CHOP primary care pediatrician Senbagam Virudachalam, MD, MSHP, discusses equitable access to healthy food with USDA Undersecretary Jenny Lester Moffitt and U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans.
Be an Advocate for Children
What does it mean to be an advocate? Pure and simple, it means to speak up.
Our team aims to equip you to feel comfortable as a voice for kids. It is essential that individuals with real-life experience educate the public and elected officials about issues that are important to children’s health. Your voice matters; let’s raise it together.
Government Affairs works with individuals internal and external to CHOP to make sure they are best positioned to advocate on behalf of kids. This includes partnering with Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellows on specific policy issues and supporting CHOP Residents to champion legislative efforts they’ve identified from their Community Pediatrics and Advocacy Program component of CHOP’s Pediatric Residency Program.
CHOP is a nonpartisan nonprofit that does not recommend parties or candidates. Our advocacy is on behalf of children, and our work is focused on policies and legislation that furthers child health.
Ways to Get Involved
VOTE! Every Election Matters
Before voting, we encourage you to research local, state and federal candidates’ thoughts on issues that impact children. If you can’t find the information you are seeking online, feel free to call their office to ask more detailed questions.
Committee of 70 is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that offers a voter guide and assists you in seeing a mockup of your ballot ahead of time so you’re prepared and confident in your vote. You can use their resources to find who represents you and locate your polling place.
Examples of CHOP Advocacy in Action
CHOP Psychiatrist-in-Chief Tami D. Benton, MD, presents Sen. Bob Casey with the Champion for Children’s Health Award for his advocacy around response to the youth mental health crisis.
CHOP hosted a delegation from the Health and Human Service’s Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs. Discussions topics included health equity, behavioral and maternal health, and nutrition.