Amber Ulvenes
Devon Connor-Greene
WCAAP Legislative Liaisons
Among the many challenges of the pandemic, we have had unprecedented success with supporting chapter members as they meet with legislators from their districts. The purpose of these meetings (nine districts and counting!) is to discuss WCAAP priorities and discover any plans being developed to address the economic impacts of COVID-19. All of the legislators we’ve met with have been engaged, asked thoughtful questions and seemed eager to know how they could help providers in their communities.
Having regular touch points like this allows legislators to better understand how the pandemic is affecting their own communities. It brings the stories they see around the state and the nation home in a powerful and incredibly real way and helps them to associate real people to the terms healthcare provider and essential worker. Additionally, it is a chance to remind them that we are the experts and that we are here to help guide them on issues related to children’s health as we move into the 2021 session and beyond.
We encourage you to hold a meeting like this of your own! Meetings are easy to set up via Zoom – legislators are available at times that work for practicing providers and WCAAP team members Amber Ulvenes and Jennifer Donahue can help you get going, as well as connect you with other providers in your legislative district to join your conversation.
Thank you to the WCAAP super stars who have already coordinated meetings with their legislators in the past two months: Beth Ebel, Crystal Shen, Cat Staunton, Ellie Graham, Mike Van Dyke, Chris Andersen, Stacy Tarango, Mike Barsotti, Mike Boyer, Sylvia Morales-Bronner, Emily Bianconi, Erika Lund, Rick Levine, Amy Garrett.