URGENT: Please Act Now!
Dear NILA members:
In follow-up from our call yesterday, we are asking all NILA members who are being impacted by COVID-19 to call their senators today to ask for assistance to laboratories as part of the COVID-19 stimulus package.
Here are the instructions:
- Find your two senators phone numbers on their website.
- Call the numbers and follow this script.
- Hello, my name is [your name], and I am the OWNER/MANAGER of [lab name] in [City, State].
- As you know, diagnostics have been at the forefront of the discussion around the US response to COVID-19.
- Unfortunately, my lab is facing serious negative consequences from a decrease in routine testing. (explain what is happening, if you have made layoffs, etc.).
- Given this severe impact on my business, I am at risk of not being able to do COVID-19 testing (explain what the impact has been).
- I know you are in the midst of negotiations on a package to help businesses all around the country as we figure out how to address this pandemic. The most helpful thing that could be done to protect the clinical laboratory infrastructure is to suspend the current Medicare cuts we face from the Protecting Access to Medicare Act. These ongoing cuts, on top of our decrease in routine testing because of COVID-19, are on the brink of putting my lab out of business.
- Can I get the Senator’s support to protect clinical laboratories like mine?
- Let me give you my contact information in case you or the Senator have any questions.
- Leave your name, phone number and THANK them for their time.
- If no one answers the phone, you can leave a voicemail.
- If you have email addresses for staff, you can send this message to them by email, but it should be done today.