In early February, the Washington ACC Chapter held its state advocacy day in Olympia. After a decade hiatus, this "Cardiology at the Capitol" advocacy day was reinvigorated as 13 attendees –  two FACCs, seven Cardiovascular Team members and four Fellows in Training – held more than 20 meetings with legislators to discuss raising the tobacco purchase age to 21 and prior authorization reform.

We found two primary co-sponsors for an ACC-drafted prior authorization bill in the House and two potential primary sponsors for the bill in the Washington Senate. We are now meeting with stakeholder groups in the "off-season" to continue to work on the legislation so it can go to the floor for a debate in the next legislative session in 2019.

In conjunction with the advocacy day, the chapter held a health fair, during which more than 50 Congressional staff and legislators received blood pressure and pulse screenings. Washington Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib joined the event and offered his thoughts on health care reform over a group lunch.

We are fortunate to have had the support of the ACC in sponsoring this chapter event. It was a smashing success and time well spent. The day-long event was a great way to introduce ACC members to the importance of participating in the advocacy process. There are many different ways, from participating in state events like ours, to attending the Legislative Conference, to joining ACCPAC, for our members to have a personal impact on our policymakers.

Keywords: Blood Pressure, Blood Pressure Determination, Tobacco, Health Care Reform, Washington, Heart Rate, Cardiology

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