Success in Olympia: State Action Day Recap

Another successful State Action Day has come and gone, and what a day it was! MS Activists came from all corners of the state -- as far as Spokane, Granite Falls, and Vancouver -- to be a part of the event. 

Here’s a recap of what MS Activists were up to on January 27, 2015: 

• More than 40 MS activists came together in Olympia to show their support for people living with MS and conducted over 75 in-person visits with lawmakers
• At home, activists spread the word via social media and sent more than 80 messages to their legislators 

Together, we successfully raised awareness and made a powerful ask for increased funding for special needs transportation -- services that help people with disabilities get where they need to go. Access to transportation is a major issue for people living with MS. Mobility impairments and fatigue are some of the most common symptoms of MS, and as the disease progresses, many individuals are no longer able to drive.

People with MS and other mobility challenges need and deserve the opportunity to access jobs, shopping, church, and community activities, so they can live as full a life as possible. Washington’s lawmakers have the ability to improve the lives of people with MS by increasing funds for special needs transportation. 

Rep. Linda Kochmar (left) with MS Activist Cermit Rickey (center).

The special needs transportation fund breaks down barriers to transportation for people who are unable to drive because of a disability or age. It funds projects that help local communities offer efficient, coordinated transportation services, such as paratransit or non-profit transportation programs. While paratransit programs are required under federal law, local transit agencies often have a difficult time funding them. 

We can do better—and that’s where we need your help! MS activists are working together to ensure that our state provides adequate funding for accessible transportation. We asked lawmakers to support an additional $160 million in special needs transportation funding in the next transportation package. This ask resonated with many legislators who continue to express their support for this request.

Commissioner Mike Kreidler speaks to the group.

Finally, we were honored to host special guests Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and Senator Joe Fain. Commissioner Kreidler spoke to the group about critical insurance issues affecting the MS community, including increasing transparency in prescription drug formularies and improving provider networks. Senator Fain energized the room with his overview of key transportation issues and the value of constituent voices in moving issues forward.

Thank you to all of our activists for raising awareness and speaking up on behalf of the MS community. If you weren't able to attend, you can still make a difference! Email your legislators today and ask them to fund accessible transportation. 

Questions? Want to get involved? Let us know.

Join MS Activists in Olympia next week!

State Action Day is just around the corner. This annual event brings together MS Activists from all over Washington to raise awareness of issues affecting the MS community among our state legislators. If you are new to advocacy, but still want to attend -- don't worry! We will provide ample information before and during the event to get you up to speed. 

Our elected officials want to hear what matters to their constituents. Together, we will bring them the stories of people living with MS and we help change laws. Still not convinced? Here's some of the reasons you should attend State Action Day:

1. To build a relationship with your legislator. If you already have one, consider it a visit to a friend. Your legislator represents YOU and wants to hear about issues relevant to your life.
2. To stand in solidarity as an MS community, to speak out on behalf of all the 12,000 people living with MS and the 72,000 people in our state affected by MS 
3. To make a statement. As our state legislators make decisions, we want them to keep the needs of people of MS in mind. We will help them understand what issues matter to our community. 
4. To make a difference. Together, four years ago, we passed a law that allows more MS specialists to practice in our state. Three years ago, we stopped people with MS from losing their health care. Two years ago, we made sure everyone with MS has access to affordable and comprehensive health care. Last year and this year, we are continuing our work to support accessible transportation options to help people with MS get where they need to go. Help us make change.
5. To build awareness. Our presence at the Capitol (in our orange scarves) brings attention to our cause! It also educates you on current issues that you can share with others who care about the MS community.

I hope you can join me and other MS activists in Olympia on Tuesday, January 27th to share important issues affecting the MS community with our legislators. 

Registration is still open! 
Sign up at www.nationalmssociety.org/WAactionday 
or by calling 1-800-344-4867, option 1.

How to stay current as an MS Activist

Given the crazy world of politics, it can be quite difficult for individuals to stay up to speed on various issues. The political environment can change on a dime, as current events shake up the status quo and push politicians towards action, or sometimes inaction. However, the best activists are the ones who have the most current information and can be seen by elected officials as a trustworthy sources.  

To help MS activists stay up to date, we know you need information - and lots of it. To make that happen, we have a variety of communication channels. 

Here are a few of them:
Twitter - follow us @JimFMovesMS and @MSActivist to see what we are doing on your behalf.

Action Alert emails - sign up at NationalMSSociety.org/MSActivist to get information about advocacy and ways you can take action.

Monthly teleconferences - the first Monday of the month at 12:15 p.m., Activists can learn about our advocacy work in detail. The number is 888-279-3775, 4001#. This month's recorded call is available at the bottom of this page .

Our website - find out more about our current priority issues (and now easily available on your phone!).

Do you like to receive information another way? Let us know and we'll see what we can do. 

MS and Congress - what are they doing about us?

Too often, the public is unaware of what our elected officials are doing. Whether it's a lack of time, interest, or trust, Americans just don't usually know politicians do on a day to day basis. It's unfortunate, because when this happens, it's left up to the professionals (lobbyists) to tell politicians what is happening in the real world, rather than real people. I saw it all the time when I worked for a state senator in Olympia and it's the reason I came to work for the National MS Society - real people and their experiences aren't connected to their elected officials and they should be.

So this past few weeks, the Society has been taking real people to meet with the offices of our state leaders and it's been exciting to see what happens. First, in Spokane, MS Activist and small business owner Mike Burns met with Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers to present her with the Society's Representative of the Year award. He's pictured below, with Nicole Nida, the services manager with the Inland Northwest Chapter of the Society, on the right of Rep. McMorris Rodgers.

Rep. McMorris Rodgers has been a longtime disability advocate in Congress, serving as the lead sponsor of the Lifespan Respite Act (an important measure to support family caregivers) and co-chair of the Neurosciences Caucus. Mike shared his story of living with MS and the impact of public policy on his life. He currently gets his health care through WSHIP, a health insurance program for people with pre-existing conditions that will be made obsolete when the Affordable Care Act comes into full effect in 2014. While the fate of WSHIP is now in the hands of state legislators in Olympia, it's important for members of Congress to know what's happening with health care in the state and Mike is just the guy to spread that message.

At the same, other MS Activists met with the staff of Senator Maria Cantwell in Seattle to reiterate the need for more research funding so we can stop the progression of MS, restore function, and end MS forever. Three activists and a neurologist talked about the huge diversity within the MS community and the need for treatment options for people with progressive MS (and better and cheaper treatment options for those with relapsing-remitting). Senator Cantwell has also been a champion for the MS community - attending our events in the past and advocating loudly for more research into the causes of MS and other chronic diseases. But it's always important to keep visiting your friends and reminding them that we can't let up the fight!

These two stories are just a few of the activities that MS Activists have been up to recently, but they aren't the only ones. What have you been doing to raise awareness of MS with your elected officials?

Olympia here we come!

As the previous post demonstrates, there are hundreds of bills under consideration - most won't get out of committee, but so many will. This year Healthcare bills are front and center as the State continues to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that should be fully implemented in 2014.

Please come out for a few hours on February 19th to join your fellow activists in a concentrated effort to visit our legislators and educate them about how their votes affect our community. Our legislators WANT to hear from us - so few constituants take the time to share our stories and ask for what we want. How else do our representatives know what their district needs?

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/Calendar?id=302056&view=Detail

Get registered for the event and join the educational conference call on February 12th to learn about the legislative agenda for this session.

See you there! - Holly Hawker
Chair - Activism Committee

Answer the call - become an MS Volunteer

Earlier this week I was honored to be invited to the Greater Northwest Chapter's Annual Meeting in Seattle. The positive and exciting information shared regarding the "state of the chapter" reinforces my belief that the National MS Society is a strong and efficient organization that is committed to supporting everyone living with MS and, ultimately, a life free of MS.

Awards were presented for Corporate Partner of the Year, Distinguished Service, MS Achievment, and close to my heart - Volunteer of the Year.  This year the award for Volunteer of the Year went to a dear friend of mine (and probably of a lot of you too) - Trevis Gleason. You may know Trevis from numerous speaking engagements and his blog for Everyday Health (http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/trevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms/).

What you may not know is that Trevis is kind of considered the best "ask" in the business and he has been known to open a lot of wallets for MS with his efforts. This time when Trevis got up to accept his award and "ask" something of all of us, it wasn't to open our wallets, but to ask all of us to commit to promoting Volunteering with the MS Society. He asked us all to commit 20 minutes per week telling our story and encouraging as many people as we can to volunteer. You can do that - right?

There are so many different opportunities to contribute to the work of the National MS Society - participate in the Walk and BikeMS, work in the office a few hours per week, help with a support group (or start your own), provide peer support or, like I do, get involved in Advocacy. We need all the voices we can get contacting our federal, state, and local representatives to educate them on the needs of the MS Community. Join us in Olympia for the Day of Activism in January - our legislators pay attention to those orange scarves! http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/was/volunteer/index.aspx

Please honor my friend Trevis and his wish to increase the volunteer efforts at the National MS Society. As someone famously said "it takes a village" and we ARE that village - 20 minutes is all we ask.

Hope to see you in Olympia! - Holly

Holly Hawker
Chair, Activism Committee

It's Time for Action

Welcome Activists to the first posting for It’s Time for Action! - the Washington edition. As Chair of Washington's Activism Committee and a member of Washington's Government Relations Committee of the National MS Society, I am hoping that this blog will be your go-to spot for information and the Call to Action for legislative activity in Washington state and beyond.

In Washington, three chapters of the National MS Society have a presence: the Greater Northwest Chapter, covering western and central Washington, the Inland Northwest Chapter covering eastern Washington, and the Oregon Chapter which includes Clark County in southwest Washington. We join forces in our advocacy efforts so while you may see some references to the Greater Northwest Chapter in our advocacy work, we actually represent all three chapters.

In addition, the Greater Northwest Chapter covers Alaska and Montana - two states with their own Government Relations Committees made up of locals who understand the issues facing people in their states. You'll hear more about these states on this blog as we move ahead.

For now, back to Washington state - With the toll our damaged economy is taking on the state budget, it is more important than ever that our legislators hear from this community. Washingtonians living with MS and other disabilities have been particularly hard hit over the last several years and Olympia needs to hear us and protect us!

There is an opportunity coming up for you to get your voice heard. Add this to your calendar, wear your orange scarf, and show Olympia that our community is vast, strong, and WE VOTE!

January 30th – Day of Activism in Olympia at the Capitol Building
If you have never attended the Day of Activism – you are in for a treat! This event includes an intensive educational session, speeches from legislators/staff members, and a lot of camaraderie among fellow activists before we head out to meet with our Senators and Representatives. Our legislators know that when the orange scarves arrive on campus, it’s time for business! Please bring along a few others – strength in numbers!

Maybe you want to carpool? Put it out there and see if someone else in your area needs a ride or wants some company for the drive to Olympia.

The special session is already underway and legislators are already considering how to balance the budget in light of the expected $2 billion shortfall. This is the place to find updates on the status of issues crucial to the MS community. Please take action when you see the Action Alerts. The Action Alert system is an easy and effective way to tell our state government that we are here and we are paying attention!

Again – welcome! Check back soon for more information about upcoming Activism events and remember…It’s Time for Action!

Cheers! - Holly Hawker