APIC Increases Grassroots Momentum with New Advocacy Center

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Infection prevention and control professionals now have an innovative system designed to enable them to directly correspond with local and federal policy makers, actively engaging health professionals in the legislative process.

 Called the VIP Action Center, the new grassroots advocacy program has been unveiled by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, (APIC) for its 10,000 members, both nationally and internationally.

 By accessing APICs Web site, www.apic.org, and entering their zip code, APIC members are now able to contact elected officials, thereby informing them of critical infection prevention and control issues. Members can easily identify their elected representatives at the state and federal levels, communicate views to lawmakers via targeted communications, and become informed and engaged in process of educating policy makers.

 The APIC VIP Action Center will help increase the visibility of, and interest for, infection prevention and control issues on both the state and federal levels, said APIC president Sue Sebazco. By providing access to government officials, our members are able to actively engage in the legislative process. This ensures that the voice of infection prevention and control professionals are heard on important patient safety issues.

To facilitate member communication and outreach efforts, the APIC VIP Action Center includes an email relationship management function. This service allows APIC to quickly and efficiently create email messages including media action alerts, newsletters, and calls to action, and then track how many recipients opened the message and which of the links in the email were accessed.

We are delighted to offer the VIP Action Center. Through technology we can empower our members and amplify the voice of infection prevention in the policy making process, said APIC executive director Kathy Warye.        

Source: APIC