Every cause needs powerful champions. That means you. You don't have to be a political expert or know a legislator directly to make a difference. You just need the desire to make an impact, and OCMA and the California Medical Association (CMA) will give you the rest.
Grassroots advocacy relies fully on the general public, not professional lobbyists, to contact legislators and other government officials regarding political issues.
CMA's Grassroots Action Center provides three ways for you to take action: online, by mail or by phone, using CMA's Legislator Connect Hotline. Click here to get started!
Critical issues affecting today's physicians are being decided in the legislative arena at a fast and furious pace. Health care reform, medical liability and insurance regulations are just a few of the vital issues being debated and voted on by decision-makers in Sacramento.
CMA has some of the best lobbyists, lawyers and other advocates in the Capitol, but the most powerful weapon in advancing the cause of physicians and their patients is you. Hearing from a physician with experience from the frontlines of medicine can make all the difference for a legislator facing a complicated health care issue.
Organized medicine is strongest when more individual physicians speak up and are heard. The stronger we are, the greater the opportunity for success. Help support CMA’s efforts by becoming a Legislative Key Contact. As a Key Contact, you’ll get all the latest information on legislation as it moves through the Capitol, as well as updates on elections and candidates running for office. Become a Legislative Key Contact today!
For more information on how to get involved, read CMA's Physicians Guide to Influencing Health Policy.
Submitting resolutions to CMA's policy-making body, the House of Delegates (HOD), is the most direct way for members to influence CMA’s advocacy agenda. The delegates meet once a year to establish CMA policies on key issues that affect the practice of medicine, from medical ethics to critical matters of public health. Each year the HOD debates and takes action on more than 100 resolutions, each of them authored by members like you. See CMA’s Resolution Submission Rules and Guidelines for detailed information.
Any CMA member may present testimony (i.e., speak for or against a resolution or recommendation) at reference committee hearings and may attend the meetings of the full House of Delegates as an observer. Members may also submit written testimony online in the House of Delegates section of the CMA website.
Join 44,000 physicians making a direct impact on health care legislation.