• Support for the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (S 610/HR 1667) [Editor’s note: The Dr. Breen Act was passed by the Senate in early August. Thank you to everyone who advocated for it!]
• Advocating for elimination of the X-waiver registration requirement
• Preventing pending cuts to 2022 Medicare payments for emergency physicians

During the second day of the conference, we got to hear from and speak with key members of Congress including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) who was a primary sponsor of the Dr. Breen Act, and the two co-chairs of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus in the U.S. House, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01). ACEP members shared their very real firsthand experiences of how their emergency departments, hospitals, and communities have been overwhelmed by COVID-19 with these members of Congress and key committee and congressional senior staffers.

The stories conveyed not just the clinical challenges we face but also how difficult it has been for emergency physicians to withstand the worst of COVID-19 while so many refuse to get vaccinated, wear masks, and put the public health of the nation ahead of their own beliefs.

Attendees enjoy refreshments at the conclusion of a busy day of advocacy on behalf of emergency physicians.

Although we were hopeful for a return to the traditional “on the Hill” congressional visits, the U.S. Capitol was still not completely open to the public for constituent visits. Despite that, the Virtual Hill Day was very effective and successful. Everyone on Capitol Hill is now very comfortable with virtual meetings and it has become part of the “new normal” for congressional offices. Telling our stories directly to members of Congress and staffers is invaluable in helping them understand who we are, what we do, and how important we are to protecting the health of the nation. Sharing the sobering clinical data and statistics of COVID-19 is important when talking with a member of Congress. More importantly, sharing true accounts of real people who are their constituents whose lives have been affected—or ended—by COVID-19 is critical. Telling these narratives helps legislators and staffers understand that what our work is about real people and not just politics. Inevitably, when we tell these stories, we tell them not just about our patients but also about us and how hard our work has been for now over a year and half.