Myths and misconceptions
Think you can't make a difference? Think again.
Advocating for a cure for psoriasis take just minutes and can be as easy as a few keystrokes. Sign up for our action alerts and we'll notify you by e-mail when your involvement is needed. We will even provide you with sample letters and talking points to help you figure out what to say. You will be asked to take action at select times over the year—we won't bombard your inbox—and only during the periods when your calls or letters will have the most impact.
If you can write a letter, send an e-mail, or leave a brief phone message, you can "do" politics. It is very important that our elected officials hear the concerns and issues of the psoriasis community. If they do not know about us, they cannot act on our behalf. Members of Congress rely on their constituents to tell them their needs and wants.
Our advocates are not radicals. They are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, sibilings and spouses. The National Psoriasis Foundation does not march on Washington, picket or rally for our cause in a confrontational way. We get our message out through e-mails, phone messages, meetings with elected officials and by organized lobbying via Capitol Hill Day.
You can advocate for a cure from the privacy of your home or office. E-mails, letter, faxes and brief phone messages are fast and easy ways to take action. If you're meeting with your elected officials, bring a friend with you. Getting a friend, family member or colleague involved can help make advocacy more fun and less intimidating. It also helps bring more voices to the cause!
We can provide you with everything you need, from tips to talking points, to communicate with your members of Congress. To learn more, check out our tips and tools for advocates.
You can make a difference! We have dozens of examples of individuals who made an impact just by sending an e-mail, placing a phone call, or meeting with an elected official. These advocates are average citizens who told their stories and got their members of Congress to support the Psoriasis Foundation and our public policy priorities. Congressional offices count all calls, e-mails, faxes and letters they receive from constituents. So the more communications they receive about more research for psoriatic disease, the more these legislators will take notice of the issues.
You never know when a particular issue might interest your member of Congress or one of his or her staffers. Many lawmakers and/or their staffers know someone with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. All they need is a nudge to take action. Even one contact from a constituent greatly improves the odds that your member of Congress will become interested in the issues that affect the psoriasis community.
Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis affect people regardless of their political affiliation. Treating and finding a cure for these diseases is not a partisan issue. We have recruited Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate to support our efforts. Members of Congress are obligated to respond to all of their constituents, regardless of party affiliation. When you contact your members of Congress, say you are a constituent, explain how you are affected by psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis. Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent—it doesn't matter to what policital party you belong, your elected official wants to hear what you have to say.
You are an expert on what it means to live with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis and the need to find better treatments and a cure for these devasting diseases. Your members of Congress work for you—it's their job to hear your story and respond to your requests. Being a "regular person" is your best asset when communicating with your members of Congress. Senators and representatives are likely more interested in hearing from you—a member of their community—than a hired lobbyist.
You do not need to understand all of the details of how the Congress works. The National Psoriasis Foundation will provide you with the information you need.
Even if you can't make the trip to Washington, you can still work for a cure by participating in our national Capitol Call-In day. It only takes a few minutes and is as simple as picking up the phone to call a friend. We will provide you with talking points, the names of your members of Congress and their office numbers.
There are many other ways to get involved. You can e-mail, write, fax or make a phone call to your members of Congress throughout the year. You also can meet with your members of Congress when they are home in your community—which is usually Friday through Monday and during recesses (at-home work periods). Members of Congress often host public meetings known as town hall meetings, which are open to anyone from the community. Town hall meetings are useful for getting updates on the work of your elected official and allow you to ask questions on specific issues.
While writing or calling once does make a difference, with the sheer number of diseases, disabilities and conditions seeking congressional attention, it is important for psoriasis advocates to communicate regularly with their elected officials.
It takes a full year for Congress to determine federal funding for biomedical research. So psoriasis advocates must contact their elected officials throughout the year to have the biggest impact. Even though it seems redundant, it is important to write, call, meet and/or e-mail your members of Congress about the need to support the psoriasis community. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease!
Your knowledge of what it's like to live with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis is what really matters. Don't worry if you are asked a question you can't answer. It is perfectly acceptable to tell the member of Congress or staffer that you will have to get back to them shortly with an answer to the question.