Last week during DSMA a question was asked about how we can do more to create more offline efforts and offline communications. My biggest efforts for the offline world are communicating with JDRF and ADA local chapters and trying to get them to communicate together and work together for a larger goal of getting people with diabetes the information that they need. One piece of that information being access to the DOC. How do we go about this? It sounds all fun and dandy to have the JDRF tell every single person they talk to about the DOC, but how do we do it?
Unfortunately, these local chapters have national “rules” that they have to follow and they can’t just add something into their newsletter that is “endorsing” something unless they have approval. So the first part that I would recommend is to reach out and just simply explain what it is that you are trying to accomplish and see how they react. If they don’t respond via e-mail or letter or phone call, then try again. These offices are under-resourced and sometimes it may take a while to get back to something because they just don’t have the manpower to get things done in a timely manner (which is why volunteers are such a huge deal to them). If after a few attempts, they are not responsive then you have to take it to the next level.
Call them out…… politely….. on Twitter or Facebook and just ask them to participate themselves a few times in DSMA or just comment on some blog posts and lurk around on Twitter. Once they see for themselves how amazing this community is, then they will be more responsive to your ideas. Do not make enemies with them, they are some of the few friends that you have on your side, if you work it the right way. Be friendly and be willing to work with them. See if there are events that you can volunteer at and be able to speak with some of the attendees. This is a way to get your foot in the door and help build a larger relationship.
Once you have established relationships with both, it is now time to try and get the parties together and start having them communicate a little bit. I know that this is like asking a Democrat and Republican to agree with each other during an election year, but at the end of the day there is a common goal, to what is best for the majority. The majority in this situation is the people with diabetes that are directly affected by the decisions that these organizations make.
The best advice that I can give is to not give up. Do not give up on the local chapters. That is where you are going to make the biggest impact. National change comes from local outrage. Do not settle for something that doesn’t work. Strive for the best. You must be willing compromise however, because not everything is going to turn out exactly the way that you want, but keep at it!
Another thing that you can do is constantly remind your endo or any other HCP about the DOC and how beneficial it is. Doctors usually care about their patients enough that they want them to have access to support. I know there are some legal issues that may arise with this having to do with a doctor referring a patient somewhere and then something going wrong. However, it doesn’t hurt to try. I am lucky enough to have an endo that is type 1 diabetic myself, so I am excited for the next time that I see her to try and get her involved. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts I haven’t seen my doctor in almost 6-7 months and I won’t see her again until November because of how booked the both of us are. Not good, I know it sucks, but that’s for another blog post.
Great advice in this post, Chris. You’re absolutely right, that its’ the local chapters we need to push to make this happen. National supports these efforts of co-mingling and DOC involvement, but it doesn’t always trickle down – or trickle down quickly. Our locals are doing this effectively, in large part because of the DOC where we’re all able to come together – it takes some key players to move between those two groups, and it sounds like you’ve started doing that. Nice job! Inviting to D-Meetups, simple phone calls before marketing or event-planning… it all comes together. Each just has to be willing to give up a little of its territory and work together. Thanks for the great post!
Mike,
Thanks for the comment. I am glad that you agree that the local chapters are a great place to start and put pressure on. I am trying to get more involved in D-Meetups. Let’s make a difference everyday!