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Representative Mary Bono Mack is
asking Members of the US House of Representatives to sign onto an overdose
prevention letter to US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary
Sebelius. The letter urges HHS to do more in the area of overdose prevention by
launching a public awareness campaign on how to recognize the signs and
symptoms of overdose and how to respond, including administering naloxone. We
need your help in generating additional sign ons by House members.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Call your member of Congress and ask them to sign on to the letter.
Call 202.224.3121 and ask for your
Representative’s office. This is the Capitol Switchboard and they will transfer
you to the office that you request.
Ask to speak with the staff person
who works on health care issues. Share with the staffer why overdose
prevention is important to you and why it is important for your Representative
to sign on. Thank them and ask if you can count
on their support.
*Sample script to be used when either
speaking with the staffer or leaving a message:
My name is ____ and I live in (city,
state). I am urging Representative ____ to sign on to the “Dear Colleague”
letter circulated by Representative Bono Mack which urges HHS to do more in the
area of overdose prevention and the utilization of naloxone. Supporting
overdose prevention efforts is important to me because [include brief details
on why overdose prevention is important to you or details on your
organization].
Every day an estimated 100 lives are
lost to accidental overdose; many of these deaths can be avoided through simple
interventions by bystanders, such as performing rescue breathing, alerting
emergency medical services, and using the life-saving medication naloxone.
I urge Representative ____ to sign
on to Representative Bono Mack’s letter to U.S. Health and Human Services
Secretary Sebelius.
Thank you for your time and for your
attention to this very important public health issue. I hope that we can count
on your support.
2. Share this information with your network.
Note: The deadline for Congressional
sign ons to the letter is Thursday, July 12th.
Thank you for your help in making
these calls!
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
