Grassroots Update: Congressional Committee Coverage


In the Summer 2005 Advocate, the Grassroots Program solicited ACRa members to become actively engaged in advocating College activities, and you have responded.

As of August 2005, the amount of ACRa Grassroots Advocates and RADPAC contributors who are represented by members of Congress and sit on the primary committees of jurisdiction (House Energy and Commerce, House Ways and Means, and Senate Finance), has increased significantly. There is still room for increasing our numbers, but we now have a solid foundation with our targeting efforts.

Senate Finance Committee House Energy & Commerce Committee House Ways & Means Committee
ACR Members
9,085
4,337
2,999
Grassroots Advocates
79
47
45
RADPAC Contributors
837
489
329

For more information on the ACRa's Grassroots Program, go to the Advocacy and ACRa section of the ACR Web site (www.acr.org).

Summer District Visits

The ACRa's Grassroots Advocacy Program conducted a summer-long initiative for grassroots advocates to invite their members of Congress for a tour of their radiology facility.

By touring a radiology facility, a member of Congress gets to see the various imaging modalities and learn about the latest technologies available to radiologists. Since most members of Congress do not have a background in health care, the tour is likely the first time a member of Congress is exposed to what radiologists do and the role radiologists play in the delivery of quality health care to patients.

The Grassroots Program focused on setting up tours with members of Congress who serve on the key congressional committees of jurisdiction for health care such as the House Ways & Means and Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittees.

For questions, contact Ted Burnes at (703) 648-8949 or via e-mail at tedb@acr.org or Heather Kaiser at hkaiser@acr.org.

The ACRa Grassroots Program would like to recognize and thank those ACRa members who took time to participate in the Summer District Visit initiative:

ACRa Member Host Member of Congress
Greg Szarnecki, MD Rep Kenny Hulshof (R, Mo), W&M Health Subcommittee
Jay Duxin, MD Rep Nancy Johnson (R, Conn), W&M Health Subcommittee
David DiSantis, MD Rep Phil English (R, Pa), W&M Health Subcommittee
Mark Kraemer, MD Rep Jim McCrery (R, La), W&M Health Subcommittee
Charles Mueller, MD Rep Dave Camp (R, Mich), W&M Health Subcommittee
James Bronk and
Andrew Nicks, MD		 Rep Mike Thompson (D, Calif), W&M Health Subcommittee
William Herrington, MD Rep Charlie Norwood (R, Ga), E&C Health Subcommittee
W. Ross Stevens, MD Rep John Shimkus (R, Ill), E&C Health Subcommittee
Paul Weiser, MD Rep Mike Fitzpatrick (R, Pa)
Jay Parikh, MD Rep Dave Reichert (R, Wash)
Kevin Gillespie, MD Rep Jeff Fortenberry (R, Neb)
J. Frank Wilson, MD Rep Gwen Moore (D, Wis)
Jennifer Kottra, MD Rep Rick Renzi (R, Ariz)
Philip Araoz, MD Rep Gil Gutknecht (R, Minn)
David Buck, MD Rep Tim Murphy (R, Pa)
Micheal Seider, MD Rep Sherrod Brown (D, Ohio)


David J. DiSantis, MD, FACR (right) participated in the ACRa's Grassroots August Facility Visit Program by hosting Rep Phil English (R, Pa) (left), a member of the Ways & Means Health Subcommittee, at the Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Penn., on Monday, August 8.
On August 29, radiologists at the Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa, Calif, hosted a facility visit with Rep Mike Thompson (D, Calif), who sits on the Ways & Means Health Subcommittee. Pictured are: James Bronk, MD (left); Thompson (center), and Andrew Nicks, MD, FACR (right).
Dr. Jennifer Kottra and colleagues at the Flagstaff Medical Center recently hosted a facility visit with Congressman Rick Renzi.

 


On Wednesday, August 10, A. Orlando Ortiz, MD, MBA, FACR, hosted a successful fundraising event at his home for Rep Carolyn McCarthy. Pictured are members of the Winthrop Radiology Department, including McCarthy (front row, middle) and Ortiz (front row, far right).
Mark Kraemer, MD and associates of Diagnostic Imaging Associates, Inc, in Shreveport, La, hosted Rep Jim McCrery for a facility visit.