PAEA Teams Up with Lobbying Firm to Advance Advocacy Efforts
PAEA has signed with the Washington, D.C., lobbying firm Polsinelli, LLC, to help advance the Association’s advocacy agenda. Polsinelli will facilitate the development of strategic relationships within the U.S. Congress and the Executive Branch and enhance PAEA’s visibility within key legislative staff offices. One primary objective of this new partnership is to advance PAEA’s PA Education Modernization Act — currently a work in progress — which aims to broaden the reach of PAs in medically underserved areas and increase diversity in the profession.
“Polsinelli will expand our reach and our access on Capitol Hill,” said PAEA’s Government Relations Director Athena Abdullah. “With a Republican House and Senate, this is the year to make an early impact on members of the 114th Congress.”
“It is important to make sure that Congress understands the integral role PAs play in the delivery of health care,” said Alan Wheat, chair of Polsinelli’s Public Policy Group. “Recognizing PAs’ valuable role will improve outcomes and increase patient satisfaction with the health care system.”
The Affordable Care Act resulted in gains for PA education, and PAEA will work with Polsinelli to defend those gains in the current challenging political climate. “We need to make sure we are at the right table, at the right time, with the right people to advance PA education,” said Abdullah.
Polsinelli, LLC, is a bipartisan practice with three former members of Congress on its staff and the resources of the second largest health care law firm in the country. The lobbying firm will coordinate PAEA’s 2015 “Hill Day” in conjunction with the Annual Education Forum to be held in Washington, D.C., this fall.
