Sample Visit/Phone Script
Scheduling a face-to-face visit with your Elected
Official member is the best way of letting that legislator know who you are,
that you are a constituent that is also a dialysis and/or kidney transplant
patient.
Try to make sure that your visit is a positive, beneficial experience for both
yourself and your state representative. Be upbeat and positive, wear clothes
that fit well and look clean and nice. You may want to remember a time that you
interviewed for a job that you really wanted. But be relaxed, and be yourself.
The person you are trying to impress is like anyone else, so the tone of your
conversation should be as pleasant and interesting as possible. Say what you
came to say, but don’t embellish or take longer than you need.
[Depending on how much time your legislator has allotted, your visit should not
exceed 30 minutes unless it is requested that you stay longer.] The goal is to
make that person want to see you again, talk to you over the phone, or respond
to an e-mail or letter you may send.
Basic script for initial phone call...
“Hello. My name is _____ [your name]. Besides myself, I believe I can speak for
most, if not all, the 400,000 or so patients in the United States with End-Stage
Renal Disease (ESRD) who need either dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant
to stay alive.
We are a chronically ill patient population who need several or more hours of
dialysis treatments three times or more a week either at a dialysis center or at
home just to stay alive. Transplant patients also need to take a number of
different medications to keep their transplant functioning. In addition,
most kidney patients face several other conditions such as diabetes,
hypertension, and bone and cardiovascular disease, to name a few.
I would like very much to arrange an appointment with ____ [name of Elected
Official] to inform him/her about some of the very important issues facing the
dialysis/transplant patients in his/her district.
When would be a convenient time to schedule a meeting?
Are their any events that the Elected Official Member will
be at where I can meet him?
Sample Meeting Request Fax Letter
Call Elected Officials Office and they will tell you who
and where to send the meeting request to.
Date:
Re: Meeting Request
Dear [Congressman/Senator John Doe]:
I am writing to request your assistance in arranging a meeting with Congressman
Doe. I would like to speak to him/her about the Kidney Care Quality and
Education Act of 2007 (Please modify according to your issue.)
(Tell a little about yourself)
I will be in touch with you shortly to follow up regarding this request. If you
have any questions or would like additional information, please feel free to
contact me at [your contact number].
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Name
Address
City, State Zip
Telephone Number
Email Address
Note about the Scheduler
This person is in charge of scheduling the
member’s activities, and given the number of demands placed on members, it can
be a full-time job. In some offices, this task may fall upon the administrative
assistant or the member’s personal secretary. Scheduling includes the member’s
attendance at congressional hearings, press conferences, media interviews,
lunches, dinners, rallies, speeches, town meetings, ribbon-cuttings, factory
tours, and meetings with constituents.
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