The concept of politics has taken on new meaning for EMP since two EMP members, Rep. Joseph Heck (R-NV) and Rep. Raul Ruiz, (D-CA), were elected to Congress in recent years. “Giving to NEMPAC became, honestly, much more personal for us,” said Dr. Cirillo, a NEMPAC Board of Trustees member. “This is family we’re talking about, and it is much easier to convince docs within the company that giving is the right thing to do when it’s our own people.”

The fact that Rep. Heck is a Republican and Rep. Ruiz is a Democrat couldn’t have worked out better, according to Dr. Cirillo. “The message was that it doesn’t matter, because they both understand what we do every day and the frustrations that we face,” he said. “They are the kinds of people you want and need to support in a system where their voice becomes your voice.”

MEP, a group of 150 full-time emergency physicians and advanced practice professionals based in Germantown, Md., offers several methods, including the “Give-a-Shift” option, through which members can contribute to NEMPAC. The payroll deduction method has definitely increased participation in recent months, and the group gives nearly $20,000 annually. Eastside Emergency Physicians, based in Issaquah, Wash., also contributes nearly $25,000 annually to NEMPAC using the payroll deduction method, which was started by one of the group’s officers, Dr. John Milne.

Dr. Angelo Falcone, MEP’s CEO, believes it is incumbent upon emergency physicians to be active in the political process. “We all complain to a certain degree. But if you’re not going to get involved – either personally or through donations – then I really don’t think you have a right to complain,” said Dr. Falcone, also a NEMPAC Board of Trustees member. “In today’s health care climate and with all the changes occurring in health care, participating in politics is part of the price of doing business.”

More information regarding NEMPAC can be found at www.emergencyphysicianspac.org.