Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Patrick Kennedy to Speak at MOM March


Dear EDC Advocates and MOM March supporters,

photo credit: www.ACommonStruggle.com
We are thrilled, humbled, honored and excited to announce that  Patrick J. Kennedy will speak at the MOM "Mothers & Others" March" this October 27th! ~ Patrick Kennedy is a long-time hero and champion to the eating disorder field and to all those impacted by mental illness. Though he left Congress, he continues to devote his time to Mental Health Parity, most recently: http://tinyurl.com/pencyt9.

On October 5, 2015, Patrick's book, A Common Struggle, comes out. The book details his personal and political battle with mental illness and addiction, exploring mental health care's history in the country alongside his and every family's private struggles. You can pre-order your copy today via: www.acommonstruggle.com

We are so thankful to Patrick, his family and staff, for generously giving of his time to the 2nd Annual MarchAgainstED! 

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Affording Lobby Day

Dear EDC Advocates,

With EDC National Fall Lobby Day and the 2nd Annual M.O.M. March fast approaching, we wanted to address the cost of coming to Washington, DC.
 
We know that it can be expensive to travel to DC and we know that many advocates struggle to come up with funding for their trip to EDC National Lobby Day.  We very much empathize with you.  Therefore, we want to offer you the encouragement that there are some simple things to do that might help you make your trip to DC possible, as well as the most cost-effective:
  • consider making an "EDC National Lobby Day Fund" jar and depositing a set amount (or loose change) every week
  • consider swapping out things like a daily coffee/tea purchase for a deposit into your "EDC National Lobby Day Fund" jar
  • start asking for donations (monetary, frequent flyer miles, etc.) from family members
  • some advocates have made GoFundMe pages to support their trip to EDC National Lobby Day
  • connect with friends to share a hotel room
  • connect with friends to share hotel-alternatives like a hostel or Air BnB*
  • consider car-pooling if you're driving to DC
  • start looking for flights today --save your search and get fare updates
  • consider staying outside the district of DC and using the Metro to get to Capitol Hill
Those are just a few ways that might help you save for a trip to DC so you can join us for EDC National Lobby Day.  If you have other suggestions, please comment on our blog or on our FB page!

Of course, we also know that not everyone has "loose change" to spare --eating disorders can wreak havoc on finances; we know, we've been there.  We also know that not everyone can take time off from treatment (whether your own or the treatment of a loved one), time off from work, or time away from family.  We simply want to encourage you with this blog post that if you are able to come to EDC National Lobby Day and the M.O.M. March this fall, there are things you can do to help save up for your trip and make your trip a bit more cost-effective.

Because we know the cost of coming to DC, we promise you to always keep registration fees as low as possible --please know that the EDC does not 'turn a profit' on Lobby Day...your registration fee goes to cover the cost of hosting Lobby Day and that's all. 

We also promise you that if you cannot attend EDC National Lobby Day in person, we will continue to offer ways to get involved from afar.  But to that end, we do highly encourage you to do everything that you can do (that which is wise and healthy for you), so that you can come to Lobby Day.  We continue to hear from advocates --whether after their 1st or 20th time advocating with us-- that EDC National Lobby Day is one of "the best experiences" they've ever had.  We want YOU to have a chance to have that experience and we hope that you will be able to find a way to join us this October 27 - 28th as we storm Capitol Hill with our voices, stories, united message and our constituency-based influence.   

Our voices make a difference, your voice makes a difference and #TheTimeIsNow to pass the #AnnaWestinAct into #AnnasLaw.  We hope to see you soon.  



Our work together continues, ~the EDC



Wednesday, August 12, 2015

EDC Breaking News #AnnaWestinAct



August 12, 2015

Today, patients, community leaders and advocates joined Congressman Ted Deutch at Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness today for a round table during which the Congressman encouraged all those impacted by ‪#‎eatingdisorders‬ to advocate on eating disorders. 




‪#‎TheTimeIsNow‬ to ‪#‎MarchAgainstED‬ and advocate on the ‪#‎AnnaWestinAct‬ during ‪#‎EDCNationalLobbyDay‬ on October 27th and 28th.




To read more from the Congressman: Press Release On Visit To Alliance For Eating Disorders Awareness

 
To join in our advocacy at the 2nd Annual M.O.M. March and EDC National Lobby Day, please register at: http://tinyurl.com/p58sjo4

Monday, August 10, 2015

Is This Your Member of Congress?

Dear EDC Advocates,

If any of these folks listed below are your Members of Congress and if you want to help with a special project related to the Anna Westin Act (it won't take much time), please contact Kathleen MacDonald at: km@eatingdisorderscoalition.org
THANK YOU so very much, ~ The EDC

(PS: to find out who your Members of Congress are, please go to:

  • www.house.gov and enter your zipcode in the box at the top right hand corner of the webpage.
and
  • www.senate.gov and use the drop-down arrow in the top right hand corner of the webpage to find your Senators listed by state.

Rep Paulsen    MN
Rep Bilirukus    FL
Rep Holding    NC
Rep Emmer    MN
Rep Cochran    MS
Rep Castor    FL
Rep Jenkins    WV
Rep Rouzer    NC
Rep Walker    NC
Rep Kelly            PA
Rep Butterfield NC
Rep Ellmers     NC
Rep Matsui     CA
Rep Blum            IA
Rep Buchanan FL
Rep Meehan    PA
Rep Price    GA
Rep Mooney    WV
Rep Kline           MN

Sen Toomey    PA
Sen Gardner    CO
Sen McCaskill    MO
Sen Murray    WA
Sen Boxer    CA
Sen Stabenow    MI

Thursday, August 6, 2015

EDC Supports Mental Health Bill

As we continue working hard on the ‪#‎AnnaWestinAct‬, we also continue our work on other ways to positively impact mental health issues. 

Recently, we were one of over 40 organizations who signed this letter -------->
in support of S. 1893, the "Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2015."

The Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2015 does several things, including: reauthorizing and improving programs aimed at increasing awareness, prevention, and early identification of mental health conditions, promoting linkages to evidence-based treatments and services for children and youth and reauthorizes the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, one of the foundational programs underpinning our national suicide prevention strategy.

While we know the #AnnaWestinAct is going to help many and help save many lives, we also know there is, concurrently, more to be done to help ALL those impacted by eating disorders. As we say so often: our work continues.

Thank you for advocating with us. ~ the EDC