As part of ABC’s Act for Blood program, we are working with Congressional offices and ABC members to transform site visits from routine educational opportunities into high-impact advocacy tools. The goal is to show members of Congress and their staff what the important issues are for ABC’s blood centers. Now is the time to connect with congressional offices to secure these important visits. If you are coming to Washington, D.C. for the 2026 ABC Advocacy Summit, a congressional site visit should be an ask in all of your meetings with staffers or Members.
It’s Already Working
ABC members are leading the way. LifeSouth Community Blood Centers recently hosted two impactful site visits. The first took place during last year’s August recess, when Rep. Shomari C. Figures (D-AL) toured a LifeSouth donor center. The second occurred on May 7, when Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) visited, both delivering strong results.
“We continue to increase our outreach to elected officials throughout the year,” said Kim Kinsell, President and CEO of LifeSouth Community Blood Centers. “Recently, we welcomed Rep. Figures to our Mobile location and Rep. Cammack to our headquarters in Gainesville. The visits allowed an opportunity to discuss key issues affecting blood banking and patient care. The visits are key in building relationships with our representatives and their staff before we need to ask for help with legislative actions.”
Why Site Visits Work
Advocacy site visits allow blood centers to further build a relationship with their congressional office, building allies that will support our policy priorities at the national level. A short tour and time to talk with leadership, staff, and clients can help legislators see firsthand the essential services your blood center provides, connecting policy issues with local stories and constituent relevance. It is important that you have as many touch points with a congressional office as possible, with not all of them having to include a direct “ask.” Whether your visit is about a certain topic or a general educational opportunity, site visits increase the likelihood that a congressional office will turn to you as a trusted local resource when making policy decisions.
How ABC Can Help
We recognize that ABC members have varying levels of existing relationships with their congressional offices, so we want to be respectful of those pre-existing connections. Depending on your situation, ABC can serve as the primary point of contact with a congressional office or play a supporting role behind the scenes for members who are interested in hosting an advocacy site visit.
It cannot be overstated how powerful an advocacy tool these kinds of site visits can be. Site visits can help develop champions on Capitol Hill and connect the advocacy we do in D.C. to the lives of their constituents. You can find helpful resources about how to schedule a site visit in our Grassroots Handbook. If ABC members are interested or have any questions, please reach out to our Government Affairs Manager Lorenzo Rodriguez at Lrodriguez@americasblood.org.