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EDC Lobby Days 2006 |
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April 26, 2006
September 14, 2006
91 Activists Call Attention to
"Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act"
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WASHINGTON Sept. 14, 2006 - More eating disorder advocates lobbied Congress on Sept. 14 than ever before, each asking for a fair share of federal support for the deadly condition. The EDC Lobby Day, in conjunction with the National Eating Disorders Association annual conference, attracted 91 people from a majority of states. Also participating were representatives from England, Germany, and Mexico.
The message of the day: support the Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (IMPACT). If passed before the end of the 109th Congress, the bill would create a federal grant program to train healthcare personnel about obesity and eating disorders. Although eating disorders have one of the highest death rates of any mental illness, the government spends only $21 million a year on research, and far less on prevention and education programs.
Advocates asked that their elected officials support IMPACT in the House and Senate by signing on as co-sponsors and working to pass the legislation before Congress adjourns.
April 26, 2006
40 Advocates Tell Their Stories at the EDC Lobby Day
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EDC Lobby Day Training
EDC Policy Director Jeanine Cogan prepares 40 advocates for Congressional meetings.
EDC Lobby Day Calls
Attention to Dream Bill and Threats
...the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances...
April 26, 2006 - Forty advocates from across the United States met today in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about eating disorders. The focus of the day's meetings: eating disorder bills in Congress and a dangerous new bill in the Senate.
Advocacy Training and Lobbying Due to increased registration, the training was moved to a community room over the Starbucks on Capitol Hill. Participants were given Starbucks gift cards in order to choose their own breakfast items. EDC Lobby Day training covered Body Mass Index reporting in schools, a dangerous new bill in the U.S. Senate, and positive items such such as the eating disorders dream bill.
Next, EDC Lobby Day teams met with elected officials and their staff members. Some teams reported negative attitudes on the part of staffers, but overall the feedback was positive for most meetings.
"Whether officials agree with us or not, it's
important for us to go into their offices, make our best case, and thank
them for the opportunity," noted Jeanine Cogan.
At 3:30, the teams joined Congressional staffers for a briefing on the
Senate side of the U.S. Capitol. The briefing offered standing room only as
speakers reviewed the importance of the
first federal report on the efficacy of treatments for various eating
disorders.
EDC Executive Director Mar
Read more about the briefing.
Ashley Southard,
MS, LGMFT
EDC Program Coordinator
Jeanine Cogan, PhD
Advocacy Trainer
EDC Policy Director
Previous EDC
Lobby Days
Click here for 2005
Click here for 2004
Click here for 2003
Click here for 2002
Click here for 2001
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