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Patient > Advocacy
Advocacy Alert: Ask Your Legislators to Support the Repeal of the Therapy Cap
Advocacy Alert: The RSDS Education/Awareness Bill in Illinois is in need of cosponsors in the Illinois Senate. Individuals from IL should contact their State Senator and ask them to cosponsor SB 1861. Read the Bill here.
Contact: Bea Danko, 815.672.1182
Pass an Awareness and Education Act in Your State
The Decade of Pain Control and Research is beginning its sixth
year, and although we are making progress in creating awareness
of pain in general, and specifically CRPS, there is still
much to do.
These bills were the result of action and commitment on the
part of an individual or a support group. We encourage all
of you to consider working to have a similar bill passed in
your state.
For a Template you can use for establishing a CRPS Education and Research Bill in your state, please click here. Delaware Bill
Michigan Bill
New Jersey Bill
New York Bill
Pennsylvania Bill 999
Oregon House Bill 2414
Is an Awareness Bill the Same as a Proclamation?
Although a proclamation does get CRPS mentioned in the
state legislature, there is limited action afterward. Proclamations
"recognize" CRPS and may proclaim one day of
awareness, but this short-lived attention does not guarantee
any media coverage or other awareness initiatives.
An awareness and education bill generally contains a call
to action, such as producing brochures to educate consumers
or creating materials for healthcare professionals. Here,
the RSDSA can help by offering our materials to the state's
suggested recipients.
How to get an Awareness Bill in your legislature
By Idamarie Scimeca Duffy Make an appointment with your local state Senator. Give him
or her a copy of the Delaware Bill and impress upon him that
their state should follow the lead of Delaware so that the
medical community becomes more aware of this insidious disease.
Once the Senator understands how important Awareness is,
ask him or her to intercede with the chairman of the State
Health & Human Services Committee. He/she will probably
insist on your appearing before the committee (as I did) so
be prepared to discuss "the Bill" and the positive
effect it can have on so many of the state's citizens (voters)!
If the Committee passes a Resolution it goes to the full Senate
for a vote. If it passes the Senate, you must then get your
Local State House of Representatives Member involved. This
is easy since you already have an approved Senate version;
but the same steps must be taken in the House as in the Senate,
as explained earlier.
Once the House approves the Bill, then the Senator gets the
Bill on the Governor's Signing Agenda. Even though our Senator
(Amick) is a Republican, he had no problem with Governor (Minner),
a Democrat, since our House and Senate Bills passed unanimously
with no negative votes at all. Health & Human Services
(HHS) then spreads the word to all State Licensed Medical
Practitioners. (Thus, no additional funds are required because
the cost of this comes out of the HHS budget.)
Updated
June 18, 2008
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