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Advocacy Resources

Advocacy Resources

Our sector’s ability to care for senior and disabled citizens is directly and powerfully affected by the State Legislature. But policymakers aren’t experts in long-term care – so your input is essential. This resource gives you the tools to provide that input in a timely, targeted, and time-efficient way.

Advocacy Basics

Connect with Your Legislators

Write a letter, send an email, make a phone call, or schedule an in-person or virtual meeting with lawmakers. Include other members of your care teams, and spend 15 minutes briefing key policymakers and/or their staff. Email Eric Negomir at WHCA for information and support.

Here are some helpful tips on communicating with Legislators:

  • Provide a proper introduction including your background and role, and your experience with long term care issues. Establishing your credentials as a subject matter expert is essential to your work with legislators.
  • Know your numbers! Prepare a facility profile so you can easily provide specific details about your care center. Many people are impacted by your care, and those same people are impacted by legislative decisions and actions. Download the facility profile template.
  • Be polite, be specific and be brief! Your legislators are asked to make decisions about a myriad of issues during the legislative session. Typically, you’ll have 15 minutes to make your case.
  • Follow up is important. When you conclude your legislative meetings, ask if there is additional information you can provide, and then make sure to provide it! Follow up with a thank you note and continue to check in throughout the legislative session.

Choose your talking points:

Promoting Advocacy in Your Community

  • Ask your employees, residents, and their families to send a message to legislators asking them to support Medicaid funding. Be sure to publicize opportunities to advocate in your employee, resident, and family newsletters. The prewritten newsletter article below makes it easy.

Washington’s population is aging, and the state’s Medicaid budget is not keeping pace with demand. The current Medicaid funding shortfall has denied adequate care to people who rely on long term care.

Nurses, caregivers and allied support staff are overworked and underpaid, and are leaving the workforce. There are unprecedented staffing vacancies in care centers throughout Washington. Patients are stuck in hospitals as they wait to be admitted to long term care and consequently, people who need hospital care can’t get it. This is a crisis and failing to act threatens access to critically needed services and reduces the quality of life and care for our most vulnerable community members. These are your parents, grandparents, and neighbors, and they deserve quality long term care. Please join us to advocate for funding by sending an email to your elected legislators.

 We are all in this together!

Social Media

Connect and advocate with your elected officials on social media to make your voice heard above the crowd. Click here to access a social media directory of your legislators.

Stay in the loop by following our social media channels, and tag us in your posts:

Handouts/Posters

Print a supply of the 8.5 x 11 handout and place where they can be picked up by employees, residents, and families. Or use the handout as a poster and display in highly trafficked areas. This PDF flier makes advocacy easy by providing a QR link to WHCA’s advocacy opportunities web page.

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