MediaChair Academy, Conferences, GSDA, Legislative, Nutrition, Volunteer Advocate, Community, Public policy

How to Help Improve the Nutrition of Your Community

By Nicole Lyon, Mary Heid, and Ashley Bent, the GSDA Legislative Team

In these unprecedented times, the nutrition and dietetics world is going through many changes with current issues: diversity and inclusion are redefining our profession, there is a push to expand Medicare-covered MNT services to include more health conditions, COVID-19 is opening the doors for telehealth, and food insecurity is threatening large numbers of people during the pandemic. What do these issues have in common? You can speak up about these issues and advocate for change to improve your community! How? Consider three simple opportunities that allow you to support big changes with a small amount of time and effort:

Complete Action Alerts through the Academy.
Attend the annual Washington State Legislative Day. (This year it’s virtual!)
Make a donation to support political candidates that focus on food, nutrition, and health.

1. Complete Action Alerts

Action Alerts are created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), which works hard to stay up to date with the dynamics of legislature so Academy members and non-members can be regularly informed of nutrition-related policies. Filling out these alerts is a quick and simple way to advocate for your community, clients or patients, and the nutrition and dietetics profession in a matter of minutes.

It takes less than two minutes on average to complete an action alert, but this small act can make a huge impact! In September 2020, over 1,700 action alert messages were sent urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to extend WIC waivers through the pandemic. The result was an approval of these waivers being extended by several months, greatly impacting a significant portion of a population in need. As of December 6, 2020, 4,304 action alert messages have been sent to state Senators for the HEROES Act Covid-19 Relief Package. This number continues to rise as more dietitians are taking the time to participate. Despite this increase in action alert participants, this total represents less than 5% of dietitians. Every voice matters and amplifies not only the voice of the dietetics profession, but also for the communities we work with. The more of us who take the time to interact with our legislators, the greater impact we can continue to have in the world!

How To Do an Action Alert

Visit the AND Action Center website.
On this page you will find two options: “For Members – Take Action” and “For Nonmembers – Take Action”. If you are already an Academy member, you will need to log in, but otherwise you can select the Nonmember button. Either option will take you to the latest action alerts.
BONUS STEP: Before you go any further, take advantage of the option to sign up for future action alerts by adding your email and zip code at the top right of the page. If you prefer to receive text message alerts for action alert updates, text “eatright” to 50457. (You will also have the opportunity to sign up for email alerts once you’ve taken action).
Click on the action alert you want to view. Each alert will have a description of what the policy is along with a pre-written message to lawmakers. Once you are familiar with the policy the action alert is addressing, fill in your information on the right side of the page and click “Review Your Message”. In case you are unsure about what to say, AND has already taken the time to write a general message to Senators and Representatives! We recommend adding your own stories or comments to the message, especially if the policy directly relates to or impacts your area of work,, but this is not required.
Finally, click the “Send Message” button, and just like that your message has been sent to your legislators!

Want to follow along with the bills you bring to light in these action alerts? Check out the Academy’s State Legislative Tracking Map where you can view bill status, read the full bill text, and monitor actions taken by your legislature.

2. Attend Washington State Legislative Day

Advocacy is defined as public support for, or recommendation of, a particular cause or policy. Washington State Legislative day is devoted to advocacy in support of feeding people, fighting hunger, and improving health. It is conducted by the Washington State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (WSAND) and takes place in Olympia annually in February. Meeting with legislators who influence public policy and who approve the funding for the laws and programs is very important to the advancement of the dietetics profession. Legislative Day allows you to show support for particular bills and programs through speaking directly to your district legislators and helping to educate these lawmakers on nutrition and food-related issues. This is accomplished by small, scheduled meetings coordinated by WSAND, which also provides in-depth information about current policies prior to the meetings.

Virtual Legislative Day 2021

In 2021, Legislative Day will be held virtually, presenting a great opportunity for more dietitians, diet technicians, dietetic interns, and even nutrition students to be involved! The day will begin with WSAND and the Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition providing you with information about Legislative Priorities, which can include House and/or Senate Bills or requests for program funding. You and other constituents from your district will then participate in a brief online meeting to prepare for your upcoming virtual meetings with legislators, typically one Senator and two Representatives. (Not sure about your legislative district? Look it up here!) In your meeting, you will all decide: 1) what information and messages you want to convey and 2) what actions you want the legislators to take. Stories have the power to persuade people to take action and are more memorable than facts alone, so preparing a short personal story can convey why you are invested in a particular issue. Then, at the designated time, you will participate in brief, 15-minute online meetings with your legislators. If your legislators are not available, you will meet with legislative assistants instead. Keep an eye out for more details about Legislative Day 2021 on WSAND’s website.

Tips for Meeting with Your Legislators

Introduce yourself by name and title (Nutrition Student, Dietetic Intern, Registered Dietitian, etc.) and state that you are a constituent from their district.
Prepare a concise message based on the Legislative Priorities and a short personal story related to your message.
State the problem that concerns you, its importance, and what you want the legislator to do (such as vote for a specific bill or support funding for a program).
Listen to the legislators to find out where they stand on the issue; if the legislator does not mention their stance on the issue, feel free to ask them.
Be prepared to answer questions the legislator has; if you don’t know the answer, find out and follow up with an email to provide the answer.
Afterwards, email each legislator individually to thank them for meeting with you and restate your concerns. Include in your email a fact sheet about the bill or program and your contact information.

Taking Time Off For Legislative Day 2021

Legislative Day is typically held on a weekday. If you’re already thinking you want to be involved in 2021, you may need to take half a day off from work. Consider these points when talking with your manager about taking time off to attend:

Support for nutrition-related legislation will ultimately support the health and well-being of the patients/clients you serve
Educating policy makers about nutrition-related legislation will help to reinforce dietitians’ reputation as the “Nutrition Experts”
Passing nutrition-related legislation helps advance reimbursement for dietitian services
Advocacy by actual dietitians sharing their stories is an effective way to garner support for legislation

Sharing Stories at Legislative Day 2020

In February 2020, Mary Heid, MS, RDN, CD and Legislative Co-Chair for GSDA, attended Washington Legislative Day when WSAND and the Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition teamed up for Hunger Action Day in Olympia. The day started with participants learning more about current legislative priorities including: SNAP Match Program, WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program, Eliminate the Co-pay for Reduced Price School Lunch, and Healthy Drinks/Healthy Kids. After receiving some advocacy tips and training in a large group setting, Mary met in a smaller group with other constituents from her district. The Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition had already scheduled meetings with Senators and Representatives from each district and at least 2 participants went to speak directly with the legislators or their assistants. Since Mary was not alone when speaking to the legislators, “I was much less nervous and knew I had someone else who could jump in if I forgot to mention an important point.”

In Mary’s meetings, she shared that the SNAP Match Program needed $1.3 million approved to supply vouchers to SNAP recipients to help them buy additional fruits and vegetables at Farmers Markets or certain grocery stores. As a graduate student at UW, her Public Policy Nutrition class had evaluated the SNAP Match Program, so Mary shared personal stories from interviews she conducted with RDNs who had given out vouchers to families. Vouchers helped families provide more fruits and vegetables for their children who often need to be exposed to a new food multiple times before they decide they like it. Several families shared that they felt they could allow their children to pick out a new fruit or vegetable to try since they had more money to spend on produce. “I explained that ultimately, the SNAP Match Program would help families make better food choices and potentially help children take a more active role in the decision making process of what to eat.” Mary’s 2020 experience taught her to feel confident speaking to lawmakers and sharing a story of how nutrition funding can positively impact the community.

3. Make a Donation to Political Candidates

If you don’t have time to meet with your legislators, consider making a donation. Donations are an effective and simple way to impact political change. A 2014 study conducted by the University of Rochester explored the ways that campaign contributions influence the legislative process, finding it has a great impact on committees that write and revise bills. You can easily make a donation in one of two ways: to the campaign fund of your representative through a local fundraiser directly, or to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Political Action Committee (ANDPAC). ANDPAC is a bipartisan committee dedicated to sharing information, research, and stories about the impact that legislation regulations have on the health and nutritional status of Americans. By donating to ANDPAC, your contributions support political candidates for federal office who advocate for nutrition, health, and food security. Donations can be made when you renew your Academy membership annually, through the Academy’s website, or at the ANDPAC booth hosted each year at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE). Perhaps you know exactly which representative you want to donate to and have time to attend a local fundraiser. Reach out to their campaign office directly by phone or email for more details about any upcoming fundraiser events. You can make your own donation, or you can fill out the ANDPAC Contribution Request Form on the Academy’s website to be provided with funds.

Whether you take the time to connect with your legislators digitally, in person, or by contributing funds, it is important to know that your small actions can have a large impact. Now that you know which options are available, you can feel prepared and confident about the simple ways to make a big difference politically!