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ADVOCACY RESOURCES

These resources have been aggregated by the APSA Health Policy and Advocacy Committee for the convenience of the APSA membership. The committee’s goal is to inform members, non-member professionals, learners and parents about APSA’s position on current advocacy issues in children’s surgical care. They also aim to provide useful resources, further information and advocacy opportunities for various children’s advocacy issues, both within and outside of APSA. As pediatric surgeons, these issues are of the utmost importance to us, as they relate to the well-being of children. Your feedback is welcome.

Advocacy Issues of Focus

April – National Child Abuse Prevention Month
May – Mental Health Awareness Month
June – Gun Violence Awareness Month
September – National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

SurgeonsVoice

SurgeonsVoice is the American College of Surgeons Professional Association’s (ACSPA) nationwide, interactive advocacy program that provides surgeons with tools and resources to contact Congress and strengthen surgery’s impact in Washington, DC, and across the country. Taking action on issues of importance to you via the SurgeonsVoice online action center is vital to making your voice heard in Washington.

Advocacy Topics

1. Vaccinations

  1. CDC Vaccination Schedule
  2. AAP Healthychildren.org Vaccination Info Page
  3. Letter on VACCINES Act

2. Gun Violence

  1. APSA Statement on Firearms
  2. APSA survey on Firearms
  3. Giffords Center
    1. Gun Violence Statistics page 
    2. Gun Law Factsheet page
  4. EveryTown for Gun Safety Statistics Page

3. Child Abuse

  1. APSA Statement on “Child Abuse and the Pediatric Surgeon”
  2. AAP Guidelines on “The Evaluation of Suspected Child Physical Abuse” by AAP Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect
  3. National Children’s Alliance – National Statistics on Child Abuse

4. Opioid Reduction

  1. AAP National Factsheet
  2. AAP Poster regarding medication storage and disposal 
  3. Effective Pain Control for Children
  4. Pain Management Plan
  5. Evaluation Form

5. Drowning Prevention

  1. AAP Statement on Prevention on Drowning
  2. CDC Drowning Prevention