National Council for Diversity in the Health Professions ( NCDHP)
Contacting your Congressman and Senators…
If you do not know who your Congresspersons are, please go to www.congress.org and enter your zip code. Phone numbers for all senate offices are also listed on www.congress.org. Calling works best, but if you prefer to communicate via e-mail, you can do so through www.congress.org. You will see the names of both your state senators and the Congressman in your area.
Some tips for communicating with congressional offices if you call the office………
1) Identify yourself as a constituent and ask to speak with the Congressperson's Health Care Legislative Assistant.
2) Tell the aide that you are affiliated with National Council for Diversity in the Health Professions and ask the Congressperson to support continued funding for the HRSA Centers of Excellence Program and the Health Careers Opportunity Program at FY 2010 funding levels (of $24.6 million for COEs and $22.1 million for HCOPs)
3) Briefly explain why these issues are important to you.
4) Give the aide your contact information and ask to be informed about the actions of the Congressperson on these key issues.
5) Share your contact information with others in your organization, program participants, and parents and get them all to become involved – the more the better!
CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSPERSON TODAY!
National Council for Diversity in the Health Professions ( NCDHP)
Sample Letter Template – Modify as Needed
Dear Congressman ______:
I am writing to ask you to make sure to protect funding for the Centers of Excellence Program (COE) / Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as you finish the fiscal year 2011 appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Name of the institution is a recipient of a $______grant for our Name of Program which provides health career training opportunities in (fill in the blank)______, and supports (fill in the blank)______activities. This Name of Program provides ___ jobs for University staff, and is completely focused on developing health career opportunities for the population you target to serve as health professionals in communities that lack a culturally sensitive provider.
Please appropriate at least $24.06 million for the HRSA Centers of Excellence Program or $22.13 million for the HRSA Health Careers Opportunity Program for fiscal year 2011. This level of funding is necessary tocontinue this important program. Please keep me informed of your actions in this regard.
Sincerely,
Name, degrees
Title (s)
Institution