Regionally focused national campaign to mobilize grassroots advocacy around the ADAP crisis

3. Regionally focused national campaign to mobilize grassroots advocacy around the ADAP crisis • AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Bienestar, Harlem United, Project Inform, and Southern AIDS Coalition • Regional Advocacy Leaders support local leaders’ efforts on state and federal advocacy around ADAP

4. Your Friendly Regional Advocacy Leaders

5. Provide up-to-date information on ADAP developments • Assist with strategy development • Facilitate strategy exchange with other advocates in the region • Help with use of the HIV Meds Access Campaign toolkit

6. Factsheet • Postcard • Sample sign-on letters • Storytelling worksheet • ADAP overview PowerPoint • Guide to organizing district visits • Treatment and health care access survey • All materials online at doseofchange.org/hivmedsaccess

7. Don’t let your advocacy stop with tomorrow’s congressional visits! • Call and write them after your meeting to reinforce your message • Follow-up with members and their staff in the district • Organize in-district meetings with lawmakers • Here’s how…

8. Members of Congress have offices located in their home states. • U.S. Senators have offices located throughout their state • U.S. Representatives may have one or more offices in their district • Constituents – the people who live in the area represented by the Member – can set up meetings to discuss important topics with the Member or their staff. • When these meetings take place in the Member’s home state – they’re called in-district meetings.

18. Use the worksheet and factsheet available at doseofchange.org/hivmedsaccess to help you develop your talking points.

20. According to the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) – nearly 10,000 people living with HIV/AIDS are on ADAP waiting lists in 11 states.

21. States are also being forced to control costs by doing things such as • Limiting the number of people who can enroll • Making income requirements more restrictive • Covering fewer kinds of medications • Forcing clients to share more of the cost through co-pays

24. Helps advocates think through their personal story and how it connects to the bigger policy issue/ask • Assists advocates with organizing their thoughts so that nothing gets left out • Includes sample story • Use the worksheet to increase the comfort and preparedness of the advocates participating in an in-district meeting with a congressional member or their staff

25. Be sure to define ADAP – many members and staff won’t be familiar with the program • Make the connection between the issues and your personal story • Tell how your life has been affected by ADAP or will be affected by reduced or inadequate services

27. ADAP programs are jointly funded by state and federal dollars and administered by individual states, so programs vary from state to state • The more specific information on your state’s program you can share, the more your members of congress will listen: • Does your state have a wait list? • Has your state instituted other cost-containment measures? • You can find out more about your state’s ADAP program by contacting your state health department or online at the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Director’s website: www.nastad.org

29. Here are some sample messages: • ADAP waiting lists for HIV medications will cause people with HIV across the nation to become needlessly sick and die. • ADAP waiting lists will worsen existing racial and economic health disparities.

30. HIV treatment keeps people and communities healthier– enhancing public health and reducing reliance on public disability insurance. • ADAP allows people to stay healthy enough to work, pay taxes, and contribute to the economy.

31. If you are making the visit with a group of advocates, divide the topics among the group and practice delivering them together. • If you are on your own, find a friend to stand-in as the legislator to help you rehearse. • REMEMBER: Tell your story and DON’T FORGET TO MAKE THE POLICY ASK!

32. Educate peers, colleagues, staff, and others about what ADAP is, how it works, who it benefits, funding gaps, and why it is important • Present to colleagues, board, volunteers, and clients at your agency • Get on the meeting agenda of support groups, PLWHA advocacy groups, planning councils and groups

33. Use the Campaign factsheet and slides. They provide: • Overview of the national ADAP crisis • Key facts and figures • Simple and powerful talking points

34. Start a postcard campaign • Template available online • Fast and easy way to engage people • Set postcard collection goal • Take postcards to meetings and events • Organize a group to canvass events with likely supporters • Build your list of local advocates • Communicate new developments, progress, and advocacy opportunities • Deliver postcards to the district office when you reach your goal

35. Take the message to the media • Tell the media your story • Reach out to reporters you know • Use the story telling worksheet to make sure all the key points are made • Submit a letter to the editor or an op-ed to your local paper • Regional Advocacy Leaders can help! • Participate in upcoming HMAC media advocacy webinar

36. Solicit organizational support for ADAP • Useful to demonstrate widespread and diverse support for increased investment in ADAP • Effective way to engage both HIV and non-HIV organizations • Helps build your list of supporters to engage throughout the course of the Campaign and beyond! • Campaign created two templates—one for states with ADAP waitlists and one for states without waitlists, but need to make sure their ADAPs stay strong

37. Tips for a Successful Sign-on Effort • Insert state specific data • Tell story beyond numbers with real-life experiences • Set a deadline • Provide contact information of collector • Be clear about what information you need— org name, city, state, contact, phone, number, email • Be sure to keep all of this information in a list so you can engage these individuals and organizations in future advocacy opportunities • Share final letter with signing organizations

38. Help collect stories of people living with HIV/AIDS • Seeking both health care and treatment access nightmares and positive impact stories • Circulate these links: • Survey in English: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZKG5XYC • Survey in Spanish http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JRSQHLM • Personal stories will help with media and legislative advocacy

40. Your Friendly Regional Advocacy Leaders

41. Jessica Terlikowski AIDS Foundation of Chicago jterlikowski@aidschicago.org (312) 334-0931