STS Key Contacts have a direct impact on legislative issues that affect cardiothoracic surgeons. As an STS Key Contact, you will be making a commitment to do at least one of the following during the year:
- Meet With Your Legislators in Washington, DC
STS offers legislative fly-ins during which STS members receive briefings on policy developments important to cardiothoracic surgery and meet with their members of Congress. Face-to-face visits are an important step toward building a meaningful relationship with Congressional lawmakers.
- Meet With Your Legislators in Their Home Offices
STS staff can help you arrange and prepare for a meeting at the local offices for your representative and senators. Members of Congress spend much of their time in their home districts, listening to constituent concerns. Take advantage of the opportunity to meet your legislators while they’re at home.
- Host a Facility or Practice Tour
Another way to build relationships with your members of Congress is to invite them to visit your place of work. Site visits are a great way to provide your legislators with firsthand knowledge about the challenges you face delivering high-quality patient care. It will be more difficult for lawmakers to ignore your request for help once they better understand the issues.
- Attend a Local Town Hall Meeting
Member of Congress will appreciate having a meaningful conversation with a constituent. STS staff can help you make a positive impression at a town hall meeting by preparing you with a rational question and a reasonable argument to defend your position.
- Host or Co-Host an Event
Once you have developed a relationship with your members of Congress, you may decide to support them in upcoming elections by hosting a fundraising event. STS Government Relations staff can help you plan a fundraiser for STS-PAC or for an individual member of Congress.
- Apply for an STS/ACS Health Policy Scholarship
Cardiothoracic surgeons with an interest in health care policy are urged to apply for the STS/American College of Surgeons Health Policy Scholarship, which subsidizes attendance at the Executive Leadership Program in Health Policy and Management at Brandeis University. The scholarship helps to cover the cost of tuition, travel, housing, and subsistence during the intensive weeklong course. Candidates must be between 30 and 55 years of age and members of both STS and ACS.
- Contribute to STS-PAC
STS members who live in the US can contribute to the STS-PAC, which supports the election campaigns of candidates running for Congress. Cultivating relationships with elected officials who understand and support cardiothoracic surgery issues helps STS have a voice in important policy debates. Make a donation online securely, and contact Advocacy with questions.
In return for your commitment to STS advocacy, you will receive invitations to participate in an advocacy training webinar, incentives to attend at least one Washington, DC fly-in, and email updates containing information on local town hall meetings, activity updates, and highlights from fellow Key Contacts.
For more information about the STS Key Contact Program, contact Advocacy.