FEATURE


however, the people I was with started to do the talking. “Some people—and I am sometimes guilty of this myself—are hesitant to ask questions in a big group,” Hayes admits. “It was advantageous to break up into the smaller groups because we were able to address some of the questions that the less experienced people had. And then, when staff did the rounds, they were able to clarify answers to questions the whole group had asked and went through any last-minute details on what was going to happen during the meetings. Staff was especially helpful in answering ques- tions people in my group did not want to ask in front of the whole group.” Sariego says the information pro-


vided to the larger group was also helpful. “I thought the message to attendees was very good: just tell the Congressional offices what it is that you do and what you are passionate about. The information helped give us the lay-of-the-land and tips for getting around,” she says. “It will be helpful going forward to make sure that first- timers are matched up with those of us who have done it a few times.” The first day ends with a social event


for ASCAPAC members, which gives all supporters a chance to interact socially with their colleagues and ASCA staff. In September 2014, ASCAPAC hosted a “Monuments by Moonlight” bus tour, an exclusive opportunity to see the monuments of Washington, DC, from a unique vantage point. The next morning can bring pre- meeting jitters to even the most experi- enced fly-in participants. ASCA hosts a breakfast, typically at the hotel, with a current member of Congress who talks about why it is important to be an advocate for the industry. “When you wake up you will want to


review your notes again and make sure you really understand the materials,” Sariego says. “I enjoyed the representa- tives speaking at the breakfast . . . and I think the energy created in that room


20 ASC FOCUS FEBRUARY 2015


Jeffrey Hayes, administrator of Tuscaloosa Surgical Center in Tusca loosa, Alabama, and president of the Alabama Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers, and Alabama- based advocate Dare Meeks, right, meet with Lora Hobbs, Rep. Bradley Byrne’s (AL-R) health policy staff person.


Now everyone from each of my centers is doing a follow-up with their members of Congress based on what we did at the Capitol Fly-In. Momentum is maintained and the energy that we started in that room is carried over.”


—Ann Sariego, Physicians Endoscopy


really pumps up all the people there. The energy becomes infectious.” During lobbying, Hayes says, “most [of the congressional staffers his group met] were very engaging, but some just do not know too much about our issues. That can be a little frustrating. Two years ago we were meeting with a staff person, and he was not as attentive as we had hoped he would be to our issues.” Sariego points out that the key to a successful meeting is to stand out. “With the staffers you have to do some- thing that will resonate with them per- sonally,” she says. “. . . How are we going to stand out and be remembered?”


After the Fact


After the fly-in concludes and attendees return home, it is imperative that the connection with the congressional office be maintained. ASCA staff contacts fly-in attendees with template thank you letters and sample grassroots emails and works to set up facility tours.


Sariego carries on her advocacy by bringing the talking points and back- ground materials back to her centers. “Now everyone from each of my centers is doing a follow-up with their members of Congress based on what we did at the Capitol Fly-In,” she says. “Momentum is maintained and the energy that we started in that room is carried over.” Hayes, as the leader of his state association, has been working with ASCA to set up facility tours with all of the members they visited during the fly-in and has already successfully brought several into facilities in Alabama. “I feel like I am one little ant carrying a little crumb to the hill, and it takes a lot of ants, a continuous stream; we all need to take our part to do that, and eventually, it will start to have a cumulative effect,” he says.


For more information on the ASCA Capi- tol Fly-In program, write Jack Coleman at jcoleman@ascassociation.org.


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