At Patients Rising, we are focused on the need to develop an all-inclusive, transparent healthcare system that provides patients access to affordable care. This is possible only when all stakeholders are at the table and have the ability to participate in the development of policies and guidelines based on each of their unique experiences with the healthcare system. Patients Rising’s Delegate Program empowers patients and caregivers to do just that!
Our Advocacy Masterclass is a 15-week program that prepares future delegates in the art of healthcare advocacy to help drive our efforts toward creating a transparent and accessible healthcare system for all. Masterclass students receive a curriculum with weekly reading, watching, and listening to be completed each week at their own pace, and will come together for live virtual sessions to engage with fellow classmates and hear from leading advocates.
The end goal of this training is to equip our patient and caregiver delegates with the tools and resources required to successfully communicate their experiences to a wide variety of audiences, including state and federal policymakers, researchers, and drug regulatory bodies. Delegates are encouraged to get started by:
- Posting about policy and advocacy issues on social media channels
- Attending educational events such as health policy webinars and conferences
- Emailing their state representative about specific policy issues or tag them in a social post about that issue
The delegate program is also built to empower patients/caregivers from other patient support organizations so they can bring this legislative advocacy knowledge back to their own organization and help the patients they serve. The delegate program provides ongoing support to such advocates and organizations.
These are just a few of the ways in which an empowered patient delegate can be heard and can influence equitable access to healthcare. Patients Rising Now continues to support our delegates via resources on our website, weekly newsletters, and bimonthly chats.
Beginning in 2021, the program has graduated over 170 advocates and we expect to enroll 75 more in the upcoming fall session, which kicks off on August 29th. You can register here: https://patientsrisingnow.org/masterclass-applicaton/.
