BISA Advocates on Capitol Hill for Patients Rising ‘We the Patients’
Washington, D.C., June 2024 — Nearly 60 patient advocates from over 20 states met with 70 congressional offices for We the Patients 2024.
The annual event is held by Patients Rising, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and educating people with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. BISA Nonprofit proudly collaborates with Patients Rising, which advocates for patients' access to treatments, innovations, and care alongside the patients who need it.
BISA board members Maria Gmitro, Sarah Beckom, and Sherri Gorbett attended this year’s event, which took place from June 9-12, 2024. Gmitro joined We the Patients on Capitol Hill for the third time, while it was Gorbett’s first time in Washington, D.C.
“The Patients Rising Master Class was very helpful in educating members of our team about more issues in healthcare,” Gmitro, president of BISA Nonprofit, said. “One of the greatest joys is meeting passionate patients and advocates across the nation, along with sharing in the struggles and triumphs of the patients and families trying to make positive change.”
BISA greatly appreciated members of Congress willing to hear patient perspectives on critical healthcare issues.
Patients Rising was looking for support for the following policies and issues:
HR 6283/S 1542: The DRUG Act
HR 1385/S 1424: The DOC Access Act
HR 5608: The ACCESS Act
HR 5539/S 3131: The ORPHAN Cures Act
Congressional Champions to reform America's charity care system
Clarifying language on what is charity care in the tax code for nonprofit hospitals;
Accountability of 340B Covered Entities for reducing health disparities in the communities that they are designed to serve.
Patients Rising’s Patient Advocacy platform empowers you to make a real difference in healthcare by offering initiatives, including:
Legislative Master Class: Master the art of advocacy with expert-led training, equipping you to champion patient rights and influence legislation.
Patients Senate: Join a passionate community of patients, caregivers, and advocates working at local, state, and federal levels to advance patient access and affordability of healthcare.
Grassroots Action Center: Access legislative resources, campaigns, and tools to take action for change in your community.
Patients Rising Stories: By sharing the patient’s perspective on access, value and treatments, we can overcome the barriers that prevent patients from accessing the right treatment – right away.
Learn more about Patients Rising:
→ Get information on current issues and bills.
→ View the fly-in photo gallery from Capitol Hill.
→ Download the Patients Rising info sheet.
→ Read about Patients Rising.
→ Look at opportunities to get involved today.
About Breast Implant Safety Alliance (BISA)
The Breast Implant Safety Alliance (BISA) is the largest organization of board-certified patient advocates and subject matter experts in the world dedicated to patient and consumer safety relating to breast implants. Representing the millions of individuals worldwide who currently have, had, or are considering breast implants, the alliance is a non-industry-funded leading authority dedicated to providing balanced, evidence-based information for informed decision-making about breast implant surgery and related issues. Founded in 2019 by women, BISA is a grassroots nonprofit organization led by volunteers who do not receive a salary for their work.
Contact: Maria Gmitro, President | maria@bisanonprofit.org