Shady Grove Fertility Advocates for Our Veterans on Capitol Hill at the 2017 Advocacy Day
Rockville, MD (PRWEB) May 24, 2017 -- Shady Grove Fertility, the largest fertility center in the United States, raised their voice on Capitol Hill and joined infertility advocates from RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association for Advocacy Day on May 18th in Washington, D.C. The collective mission of Advocacy Day is to raise awareness among members of Congress about the prevalence of infertility in this country and the need for increased insurance coverage and benefits that allow for more family building resources.
Over 246 advocates from 30 different states including Shady Grove Fertility’s Drs. Gilbert Mottla, Jason Bromer, Arthur Sagoskin, CEO Mark Segal and many others met with members of Congress to discuss the need to provide patients greater access to fertility care.
“Whenever I visit Capitol Hill I feel the strength of our democracy and get just a bit of a chill walking between buildings in front of our Supreme Court and Library of Congress,” said Gilbert Mottla, M.D., of Shady Grove Fertility’s Annapolis, MD office. “At Shady Grove Fertility we support our patients by speaking up and making our voices heard. Having a family is a basic human right and Shady Grove Fertility continues to make parenthood possible for couples all over the world.”
One of the bills discussed was the Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act, which provides wounded veterans in the line of duty with access to reproductive treatments and adoption assistance. The original bill, which was passed after the efforts of 2016 Advocacy Day, provides IVF coverage for 2 years, but it’s Shady Grove Fertility’s mission to advocate for making this coverage permanent.
Dr. Jason Bromer, of SGF’s Frederick, MD and Hagerstown, MD offices, shared the story of his patients, injured war veteran, Kevin Jaye and his wife Lauren, who went through two rounds of infertility treatment in order to have a baby. With the help of Dr. Bromer, the Jayes grew their family and made their story known by advocating for coverage for all veterans injured during service.
As a Visionary Partner of RESOLVE and a sponsor of Advocacy Day, Shady Grove Fertility asked members of Congress to support three important issues this year that affect the infertility community, including:
•Support: The Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act that allows veterans to obtain IVF, adoption assistance, and other family-building benefits.
•Support: The Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act, which restores refundability so that families who need the credit the most will receive it.
•Oppose: The Personhood Bill, which, if passed, could hurt the safe and effective practice of IVF, infertility research, and fertility treatment. This was the first year RESOLVE added opposition of the Personhood Bill to the Advocacy Day agenda.
About Shady Grove Fertility
Shady Grove Fertility is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence offering patients individualized care, innovative financial options, and pregnancy rates among the highest of all national centers. 2016 commemorated 25 years of Shady Grove Fertility providing medical and service excellence to patients from all 50 states and 35 countries around the world, and over 40,000 babies born—more than any other center in the nation. Today, 39 physicians, supported by a highly specialized team of more than 700 Ph.D. scientists, geneticists, and staff care for patients in 19 full-service offices and six satellite sites throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Shady Grove Fertility physicians actively train residents and reproductive endocrinology fellows and invest in continuous clinical research and education to advance the field of reproductive medicine through numerous academic appointments and partnerships such as Georgetown Medical School, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the University of Maryland, and the National Institutes of Health. More than 1,700 physicians refer their patients to Shady Grove Fertility each year. For more information, call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
Courtney Flantzer, Shady Grove Fertility, http://www.shadygrovefertility.com, +1 (202) 997-4515, [email protected]
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