Liver Capitol Hill Day 2012 

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By Lyle Dennis, Cavarocci – Ruscio – Dennis Associates, Consultants to AASLD

LCHD is Liver Capitol Hill Day -- and if there were ever a year in which you need to participate in it, 2012 is that year!

March 14, 2012 marks the Fourth Annual Liver Capitol Hill Day sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. And with the state of affairs in Washington DC these days, your presence and your wisdom is sorely needed!

AASLD does all the hard work -- developing the agenda through the Public Policy Committee, scheduling meetings with Members of the House and Senate and their staffs, and handling hotel accommodations and local transportation. You are supplied with information in advance on process, topics, and who you will be meeting with; you are fully briefed on both the issues and the process. And you will be exercising your First Amendment right "to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

But I don't know anything about the processes of government! That is not a problem. We will have a two-hour briefing the morning of the event with plenty of time for questions.

But I am not sure that I am an expert on the legislative issues that will be discussed! Again, not a problem. You will be fully briefed and supplied with leave-behind materials (that will also be on the website) that will summarize the issues we are featuring. And, you will be surprised how much you actually do know and how much your expertise is valued by your representatives.

But, what if I am asked a question I can't answer? We have that covered too. All meetings will have a follow up component with a thank you note to the congressional office. At that time, we can include any information that was not fully discussed in the meeting, make key points again, and begin to establish a relationship with the office.

Participants are encouraged to come to DC on March 13; accommodations are being made at the Hyatt Hotel in Crystal City, VA -- just across the Potomac River from the Nation’s Capital. AASLD will pay for travel expenses for members and their patients. The briefing will occur at the hotel from 7:30 to 9:30 am. Bus transportation will be provided to the House and Senate sides of the Capitol. You will be teamed with other AASLD members and with patients. Every effort will be made to give you a full day of meetings -- along with enough time to enjoy the surroundings of the Capitol complex.

AASLD members are encouraged to invite a patient to come along if they like; the combination of physician and patient is a very powerful one on the Hill. In addition, we will again this year invite about a half dozen patient advocacy groups to participate in the event, including the American Liver Foundation, the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, and others.

To make this day work we need to know your plans by February 1. To participate, contact Greg Bologna at AASLD at 703-299-9766 or at gbologna@aasld.org.