State Advocacy Resources

Getting Started

Participating in advocacy activities can seem a bit confusing, especially if surgeons have never done it. Questions come up as to how to do it, what to say, and where to find more information on numerous state legislative and regulatory issues of interest. To learn about the many facets of grassroots advocacy, and to utilize the plethora of web-based information on state-related issues, check out the following.

State Advocacy Day Toolkit

How to Start

Grassroots Advocacy

A Guide to In-District Meetings

Tracking Legislation

State Legislation Tracked by the College

State Grassroots Advocacy on SurgeonsVoice

State Legislative Toolkits

Bariatric Surgery Coverage in the States

Bleeding Control Toolkit

Cancer Screening Toolkit

Motor Vehicle Safety Legislative Toolkit

Motorcycle Helmet Law Toolkit

Trauma Funding Toolkit

Lobbying and Ethics Issues

Surgeons are interested in many different issues at the state level, including trauma system funding and development, medical liability reform, regulation of bariatric surgery, Medicaid reimbursement, and so on. In addition, it can be difficult to find sites with information on state health care facts as well as lobbying and ethics requirements. The following links provide a good cross section of websites focused on many state health care issues, and provide a convenient place to access individual state websites.

State Legislature Websites

Lobbying and Ethics Websites