Get Vot-ER Ready This National Patient Advocacy Day!

Today, August 19, is National Patient Advocacy Day!

August 19, 2024
For Immediate Release

As a healthcare professional, you advocate for your patients every day by listening to fertility journeys, tailoring treatment plans to specific needs, and providing the standard of care as couples and individuals work to build their families. Today, we ask that you expand your advocacy to include encouraging patients to vote on November 5.

Here are some steps you can take to become an even stronger patient advocate this Civic Health Month:

Order your FREE Vot-ER badge today to help patients register to vote.

Voting is a powerful tool that allows us to address and improve the issues we care about, including our health. ASRM is proud to partner with Vot-ER, a grassroots organization dedicated to driving nonpartisan civic engagement among healthcare professionals. Vot-ER badges make it easier than ever to help your patients prepare for Election Day! These free badges feature a QR code that patients can scan to register in their state, check the status of their registration, and find additional voting resources. Order yours here and wear it in the workplace to encourage registration on the go!

Get the conversation started!

Unsure of how to discuss civic engagement with your patients? It's as simple as adding a question about voter registration to your intake forms or mentioning it during a social history questionnaire.

"Do you smoke? Do you drink? Are you safe at home? Are you registered to vote?"

If you'd rather save it for the end of the appointment, you might ask, "Before we wrap up, are you registered to vote at your current address?" With the help of your Vot-ER badge, you'll be ready to act if the answer is "No." Let the patient know that by pointing their camera at the QR code, the Vot-ER platform can help them order an absentee ballot, look up the candidates and ballot measures in their region, find a polling place, or access a helpline.

As a nonpartisan organization, ASRM asks that you stick to encouraging patients to vote and avoid mentioning specific candidates or issues.

Decorate your office or exam room with Vot-ER posters.

Give your patients the opportunity to learn about civic health while they wait for their appointment! Order custom posters and materials for your waiting rooms, exam rooms, and reception desks here. Customized Zoom backgrounds for telehealth appointments are available at the same link.

Post about National Patient Advocacy Day on socials!

Use the hashtag #PatientAdvocacyDay2024 and share why civic health matters to you as a patient advocate! (If you already have your Vot-ER badge, we encourage you to post a photo with it along with your message to spread the word on this resource.) Keep an eye out for posts from @ASRM_org and @Vot_ER_org to share with your own followers.

Send an organization-wide email alerting your coworkers to the occasion.

Whether you work in an office, a clinic, or a hospital, make sure that your peers know about National Patient Advocacy Day and are prepared to become even stronger advocates. See a sample message provided by Vot-ER below:

To: All Staff

From: [Appropriate Sender]

Subject: [ACTION REQUESTED] Double-Check Your Voter Registration Now

Colleagues,

Today is National Patient Advocacy Day! As health care professionals who hold our patients at the center of all we do, [ORGANIZATION] is not only celebrating this day but using it to lift up the power of communities to improve their health by voting. Given the important connection between health and voting, we are asking all [staff/members] to take 30 seconds to double-check they are registered to vote at their current address by clicking the link below:

Double Check Your Voter Registration

You can ensure a smooth voting experience whether you choose to vote from home or in person by confirming your voter registration is up-to-date.

Thank you for your commitment to improving the health of our community.

[Signature]

ASRM thanks our stellar advocates for all they do for their patients and the greater community. We can't wait to see what the future of infertility advocacy holds!

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