Volunteer for the SVS-PAC Key Contact Program

Constant cost pressures and re-imbursement challenges face all of us in our specialty.

The SVS Health Policy Committee and Political Action Committee (PAC) members along with the SVS Washington office has made tremendous strides, but our best defense is to be prepared, to be knowledgeable, and to volunteer as individuals to advocate for our own best interests.

SVS members must gain increased access to Congressional leaders who shape the legislative policies affecting our practices. In today's world, this means contributing to the SVS-PAC so that its resources may be used for SVS members to form relationships with these leaders.

Today, the SVS-PAC invites all SVS members to participate in a grass roots organization--the SVS Key Contact Program--so that we may more effectively communicate our concerns to all members of Congress. This program will create a nationwide advocacy network by cross referencing all interested SVS members with their Congressional representative and/or Senators, starting with those SVS members that live or work in the congressional districts of the members on the House Ways and Means and the Energy and Commerce Committees; and the states of the members of the Senate Finance Committee. These critical committees control the expenditures for health care and our input to them will affect our future.

The Key Contacts' job will be to approach their Congressional contacts at the local level and educate them about the vascular specialty, our services, our value to their constituents and, in the end, our value to society. You are encouraged to invite your Congressional contacts or their staff to your office to see the valuable services you provide. In addition, when legislation affecting our specialty is being discussed or voted upon, you will receive an e-mail from SVS enabling you to contact or write your congressional representatives to express your views.

There is power in numbers and a nationwide SVS Key Contact Program will allow us to be more effective advocates.To join, please e-mail Pam Phillips (pphillips@vascularsociety.org), coordinator of our Washington based advocacy efforts.

We need SVS volunteers in every state and district to make this Key Contact Program effective!

In addition to a call for volunteers, I am asking that all SVS members contribute to the PAC. Historically we have averaged about 16% of the membership annually--a very poor participation rate. It would be wonderful if we could have 100% participation by the SVS meeting of 2009. So far this year, only 11% of the members have contributed to the PAC.

We will keep our membership informed about both the Key Contact Program and the percentage of members donating to the PAC in future issues of the Vascular Specialist.

To contribute to the SVS-PAC, you may send a personal check to SVS-PAC, 35314 Eagle Way, Chicago, IL 60678 or pay with a personal credit card by accessing a donation form at www.vascularsociety.org and click on Health Policy and Government Relations.

Your donations and your voices are the most powerful weapons we have. If we do not advocate for ourselves, we have no one to blame but ourselves!

--Carlo A. Dall'Olmo, MD
On behalf of the SVS-PAC