Thank You Note to Congressional Offices
Please thank the Congressional staff that you met with during the Hill Day! You may find a draft thank you note below for guidance. Customize the thank you email by adding any relevant information and/or details from your Capitol Hill meetings, and then send to the Congressional staffer you met with. Their emails can be found in your meeting schedules. This will show appreciation and reinforce your advocacy. If you were on a team, the team leader may send one thank you note on behalf of the group. If you are the sender, please cc the other members of the team on the email.
Sample Subject Line: Thank You and Follow Up from 1/22 Meeting
Dear [Name of Staffer/Representative/Senator]:
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me [and additionalparticipants] on January 22nd regarding policies to invest in youth and maternal mental health programs. This is a critical time for the nation’s children and adolescents: the suicide rate for young Americans ages 10 to 19 increased by 40 percent from 2001 to 2019, while emergency room visits for self-harm rose by 88 percent. As such, we are heartened by the interest Congress has shown in these issues and hope your office will lend support to the proposals we discussed during our meeting, listed below.
Co-sponsor the Helping Kids Cope Act (H.R. 2412) to address children’s urgent mental health needs by strengthening the pediatric workforce and ensuring a full continuum of care. This legislation will authorize three new programs, to be housed in the Health Resources and Services Administration, which will: improve access to community-based services and supports; support training to enhance the pediatric mental health workforce; and invest in critical pediatric mental health infrastructure. These include in-patient psychiatric care, step down care, day programs and intensive outpatient services.
Co-sponsor the Youth Mental Health Research Act (H.R. 5976/S.3060). This legislation will authorize $100 million/year for 5 years for a research initiative at NIH to improve youth mental health. This is a needed investment to ensure NIH can deliver on the mandate Congress gave it to help solve the youth mental health crisis by 2031.
Co-sponsor the Moms Matter Act (H.R. 3312/S.1602) to prevent pregnancy-related deaths by supporting all moms with maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders. This legislation will authorize funding for Health Resources and Services Administration programs to deepen and diversify the interprofessional maternal mental and behavioral health care workforce. It will also increase investments in community-based programs through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
[Please add in any additional information regarding local needs that you may have mentioned in your meeting.]
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any additional questions or require more information. We look forward to continuing to work with you to address the mental health needs and online safety of the next generation.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to meet with your office.
Sincerely,
[Name/Title]
[University/Institution]
[Address]
(Phone: XXXX)