Indiana-ACC Legislative Day
February 12, 2009
Click here for Dr. Mary Norine Walsh’s Smokefree Legislation Handout
Editorial by Richard Feldman, MD, Clear the Air of Smoke and Mirrors
The Indiana-ACC Legislative Day
Justin Beland
ACC Associate Director, Grassroots Outreach and Development
We had a hectic but fantastic legislative day in Indianapolis on February 12, 2009.
We kicked off on February 11th with a dinner for our 25 attending cardiovascular specialists. Also present were representatives from AHA, the legislative director of the Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA), the president of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, State Senator Gary Dillon, and State Representative Bill Ruppel. The highlight of the evening was a presentation by Indiana First Lady Cheri Herman Daniels, who talked about her “Heart to Heart” initiative to promote women’s heart health.
On February 12, we hit the legislature with 25 cardiovascular specialists from all over the state, meeting with more than 50 elected officials, including:
- Lt. Governor Becky Stillman
- Senate President Dave Long
- Speaker of the House Pat Bauer
- Every member of the Senate Health & Provider Services Committee
- Most members of the House Public Health Committee, including Chairman Charlie Brown, Vice Chair Peggy Welch, and Ranking Member (and physician) Tim Brown.
- Chair of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Steve Stemler
Our focus was on passage of a smoke-free bill HB 1213 making its way through the legislature. We also educated legislators on the ways that Health Information Technology could help the state.
