For today, I’ll just cover the highest priority category for Federal and State. But, before I get to specifics, I

want to draw your attention to the notation in red text at the top of this slide, “In all areas, there is an

ongoing commitment to ending health disparities.”

As an Association we are deeply committed to advocating on behalf of those communities who are

hardest hit by diabetes. And a big part of this work is making sure that we consider all public policy

proposals in light of their effect on ending health disparities. Keeping this focus is crucial – whether we

are talking about tier 1 or 2 priorities – or at the federal or state level.

For 2015, the first area of Tier 1 priorities relate to federal funding for Diabetes Research and Programs.

More specifically, we are focused on funding in 5 different areas:

1. Increase funding for the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney

Diseases,

2. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Diabetes Translation.

3. Reauthorization of Special Diabetes Programs for type 1 research and programs in Native American/Alaska Native

communities.

4. Funding for the National Diabetes Prevention Program to support community-based programs to prevent type 2

diabetes.

5. Increase funding dedicated to diabetes research at the Department of Defense and the Veterans Health

Administration.

TALKING POINTS:

There are three other top focus areas in addition to federal funding – Health Insurance, Prevention, and

Discrimination.

Starting with HEALTH INSURANCE – our priorities are two fold:

1. Ensure that both public and private insurance options, including those under the Affordable Care

Act, as well as Medicare and Medicaid, provide access to the services, tools and education

needed to meet the needs of people with diabetes and prediabetes.

2. Advocate for improved delivery of care through system reforms that lead to high quality,

effective, efficient, and collaborative care for people with diabetes.

At the federal level, our focus in PREVENTION is on the primary prevention of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Our final area of focus in our top priorities – is in fighting DISCRIMINATION. We continue to oppose laws

or policies that result in unfair treatment of people with diabetes – As we have in previous years, we will

continue to focus at the federal level on preventing or stopping employment discrimination. And, new

this year is a focus to explore what we might do at the federal level to achieve the goals of our Safe at

School campaign.

TALKING POINTS:

With respect to priorities at the state level, Tier I priorities:

In Health Insurance Coverage:

Together with coalition partners, and our advocates around the country, we’ll engage in

campaigns to secure increased eligibility or coverage for Medicaid in states throughout the

country.

In Discrimination:

We will continue to ensure implementation is done correctly in states where we’ve recently

passed legislation or regulation like Alabama and Ohio; we’ll continue the work we’ve been

doing in states that are pending like Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and

South Dakota; we’ll take on new states—we’re finalizing that list and will share that with our

volunteers shortly; and we’ll defend safe at school laws and regulation in states where it

already exists.

TALKING POINTS:

Now that I’ve covered our 2015 Priorities, I want to talk a bit about our work in Legal Advocacy to end discrimination related to diabetes.

Our work in Legal advocacy is very simply stated about ‘fighting for fairness’.

Where does it happen? Well, we help people with diabetes fight for fairness in all areas of their lives:

• at work, • at school and childcare programs • in public places (like restaurants and airports), • or even while in police custody or imprisonment.

What do we do?We provide information, training, and resources to help prevent or stop discrimination.

As the leading authority on diabetes, we are in a unique position to provide people with diabetes, family members, attorneys, employers, schools, public safety officers and others with sound information about what it takes to manage diabetes.

• The scientific and medical side of the Association publishes specific “Standards of Care” documents that address diabetes medical management in schools, in the workplace, in corrections facilities, when driving, and – new last fall – in a separate, new statement on diabetes management in childcare programs

• We provide other resources focusing on the law–• Helping people with diabetes know and understand their legal rights • Educating schools, employers, and others about diabetes and the legal rights of

people with diabetes • Finally, our legal advocates and health professionals work together to create training

materials about diabetes, like the two examples shown on this screen:– Our Diabetes Care Tasks at School training modules and videos that nurses can use to

train other school staff to assist with diabetes care, and – Our training video and materials for police officers.

TALKING POINTS

The American Diabetes Association has a wealth of free resources to address discrimination :

• For people with diabetes, families, employers, schools, law enforcement, or other public

institutions.

• Resources can be accessed either by

1. VISITING: www.diabetes.org/discrimination

2. CALLING: 1-800-DIABETES (342-2383) ADA’s National Center for Information and Community

Support

General requests for information about discrimination issues are handled by our Center for

Information and Community Support.

• Specialized packets address school, day care, employment, police custody, prison, public

accommodations, or commercial drivers license issues.

• Individuals are sent a printed or electronic information packet relevant to their problem.

• Individuals who feel they are currently experiencing discrimination or who have

questions about their legal rights are routed to one of our Legal Advocates, who provide

case-specific information and resources.

NOTE: In contrast to the 2014 Highlights and 2015 Priorities documents, the Advocates in

Action Calendar is more of an ‘insider’s’ tool. This document should be shared with your CLB,

but not for other audiences. At CLB meeting, you should share the printed calendar and, if time

allows, you might briefly highlight your local plans for 2-3 of the months’ activities.

For general community audiences you should eliminate this slide and the next two slides

TALKING POINTS

Among the handouts that you received today was the 2015 Advocates in Action Calendar.

This is a key resource for hometown advocacy implementation - designed to mobilize diabetes

advocates throughout the year.

The broad goals are tied to specific calls to action that are locally focused - while some

activities are tied to a particular month, others are not. These broad goals are chosen

strategically – to fit with our current Association-wide strategic plan, and to make sure that

we’re working together as advocates across the country, but also with other divisions of the

Association to achieve our common goals.

The hometown advocacy chair or committee and subcommittees take the lead in planning local

activities – in consultation and collaboration with State Advocacy Director, Executive Director, and

event staff and volunteers.

Each month specific training and resources are provided to support your hometown

implementation of these calls to action. The trainings and resources are freely available – many of

them online - to any volunteer or staff advocacy leaders.

Our Hometown Advocacy online library of resources at:

www.diabetes.org/hometownadvocacy is our go-to resource for Advocates in Action resources.

TALKING POINTS:

Because these 8 goals are so important to our Advocacy success, I want to take the time to mention each onebefore I talk about how each of you can help support these goals.

Please, as I’m going through this list, think about ways you can help us reach our goals that may be related to the work you’re already doing as a CLB member or committee chair.

1. Update and engage Community Leadership Board (CLB) members in advocacy

2. Include an advocacy component in every local event or program

3. Engage Members of Congress and state legislators in their home district

4. Focus on communities hardest hit by diabetes

5. Promote advocacy messaging through local traditional and social media channels

6. Build capacity and mobilize hometown advocates

7. Help those affected by diabetes discrimination

8. Recruit and fundraise for local Advocates in Action Step Out Teams

TALKING POINTS

Now I’d like to talk about what each of us, as CLB members, can do to support our hometown advocates in Action Efforts.

• First, we can all work to build Advocacy committee & subcommittee structure: One chair can’t do it all, so we need to

build a committee; and recruit for diverse talents.

• Second, any of us can participate in an Advocacy Webinar

• We will have 6 or 7 webinars in 2015; participation is key for CLB Advocacy chairs, but registration is open to any

interested CLB member.

• And third, we should all meet with Elected Officials

• To learn how: CLB members and other advocates can participate in our June Webinar

• Our federal government affairs team counts on advocates arranging meetings back home in their own

congressional districts to carry our key messages about our diabetes priorities.

• Our goal is to get more in-district meetings with Members of Congress this next year – and not only in August,

but at other pivotal times in the legislative process, especially in key congressional districts. So, I may be inviting

you – later in the year – to join me in meeting with legislators. Your participation as constituents can make a big

difference in amplifying our voice on capitol hill!

We know our work in Advocacy goes hand in hand with the work of volunteers and staff in all areas of the Association. For

Event chairs or Communications Chair, we’ve got some special suggestions:

For Event Chairs:

Start early in event planning process:

Our Association goal is to include advocacy at every event… As a way to inspire, recruit, engage, and inform

participants & donors. Use the Easy Advocacy Checklists for your event for ideas.

Participate in February Webinar

Learn about ideas & resources for making the most of Advocacy at your event

For Communications Chairs:

• Support getting out Advocacy messages through traditional & social media –

Increase local media presence:

— write letters to the editor and Op Eds using association talking points and supports and

— repost or retweet association advocacy messages and alerts

• Access online Media Outreach webinar – www.diabetes.org/hometownadvocacy

• Editorial calendar resource – posted online late February

TALKING POINTS:

And now I’d like to emphasize a key role we can all play in supporting not only our hometown efforts, but

our nationwide efforts. We all need to do our part to recruit new advocates here where we live, work,

and recreate!

In addition to recruiting from your own personal network of family and friends, we can each focus on three strategies for recruiting advocates.

1. First, making sure there is a way to sign up as an advocate and to take action at every ADA event. We’d love to have your help at a local event to sign-up advocates!

2. Second, help build our “Grasstops connections”: Identify community members with relationships with Members of Congress , the Administration, state legislators, and the governor

3. Third, help recruit health care professionals for the ADA Health Care Professionals Legal Advocacy Network and lawyers for the Advocacy Attorney Network, using the business cards pictured here, available through Association staff.

NOTE: In every presentation make sure to end with a strong, specific appeal for each audience

member to sign up as Diabetes Advocates. This is especially important for your annual CLB

presentation – since new, incoming CLB members may not yet be signed-up as online advocates.

TALKING POINTS

Now I want to talk a bit about how and why it is so important for all of us to speak up about diabetes & public policies.

• Many elected officials do not view diabetes as a serious issue. (So, we need everyone on board and speaking out to achieve our advocacy goals!)

• Raising your voice on diabetes issues can be easy – and, no doubt some of you are already signed up as online advocates.

• But, if you aren’t…. The first step is getting your voice heard is signing up at the ADA Advocacy Action center, which can be accessed online at: www.diabetes.org/TakeAction.

— Through the Online Action Center advocates from all over the country are notified of

legislative activity at the federal or state level – including hearings, votes, lobby days and

important issues - so that they can get involved.

NOTE: Directly ask your CLB members to: Sign up as an advocate, and respond to Action Alerts,

and then forward to friends and repost on social media.

NOTE: Finally, at the end of your presentation, allow for questions, and share:

• your own contact information,

• the ADA web address and

• The phone number for the Center for Information and Community Support

talkingpoints introduce yourself and thank clb members

Documents