What Is Advocacy?
Advocacy is the active effort to support and promote a cause by influencing decision-makers. It encompasses a broad range of activities, including educating the public and policymakers, lobbying for legislative changes, and engaging in media campaigns.
Within the context of healthcare, advocacy advances the interests of patients to ensure access to appropriate care, minimize financial barriers, and benefit from investments in research funding.
Advocacy can take many forms, from personal storytelling and grassroots mobilization to formal lobbying efforts. It is driven by the belief that informed, empowered voices can lead to meaningful changes in laws and policies.
At its core, advocacy seeks to bridge the gap between patients and policymakers, ensuring that decisions are informed by both real-world patient experiences and scientific evidence.
How the International Myeloma Foundation Advocates
The IMF engages with policymakers at local, state, and national levels to advocate for laws and policies that benefit patients. These advocacy activities include:
Legislative Advocacy
Working to pass laws that improve access to treatments, ensure fair insurance coverage, and fund research.
Regulatory Advocacy
Engaging with federal agencies to influence regulations that affect care and treatment availability.
Research Advocacy
Advocating for increased funding for research, supporting efforts to discover new treatments and ultimately find a cure. This includes collaborating with research institutions and funding bodies to prioritize research.
Grassroots Advocacy
Mobilizing patient community members to take part in advocacy activities and campaigns.
Our Advocacy Priorities
These three areas encompass the most pressing issues in patient care. They are the foundation for the IMF’s priorities in advocacy:
1. Ensure Access to Care
We advocate for laws and policies that ensure all myeloma patients have equitable, comprehensive, patient-centered care without insurance barriers that limit options or delay treatment initiation.
2. Eliminate Financial Barriers
We advocate for laws and policies that reduce the financial hardships associated with treatments and supportive care interventions
3. Advance Myeloma Research
We advocate for laws and policies that foster innovation in myeloma research and drug development, including increased funding for basic and translational research, streamlined regulatory pathways for novel therapies, and improvements in clinical trial diversity.
Join Us in Advocacy
By uniting patients and providing a platform for their voices, we help to ensure that the laws and policies driving our healthcare system are shaped by those who understand the issues firsthand – our patient community.
As a myeloma patient or supporter, you have the power to drive meaningful change. By engaging in advocacy, you can help create a healthcare system that better serves the myeloma community. Start today and share your story by contacting us at [email protected]