The C-L Psychiatrist's Practical Guide to Legislative Advocacy Skills—And Why It is Imperative for C-L Psychiatrists to Utilize These Skills

Consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatrists are trained extensively in clinical aspects of our work, but must also work within the confines of the health care apparatus with overarching policies that dictate the affordability, accessibility, and quality of medical care. With the 2024 US elections occurring during our recent Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry meeting, it became quite clear that a change in the US presidential administration will also affect health care policy. Local and state level elections, however, may have an even more profound impact on health care policy. With many C-L psychiatrists feeling trepidation about these changes, we call for C-L psychiatrists to take part in legislative advocacy activities, especially at the local/state levels that are more accessible and perhaps more impactful. We recognize that important barriers include lack of formal education, as well as time constraints and have devised the “Hawkes Tiered State and Local Advocacy Activity List” as a practical compendium of legislative advocacy actions that C-L psychiatrists can participate in, stratified by the amount of time required to take part in each activity. We hope that this will empower C-L psychiatrists to participate in legislative advocacy activities, as the stakes are higher than ever, and we cannot afford for our perspectives to not be included in policy and legislation that can have major consequences for our patients and our practice of medicine.