Set the Date: Set the date for your Hill Day anywhere between a minimum of two months or out as far as four months to allow maximum planning as well as scheduling of legislative appointments.
Recruit Participants: Inform your Affiliate of the upcoming Advocacy Day and ask for their participation via email and at in-person events. You want to maximize the number of school nurses attending the Hill Day so inform your Affiliate repeatedly.
Schedule Hill Visits: Have your participating members request meetings from their elected representatives. Since members’ schedules often fill up quickly, it’s best to contact them as soon as possible. Here’s how to schedule your visit:
Find your state Assembly Member/ Representative and State Senator. Send them a meeting request by email. Then, follow-up on your invitation by calling the scheduler in your representative’s office. You may need to repeat this process.
Create Lobby Day Packet: It’s a good idea to make a packet of school nurse materials that highlight issues that school nurses can use as notes and visuals during the meeting, as well as leave behind. These Hill Day packets should include contact information of the point person (Affiliate President or Legislative/Advocacy Chair) who can answer the member or staffer’s follow-up questions.
Prepare for your Hill Visit: As you prepare to meet with your elected officials, you should research them (google or go to their website) to see if your Assembly Member/ Representative and Senator have supported or opposed school nurse legislation in the current or previous legislative sessions as well as general information about them. If they have voted in support of school nurse legislation, be sure to thank them during your visit. If not, you will need to educate them why school nurses are important for children’s health and their academic success in addition to their families and constituents. You are the health expert in the school. Ask for their support for school nurse legislation that helps children.
Pre-Lobby Day Check-in: Set up a conference call a week or two before your meeting for everyone participating in the lobbying visits to ensure everyone has the same information to use for their meetings. Encourage your members to confirm their meetings with the member’s office a couple of days before your visit. At that time, start a discussion of future contact or a meeting with the representative’s staff to follow up on the member’s commitments.
Follow-Up: Write to the legislator and staff personally thanking them for their time. Follow up with any questions or additional information that was requested by member office. Offer to be a resource in the future.
Additionally, keep checking in with your contacts, even when there is nothing specific that you want to address. Sending a short email every month or so keeping the office informed of what is going on in your school is a great way to stay on their radar for when significant issues do arise, or the office needs input on school nurse funding/legislation.