My name is Clare Thornton, and I was honored to be sponsored by NSH to attend the 2023 ASCLS Legislative Symposium in October. NSH has been a partner with ASCLS in the Legislative Symposium for the past few years, and several members have been able to attend. On the first day, attendees listened to several speakers about the current laboratory field, including legislative issues and workforce issues. On the second day, attendees are encouraged to visit their congressional representatives to talk to them about these issues. Attendees need to secure their own appointments with their legislators. I was lucky to have a meeting scheduled with Tyler Nadeau, the healthcare legislative aide for Congressman Jared Golden-ME. Most attendees had appointments with legislative aides, but a few managed to get meetings with the congressional representative themselves.
Visiting My Congressman's Office
I’ve been to Washington DC in the past, but only as a tourist. I honestly had no idea what to expect from my meeting. During the symposium portion, they gave us some advice for navigating the Capitol. Namely, to leave your luggage at the hotel as the House and Senate buildings have security we must go through. Of course, I had to head directly to the airport after my scheduled meeting and was grappling with what to do with my luggage! Thankfully, a friend informed me of the Bounce app, where you can store luggage with gyms and hotels if you are in a city for a few hours and don’t want to drag your luggage around. I set up a reservation with a gym near the Longworth House Office Building, and figured in the stop when I set up my Uber for getting into the city and then back to the airport. What a relief! I expected that once at the Longworth office building, I would have to check in and tell them why I was there and possibly showing identification. Being my usual worried self, I left for my appointment an hour early. I spent 20 minutes lingering outside, took a few pictures of the Capitol, which was directly across the street, and watched a man film a video on the front steps. Someone important left in a motorcade from behind the building, and there were Capitol police on every street. To my surprise, once going through security at the office building, I was on my own. I knew Congressman Golden’s office was on the seventh floor, and thankfully there was a directory outside of the elevators. It was a very busy building, with lots of people in the main lobby waiting for the elevator. I made my way to the seventh floor and noticed that most offices had their state flags and welcome signs outside their doors. I noted how easy it is for the average person to visit their congressional representative right where they work.
Once at Congressman Golden’s office, I walked inside and was greeted by a golden (how appropriate!) doodle. Clearly, a pet friendly office! I announced myself and was told that Tyler was expecting me. The office was small, lots of people and desks crammed into a few rooms. It was so small, in fact, that when Tyler came out to the waiting area, he asked if we could have our meeting in the hallway where it would be quieter! I did not have a particular script in mind, only that I wanted to let Tyler know what the field of histotechnology is about, what we do, and why we are a critical part of the healthcare team. I let him know of the lack of histology schools in the country, and that we are in a critical workforce shortage. It was a pleasant, casual conversation and Tyler listened attentively and took lots of notes. He then asked me, “What can we do for you?” I had two asks planned: one, to encourage Congressman Golden to sign on as a co-sponsor of SALSA, a compromise to the PAMA cuts that were enacted several years ago that would have a detrimental impact on the field and reimbursements. Congress has delayed PAMA from going into effect because CMS based their cuts to reimbursement on faulty data. However, they are only being delayed, and passing SALSA would ensure that those cuts never go through as PAMA indicates. The second ask I had was to invite Congressman Golden, Tyler, and whomever else associated with his office to come visit my lab in Bangor, Maine. It can be difficult to accurately describe how important our work is, and seeing it firsthand always leaves a lasting impression on people.
Attending the Legislative Symposium
I write this to encourage anyone who may attend the ASCLS Legislative Symposium in the future to arrange appointments with their legislators. The process was surprisingly easy, and now we have the ear of at least one Congressperson! I have stayed in contact with Tyler, sending him information about SALSA and PAMA, and the position papers published by NSH about the workforce shortage and education in the field of histology. But to that note, you don’t even need the Legislative symposium to visit your legislators on Capitol Hill. Practically every congressional representative's office had signs that said, “please come in!” outside their offices, and you do not need to have a scheduled appointment to visit, although that certainly helps ensure someone is available to speak with you. Visibility is something the histology field has always struggled with, so now it’s our time to make ourselves known! Reach out to your legislators. Let them know who we are and why they need to recognize the very important work we do.
Written By: Clare Thornton, HT(ASCP), QIHC (ASCP)
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