As part of NATA’s ongoing advocacy efforts, a group of 26 members joined NATA staff members March 31-April 1 in Washington, D.C., for a “fly-in” event on Capitol Hill.
The event was an opportunity for members – who included the NATA Board of Directors, NATA Political Action Committee Board of Directors, members of the NATA Government Affairs Committee, representatives from the NATA Research & Education Foundation and Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer, and two athletic training students – to meet with their legislators and legislative staff to provide insight into the athletic training profession.
“It was really exciting to have several members join me at the Capitol,” said NATA Senior Manager of Government Affairs Deanna Kuykendall. “Usually, it's me and our D.C. lobbyists who are meeting with legislators. It's awesome to have an opportunity to link arms with members and advocate for the profession together. I would like to think that legislators like talking with me, but I know they like meeting with their constituents more.”
The fly-in kicked off with a social March 31, during which attendees registered and picked up their packets. After the social, NATAPAC donors attended a private, behind-the-scenes, after-hours tour of the Capitol.
The following day, after taking a group photo in front of the Capitol, attendees met in the Agriculture Committee hearing room for a briefing and to discuss the day ahead.
“We had scheduled meetings for everyone with their legislative offices,” said Kuykendall, adding that now is a great time for members meet with their legislators as Congress has several new faces after the November 2024 election. “[During these meetings,] attendees shared with legislators who they are, what they do, the different settings where they work as well as their expertise, skill set, education and training. They also shared pressure points they face, including salary compensation, workplace safety and work-life balance.
“We encouraged them, ‘This is an opportunity for you to get face time with those who represent you, for them to hear your personal stories, and build relationships with them.’ After the meetings, NATA staff will follow-up and continue to build upon those relationships.
In addition to meeting with legislators and legislative staff, attendees distributed one-page handouts about the athletic training profession to other legislator offices. In total, attendees were able to connect with more than 100 offices.
“I truly appreciate the substantial amount of time that our NATA staff walks the halls of Congress, lobbying on behalf of this great profession of ours,” said NATA President A.J. Duffy III, MS, ATC, PT. “It was great to have an opportunity to team up with my AT colleagues and join them for a day at the Capitol. I am confident that the personal connections we made April 1 will help our government affairs department build on their ongoing advocacy efforts.”
Kuykendall said connecting members to legislators at the start of this Congress has helped set the stage as NATA continues to work on its robust legislative agenda.
“Legislators get requests to meet with so many people,” she said. “I'm pounding the pavement all the time meeting with these members of Congress, but nothing replaces the ability for a constituent who is on the front lines of the profession to be able to walk in and share their stories with their legislator. … I'm then able to go back to those offices and say, ‘When you met with John, from your district, he shared with you X, Y and Z. I'd like to provide you more information and see if there are things that we can work on together to try to help move that forward.’
“As health care policy is at the forefront, we are not just in the room but actually have a seat at that table. These meetings strengthen our relationships with legislators, and the stronger the relationships, the more of a resource and an ally they can be for us.”
Now that everyone has returned home, the NATA Government Affairs Department is helping set up workplace visits between fly-in attendees and legislators so they can see firsthand a day in the life of an athletic trainer.
Kuykendall said any member who would like to invite their legislator to visit their workplace is encouraged to do so – and NATA is here to help.
“Reach out to me,” she said. “These local site visits, facility tours and roundtables can happen year-round. We have to keep these conversations going. We need legislators to immediately think, ‘Where are the ATs on this? Let's reach out to them.’ We want them to have that personal connection. So, if you're willing to host your legislator at your workplace or if you'd like to go meet with them in their office, we can absolutely help set that up.”
For more information or to set up a visit with your legislator, contact Kuykendall by email.
