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THIS WEEK, WE'RE GONNA HIT THE MEDIA
OK, this is the week that I'd like you to call your local newspaper
and suggest they run a story on men's health. (If you haven't written
your letter yet, I am including a copy of the letter that Bill
Fetzner
of Wisconsin just wrote to his Representative. Feel free to adapt it
your situation.)
So here's the secret to working with the media:
1. Pull together your thoughts and come up with a story idea on
health. The best story idea is timely and has a local angle. If you
can't think of a story, try this: the fact that the federal and state
governments have loads of programs for women's health, but none for
men's health.
2. Put together your "pitch." The pitch is what you're going to say
to the reporter to convince him or her to do a story. The pitch should
be concise, factual, and above all, interesting. Check out our
Special
Reports if you want to brush up on your facts.
3. Call your local newspaper. Ask the receptionist for the name of
the health reporter. Speak to the reporter and give your pitch.
To help you out, we've put together a Press Kit. The Kit contains
copies of men's articles that have run in the New York Times, USA
Today, Washington Times, and elsewhere. The Press Kit is free, but
you need to send us a flat envelope with 77 cents postage (that's
three
first class stamps). Send your SASE to:
Men's Health America
PO Box1404
Rockville, MD 20849
OK, let's rock!!!
Ed
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Sample letter:
Hon. Tammy Baldwin
1020 Longworth House Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20515-4902
Re: HR4653, A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to
establish an Office of Men's Health
Dear Rep. Baldwin:
According to your website and running through many of your public
statements, you have a strong, abiding desire to be a strong
proponent of health care for all. I trust, therefore, that if you
were
alerted to the fact that a major segment of our population is
unnecessarily
going without needed health care services, you would make a determined
effort to do something about it.
There is a serious health care problem in our midst that a few are
trying to resolve. This is a problem for men (and for the women in
their lives), because too many men resist participating in their own
health care for reasons that could be connected to false concepts of
manliness, worries about costs, repressed fears, or something else.
Why men trifle with their health we're not quite sure, but we are
absolutely sure that such trifling translates into much higher death
rates from cancer, heart disease and stroke for men compared to
women. There is no reason that men should go on dying six years
earlier
than women in this country if men and women both used the health care
system with the same diligence and frequency.
Government can help, and is being asked to help with a bill proposed
by Rep. Duke Cunningham, that would set up an Office of Men's
Health
within DHHS. This modest measure would not take over for men or treat
them as victims, which most men couldn't accept, but rather offer
men new ways to act on their own behalf.
It's a made-to-order concept for ordinarily self-reliant men who
would be inclined to take the right course if they had timely,
reliable
information and coordinated services. Can't you just hear the
hallelujahs of women if the men in their lives were motivated to take
better care of themselves?
And that's where you come in. As a woman and a recognized
crusader for better health care for all our citizens, who would be a
better person to co-sponsor a bill to protect men's lives? And in
an
election year when the male vote is now being watched with the same
intensity as the female vote was a few years ago, stepping up to the
plate for men
would not be a bad thing. Bashing men is out of style; helping men
help
themselves is a solution that both sexes admire. What better way to
walk the walk on health care than to back HR4653?
Please give it your deepest consideration. I look forward to hearing
from you.
Sincerely,
Bill Fetzner
Ed Bartlett is the senior policy advisor for Men's Health
America, which does research, education, and advocacy
on behalf of men's health.
To subscribe to Ed's e-mail list, mensheath, create an
account at egroups.com and subscribe to the menshealth
list. Ed will be sending out his action alerts via the list,
which is very low traffic.
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