At GADA's most recent Professional Development meeting, Nancy Rice came to discuss how Registered Dietitians can get involved in nutrition policy and advocate on behalf of our communities to local lawmakers. Nancy Rice, who has decades of nutrition experience and has worked as a State Director for the Child Nutrition Division for the Georgia Department of Education, guided GADA members through an excellent presentation on just how we can increase our impact through legislation and why it matters. In case you missed it, this blog briefly summarizes what Rice shared.
State and local public policies are introduced regularly and intended to improve a community's general welfare or prosperity. You can access current state bills and the status of each bill on a government website, a database such as LegiScan. In addition, you can find local nutrition-related policies currently being discussed on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website.
But why should RDN's get involved? As Nancy Rice stated, "if we don't speak up, someone else will, and they may be uninformed or misguided." Not only is it important for us to speak up as a citizen, the academy states in their code of ethics that RDNs have the professional "responsibility for local, regional, and national global nutrition and well-being." This suggests that as Registered Dietitians, we are expected to educate and contribute to the prosperity of our community through our nutrition knowledge. Rice explained this responsibility includes collaborating with others, promoting fairness, contributing our time and expertise where it is needed, engaging in service, and seeking leadership opportunities. Advocating for nutrition-based policies gives us the chance to fulfill all of these expectations in a meaningful way. Overall, nutrition advocacy is important because we have the opportunity to use science-based knowledge to serve and support others in the long term.
Take some time to reflect on what barriers you experience when considering getting involved with legislation. Are you limited on time? Do you not know how? Are you nervous, unsure of political jargon and who to speak to, and how? Do you feel unqualified to share your views? Here's what Nancy Rice advised:
- Lawmakers want to know:
- What specific action do you want them to take?
- Why?
- What impact will it have on my constituents?
- What personal stories do you have to lend support to that request?
- You are qualified; tell your story, be patient, and repeat your ask.
- Strengthen relationships with legislators: send them a birthday card, introduce yourself, always carry your business cards with you, invite them to a meeting, thank them for their service, never argue, be honest and respectful, and ask thoughtful.
- A personal visit with a lawmaker will influence their decision by 94%, an individualized email 92%, an individual postal letter 88%, a conversation at town hall meeting 87%, and a generic pre-typed "form" letter has 56% influence.
- Do what you can; if all you can do is send a "form" letter, then do it! (The Academy will occasionally send out action items like this)
The following is a simplified version of an action plan that was adapted from the Academy's public policy group and is intended to help YOU advocate for nutrition policies:
- Pick three policy goals (you can find these on the websites listed earlier, or you can sign up for your elected official's newsletter)
- Select one member of congress to build a better relationship with, and decide how you're going to do it
- Rate your current relationship with them from 0 - 5
- Repeat Quarterly
Lastly, Nancy Rice left us with one last piece of wisdom:
"Our government leads us based on WHO PARTICIPATES," so let's get involved!