Face-to-face meetings are the most effective method of communicating with senators, representatives and their staffs. To be successful, they require well coordinated planning, an understanding of the needs of legislators, sometimes a rehearsal, and well- timed visits.

When Congress is in session, it is best to meet with legislators in Washington, D.C. And there is great value in meeting on their Congressional turf. Meetings can also be scheduled in a legislator's home district or state during congressional recesses and on weekends, when legislators often return home. Recesses are scheduled for several days around major holidays and for most of the month of August. Congress normally adjourns for the year in mid-to-late fall.

Legislators are often receptive to invitations to visit hospitals or other health facilities. These visits provide visibility for the legislator and an opportunity to interact with various constituencies. Congressional staff members often search for opportunities to effectively use the legislator's time at home and may welcome an invitation.

Visits by members of Congress provide excellent opportunities for CHRISTUS Advocacy and CHRISTUS Health Associates to make their case to a legislator on pending legislation or other health care concerns. Each year CHRISTUS Advocacy helps CHRISTUS Health facilities coordinate multiple state, national and on-site visits. Consistent, factual talking points help make the most of such opportunities.

Tips for Requesting a Meeting or Facility Visit

• Contact the senator or representative's Washington, D.C., office and ask to speak with the appointment secretary or scheduler.
  
• Explain the organization you represent and the reason you want a meeting with the senator or representative. Ask the scheduler how you can arrange a meeting. You may be referred to the district office if you are requesting a meeting in your state, or the Washington scheduler may help you.
  
• If you are inviting the legislator to visit your health facility, send a letter of invitation from the chief executive officer and/or board chairman (or a board member who has a personal relationship with the legislator). Send the letter to the office recommended by the scheduler - either the Washington office or the district office. Ask the scheduler how much lead time is needed to schedule a visit and send the invitation far enough in advance.
  
• CHRISTUS Advocacy can assist with arrangements.

Tips for Conducting an Effective Office Visit
If you are going with a group to a congressional or state office, decide in advance who will lead the discussion and what points each member of the group wants to make.

Introduce yourself and any others in your group, stating where you are from and which health care organizations you represent.

• Keep the meeting short and simple. Say why you've come and succinctly outline the case for your position on a particular piece of legislation or the issue that prompted your meeting.
  
• Give examples of how the issue affects your organization and the legislator's constituents.
  
• Stay focused on two or three key messages that you want to leave with the legislator. It is easy to get off track and run out of time, particularly when dealing with seasoned politicians.
  
• Answer any questions asked of you, but if you don't know the answer, don't bluff. Tell the legislator that you don't know, but that you will promptly get back to him/her with an answer.
  
• Leave behind a one or two page position paper on your issues to remind the legislator of the purpose of your visit. Include your name and telephone number in case there are follow-up questions.
  
• Prepare a fact sheet or use existing materials that describe your organization, such as a community benefits report, to help the legislator understand your organization's importance to the community. Include information such as the number of inpatients and outpatients served, the number of stuff, employees and volunteers, amount of indigent care provided, Medicare and Medicaid patient load, etc.
  
• Offer to serve as a resource to the legislator and staff in responding to health care questions.
  
• Be prompt, but be patient. Legislators can be late for meetings due to their full schedules, and they may be interrupted during your meeting.
  
• Don't be disappointed if you end up meeting with staff rather than the legislator. Legislators depend on advice from their staff because it is impossible to follow all issues themselves. Staff can sometimes be the real driving force on an issue.

Tips for Conducting an Effective Facility Visit

Follow all of the tips suggested above for conducting an office meeting, plus:

• Allow about one to one-and-half hours for the entire visit, including a "sit-down" meeting and a brief tour of two or three important patient care areas. Choose areas that demonstrate the impact your organization has on the health and well being of the legislator's constituents. Walk the tour yourself in advance to make sure everything is in order and that you can deliver your intended message.
  
• Provide opportunities for the legislator to meet key staff- a physician, a board member who knows the legislator and an Associate, such as a nurse or social worker, who works directly with patients. Inform participants in advance that you plan to introduce them so they can be prepared.
  
• Be considerate of the time of day you are touring the facility. Elected officials looking at empty procedure rooms with expensive equipment not in use, empty patient areas, and non-busy public areas will surely know "why care costs so much!"
  
• Don't use health jargon and use as many graphics as reasonable in any handouts: A picture is still worth the proverbial 1,000 words!
  
• Notify CHRISTUS Advocacy in advance of the visit. Staff can help you obtain background and position information on the senator or representative; system-wide statistics or other information needed to support your position; and information about any previous contacts with this member of Congress.
  
• Make arrangements with your public relations department to photograph the legislator's visit and include a story on the visit in your internal and external publications. Send the senator or representative copies of the stories. If local press coverage is desirable, coordinate local media contacts with the legislator's press secretary.

Tips for Post-meeting Follow-up

• Send a note that thanks the legislator for his/her time and briefly restates your issue. Include any follow-up information that was promised.
  
• Provide feedback on your meeting to your regional CHRISTUS Advocacy Associate so that relevant information can be communicated to national or state lobbying groups.