AAO members across the United States and Canada continue to make a difference for AAO advocacy priorities. During the second quarter of the Fiscal Year, AAO Advocacy and the AAO Political Action Committee were represented at all fall constituent meetings with a booth, speaking engagements, Board presentations, and more.
Learn more about what AAO Advocacy and AAOPAC are doing through the power of grassroots engagement by reviewing the highlights below and our Q2 dashboard.
View the September-November Q2 Dashboard
Drs. Deb Lien, Ed Davis, Valerie Martone, and Doug Harte served on panels representing AAO Advocacy and AAOPAC at AAO-sponsored breakfasts during the GLAO/MASO and SAO/SWSO meetings. An additional highlight was an AAO-sponsored reception for residents to meet and greet with Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies team during the GLAO/MASO meeting at National Harbor.
Over 500 grassroots actions plus trainings were taken by AAO Members on AAO Advocacy policy priorities, including workforce challenges in Ontario, the VET CARE Act (HR2410), AAO teledentistry bill in the Florida Senate (SB302), Michigan workforce changes, and a message of thanks to state and federal lawmakers.
Ohio AAO members also participated in the first-ever AAO state lobby day that took place with the Ohio Association of Orthodontists in Columbus on November 8, organized by AAO Advocacy staff and the Ockerman Consulting team. (See photo above.) Five AAO/OAO members participated in the inaugural Lobby Day meeting with state lawmakers, staff and the Ohio Attorney General. Thank you for making a difference through your advocacy and outreach!
AAOPAC continues to fuel our advocacy success not only in Washington, D.C. but also in states throughout the country. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its performance audit requested by Congress and supported by the AAO (relating to FTC and FDA oversight of prescription medical devices). This was a necessary step for exploring more agency and Congressional action for patient health and safety in the mail-order orthodontic treatment space.
