Vision Council of America launches 'Eyelection 2004' Campaign
With just 14 weeks before Election Day, the Vision Council of America (Vca) has launched 'Eyelection 2004' - a campaign to educate candidates for U.S. Congress and generate support for eye exams.
The campaign comes on the heels of a successful effort to generate support in Congress for H.R. 2173, legislation introduced by Representative Bill Pascrell of New Jersey. Nearly 100 legislators have agreed to support H.R. 2173, which would provide funds to states to increase the number of children that receive an eye exam. A similar bill, H.R. 3602, has 35 supporters.
But with elected officials gearing up for elections in November, and less focused on legislation in Washington, D.C., a new effort was needed. 'We launched Eyelection 2004 to make sure that the issue of vision care for children didn't fall off the radar screen between now and the time Congress returns in January 2005,' said Vca spokesperson Joseph LaMountain.
The goal is to have each candidate return a brief survey on eye exams for children. 'The survey seeks to educate candidates about the large numbers of children at risk due to the problems that exist in our vision screening system. In addition,' LaMountain continued, 'we ask candidates if they will support efforts, if elected, to increase the number of children that receive an eye exam.'
To date, more than 150 candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate have expressed their support. Among those who have responded, 57 percent are Democrats while 43 percent are Republicans, demonstrating that improving the vision health of children is a nonpartisan issue upon which everyone can agree.
Vca is asking eyecare professionals nationwide to contact the congressional candidates in their community and ask them to return the survey. By visiting www.hr2173.com, eyecare professionals can obtain the survey, a list of candidates that have responded, names and addresses of all candidates and much more.
To date, more than 2,500 eyecare professional advocates have received a letter from Vca asking them to contact the candidates in their community. In the coming weeks, additional letters and e-mail messages will be sent as well as advertisements placed in key publications.
'Politicians always talk about vision,' LaMountain said, 'now it's time to see if they're serious. By getting involved and giving their candidates 'an earful' about vision care, eyecare professionals can ensure that fewer children fall through the cracks of our system.'
