YWM Engage: The Critical Connection for Advocacy

YWM Engage: The Critical Connection for Advocacy

We are coming up on what might be the most critical advocacy event in years for obesity – YWM Engage. So much has changed. We’re seeing progress with better options for obesity care. More healthcare providers are getting advanced training in obesity care. Better drugs mean more options for people living with obesity. These are drugs that can enhance the health of people for whom diet, exercise, and surgery are not adequate.

But there’s much that still needs to change. Far too often, people who want and need care are being turned away. Health systems and payers tell them they need to try harder, or let go of their “vanity.” We’ve gone almost three years with far too little connection to the people in our community who care about setting the course for a better way forward on obesity. It’s time to engage, energize, and set the agenda for change.

A Time for Renewal

In just six weeks, the Obesity Action Coalition will host its first gathering of patient advocates in three years at YWM Engage. It will feature a unique blend of education, advocacy, and support. This meeting will definitely look and feel different from any YWM meeting ever before. It will be smaller and more intimate. OAC planned it this way, respecting the need for a safe environment as we all learn how to live with COVID coming and going.

This meeting will feel more like a retreat with people who care about our cause of building a better world for people living with obesity. Because of this it will be a unique opportunity for connecting, supporting, and empowering patient advocates. It’s been too many years since we’ve been able to connect in this way. From this meeting, new leaders and new networks for advocacy will emerge.

So if you are someone who cares about the lived experience of obesity, you should make time to be at YWM Engage in Henderson, NV, July 14-16. You’ll find yourself supported and empowered by the amazing members of the OAC who will not only share their own experiences. But they will also support you in finding your own voice as an advocate.

Your Voice Matters

If we are going to to make the world a better place for people living with obesity, we need every voice. We need your voice. Policy wonks can make us feel like we’re watching paint dry. Real voices, with real passion, bringing real life experiences can change the world.

So if this speaks to you, mark your calendar for YWM Engage advocacy event July 14-16 in Henderson, NV, and register today. You have the power to make things better.

Click here to register and find more information on YWM Engage.

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June 3, 2022