At Breakthrough T1D’s Government Day, advocacy volunteers from every Breakthrough T1D chapter across the country gather in Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress and share their stories about life with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The purpose of this event is to educate lawmakers and solicit support for new legislation and federal research funding for T1D.  This past March, three representatives from the Westchester/Fairfield/Hudson Valley Chapter attended this three-and-a-half-day, action-packed event: Laura Daniels, Art Rosenberg, and Rochelle Waldman.

Art Rosenberg’s summary of the 2016 Government Day highlighted three key elements of the event:

• Learning- Hearing the details of the research that Breakthrough T1D is involved in was truly eye-opening and comforting.
• Interacting- Meeting the committed advocates from across the nation and hearing their stories was
  inspiring.
• Advocating-  Meeting the Members of Congress and their staffs and leaving knowing that we had ‘moved the needle’ in terms of their support was quite rewarding.

Daniels, Rosenberg and Waldman met with their Grassroots leadership team to further engage with advocates from the region. Both Laura Daniels and Rochelle Waldman commented that it was uplifting “to spend so much time with other people who are also committed to finding a cure for T1D and meet members of Congress who are supportive of Breakthrough T1D’s advocacy efforts.” Our three chapter representatives held meetings with nine members of Congress from the chapter region and reported that they are all in support of key Breakthrough T1D initiatives.

During the weekend, volunteers attended lectures and breakout sessions given by scientist from NIH and Breakthrough T1D staff from its Research and Advocacy departments. These individuals presented a progress report of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) and an update on the Medicare CGM Act. The breakout sessions focused on the best practices of Breakthrough T1D Advocacy and included ways of recruiting volunteers by sharing the work Breakthrough T1D does as it relates to its mission.

Recent Breakthrough T1D advocacy has resulted in Congress extending the SDP, allowing continued support of promising clinical trials focused on a cure for type 1 diabetes. Other accomplishments include an initiative currently before Congress that will provide Medicare coverage of continuous glucose monitors (CGM), as well as the acceleration of FDA pathways for emerging therapies such as the artificial pancreas (AP).

Volunteers head to Capitol Hill every March, but the work involved in Breakthrough T1D advocacy takes place year round.  Are you interested in becoming a Breakthrough T1D advocate? Here are a few things you can do to get started:

• Text “ACTION” to 53731 (or Breakthrough T1D1). Receive text alerts from Breakthrough T1D Advocacy with information about current initiatives.
• Show your support and receive Breakthrough T1D email updates here.
• Contact the Breakthrough T1D office at 914-686-7700 to participate in local meetings with government representatives, letter writing campaigns and other advocacy efforts.

Get involved today… Help Breakthrough T1D become “One Voice” and advocate for a world without diabetes!

For more information on Government Day and other Breakthrough T1D advocacy and outreach efforts, visit Advocacy.jdrf.org.