Posted on April 29, 2017
Scott Slesinger, Carrie McNamara, Julie Gundlach, Robin Tucker, Dan Swanson, and Linda Reinstein
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) successfully concluded another empowering day on our most recent trip to Washington, DC. ADAO’s 11th Congressional Staff Luncheon Briefing “Asbestos: Impact on Consumer Safety, Public Health, and Asbestos Victims’ Civil Rights,” was a crucial success. Between our bipartisan attendance at briefing and individual meetings with staffers, we brought our message to nearly 40 Senate and House offices, representing nearly 20 states.
An incredibly strong panel of speakers presented at this briefing to educate members of Congress about pending legislation that could threaten asbestos victims’ civil rights as well as the future of health and safety regulations:
Speakers:
- Julie Gundlach, Mesothelioma Warrior, (MO)
- Carrie McNamara, Mesothelioma Warrior, (IA)
- Linda Reinstein, ADAO President and Mesothelioma Widow (CA)
- Scott Slesinger, Legislative Director, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
- Robin Tucker, Mesothelioma Warrior (OH)
We owe a HUGE thank you to our all of our incredible speakers who took time out of their busy schedules to travel into DC to share their expertise and heartfelt stories!
In addition to hearing from these distinguished experts and patients, staffers also received “Share Your Story” submissions from their states.
After the briefing, the ADAO team met with senior staffers from a number of offices our ongoing dialogue of preventing asbestos exposure in order to eliminate asbestos-related diseases. During these meetings, we helped staffers understand the human impact of these pending pieces of legislation and strengthened support on both sides of the aisle.
Julie, Carrie, and Robin, three powerful Mesothelioma Warriors, did an incredible job sharing their stories showing staffers the personal impact asbestos has on their lives and families.
ADAO is also very grateful to Senator Durbin, a long-standing supporter of asbestos victims, and her staffers for helping us coordinate the briefing, and also for his unyielding dedication to making America safer.
Although we made incredible progress on this trip, there is so much more to do to educate Congress and the EPA:
- Share Your Story on our website or on social media – we share these with your Congressional Representatives.
- Share our May eNewsletter on social media
- Share the Top 10 Asbestos Facts
- Be vocal in social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
We are being heard and together, we can make change happen.
In unity,
Linda