Below is a suggested guide as to how to cultivate your own campaign to generate a Women In Pain informational hearing and awareness month resolution in your state.  This step-by-step guideline is inspired by the successful WIP campaign in California—-a campaign born from the initiative and vision of one woman.  It just takes the power of one to bring a better day for all those women in pain in your state who desperately need a voice.  You can be that voice…

1. Read the supporting documents for the movement:

“The Girl Who Cried Pain” report
California example of WIP Awareness Month
California example of Hearing Agenda
Women In Pain Petition
NY Times article

2. Prepare your own story about how you have lived with, coped with, and your attempts to receive diagnosis and treatment.  Writing out your personal story will help you in the future steps of this effort.  We encourage you to write in a narrative style to document the first onset of chronic pain and the journey you have taken up to now to find relief.

3. Pull out powerful pieces from your personal story to prepare a 30 second pitch that you will use as an opener when you begin to contact people to get them interested and involved. What is going to catch their attention and motivate them to do something? 

For example:

“Twenty-two years ago, I got the chronic pain disease, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, when I was a 21-year-old ballerina.  For the first thirteen years of my illness, my doctors told me my physical problems were all in my head, while the RSD, also known as “The Suicide Disease”, spread throughout my entire body leaving me bedridden, screaming in pain for nearly a decade.  It felt like I had been doused with gasoline and lit on fire.  NONE of this had to happen!”

The idea here is that you want to come up with a quick introduction that will pique the interest of the person you are talking to.  Once you have captured their interest, follow their lead in the conversation. Answer their questions without getting bogged down in the telling of your whole personal story.  Your goal is to get them to agree to help you.

4. Contact your State Senators and Assemblymembers and ask their office to carry a resolution declaring February “Women in Pain Awareness” Month.  Also request an informational hearing on the subject in February.

Keep calling until you find someone who says yes.  If they all say no, begin again.

Focus your efforts on those most likely to be interested:
Members of the health committees.
Members of the Women’s Caucus.
Your district representative.
A legislator who has handled pain legislation before.
A legislator that you have a personal relationship with.

Be prepared for the possibility that you might get two representatives to help; one to sponsor the resolution and the other to sponsor the hearing.  There’s also the possibility that there will be multiple co-sponsors.

Always refer interested legislators and staffers to the WIP website: http://www.forgrace.org

Sample scripts for an effective pitch:

“Hello, my name is XXX and I’m with XXX.  Briefly, (then tell your personal story in 3-4 sentences.)”

I’m working very hard to expose the gender bias against women who suffer with pain in this country.  Women are predisposed to all of the chronic pain diseases.  We feel pain more intensely than men and we have a lower pain threshold.  However when we women report our pain to doctors, we’re told it’s “hormonal” or “all in our head”.  We’re given sedatives and anti-depressants, whereas men are much more likely to be believed and be given painkillers.  I want equal treatment for all women who suffer with pain in this country!”

5. As you contact the Senators and Assemblymembers, expect to be talking to their key staff members and not the Senator or Assemblyperson directly.  This is ideal because staffers are the most influential people you can work with.  They are the legislator’s advisors who do the research and assemble the pieces before presenting it to the legislator.  They also make the recommendations. Make an effort to build relationships with these people. They decide what gets to the Senator or Assemblyperson’s desk!

6. Whenever possible, provide the text or drafts of a resolution and a hearing format.  In other words, make it easy for the staffer to assist you by doing much of the up-front work yourself.  Refer him/her to view the resolution passed in California.  Also, refer the staffer to forgrace.org to gain an overview of the California WIP hearing. 

7. Once there is an agreement to have a resolution and hearing, identify speakers to testify at the hearing.

Consider speakers from the following categories:
Women with compelling personal pain stories.
Patient Advocates who work with women in pain.
Physicians who treat women in pain.

Seek out pain advocacy groups, support groups and your own healthcare providers and ask them for referrals.  Go to pain advocacy websites for links to people in your area.  An excellent place to start is with the local chapter of a support organization for your condition.  Also, the national organization dedicated to your condition may be able to provide other contacts in all three categories in your area.  These organizations usually have medical advisory boards whose members may know of someone in your area due to their own professional affiliations.

8. Contact potential speakers whose names you have collected.  Regardless of whether they are available to testify or not, ask them to refer you to others they believe would be appropriate speakers.

Again, the key to a successful initial contact is a 15 to 20 second opener.  Something that says “This is what I’m doing and this is what I’m working to accomplish.” The legislator’s staff can supplement your efforts on this task.  Once you have verbal commitments from speakers, the legislator’s staff will be able to do follow-up phone calls and issue formal invitations.

9. Once the hearing date is set, initiate a letter writing/faxing/phone calling campaign to make other lawmakers aware of the WIP issue, the awareness month and the hearing.  Get constituents to request that their representatives attend the hearing.  For example, post an email message to an online support group for your condition alerting members about the hearing, asking them to write/fax/phone other pain sufferers to pass the word along.  The same message may be sent out via your condition’s support organization’s newsletter.

Sample:

Dear [friend’s name]~

I am hoping you will be willing to send a copy of this letter to your Senator, as well as pass it along to others you know who will do the same.  I’ve provided the letter below so you can cut & paste it onto your own e-mail and send it along. Or print it out to send via snail mail.  Thank you for your help.

[your name]

Enter your zip code and find out who your senator/assemblyperson is at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

~~~~~~~~~~~letter below~~~~~~~~~~~~

January 18, 2007

The Honorable ________
Capitol Office
Sacramento, CA., 95814

Dear State Senator __________:

I am a constituent of your district. I am writing to ask that you attend an upcoming Health and Human Services hearing on the subject of:
(Example:)
“Women in Pain; Trends and Implications of Under-Diagnosis of Chronic Pain in Female Patients” The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, February 4th, 2004, 1:30 pm in the Capitol Room #4203

I am passionate about this issue because of my personal experience.  (Insert 3-4 sentences that provides a powerful overview of your or your loved one’s WIP story.)

As a member of the Standing Committee on Health and Human Services, you have influence over bills relating to public health, welfare, social services, the blind and disabled, substance abuse, mental health, and institutions related thereto. I ask that you take time out of your hectic schedule to attend the hearing on this critical issue because women in pain are needless suffering right now.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Your Name

10. Publicize the hearing and awareness month!  Issue press releases to local print, radio and TV outlets. 

Before sending out a press release, identify who it should be addressed to.  To do this, make phone calls to local print, radio and TV outlets.  Call the outlet’s main number and speak with the operator.  Introduce yourself and indicate who you represent.

Follow with, “I have a health related story I’d like to pitch.  Who should I speak with?” When you connect with the appropriate party, introduce yourself and indicate who you represent.  Then say “I have a health related story with a local angle. Is this a good time for you?” Succinctly impress them with the importance and timeliness of the event-- and always back it up with your personal story. 

Good luck!!