Advocate

Part of Our Mission

Advocacy is an important part of the Foundation's mission. We want to secure:

  • Increased funding for medical research
  • Enhanced education and awareness
  • Protected access to critical treatment therapies, such as low-total-daily doses of opioids

With the help of our partners, the Health and Medicine Counsel in Washington (HMCW), we expect to increase policymakers' awareness of the serious nature of RLS and how they can improve the lives of their constituents. For further details, reference our legislative agenda.

Virtual Advocacy

Advocacy can start in the comfort of your very own home! Sharing your RLS experiences with your state Senators and House representatives helps us gain year-round momentum to meet our legislative priorities. Read about a past Virtual Advocacy Week and review our prep pack for guidance on how to start.

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In-Person Advocacy

The RLS Foundation hosts an in-person advocacy Hill Day event annually. This is an opportunity to meet with RLS expert physicians, RLS Foundation staff and fellow RLS advocates in Washington, DC to share your experiences with legislative representatives. This page will be updated with information regarding our fall Hill Day 2025 when available.

Want to learn more about Hill Day? Read about it on our blog.

Opioid Advocacy

We aim to increase awareness among policy makers about the serious nature of RLS and the need for individuals with RLS to have access to opioids when they have exhausted all other treatment options.

Consider sharing your personal opioid experience to support access to vital RLS treatment as part of our advocacy efforts in Washington.Submit your opioid experience for use in future letters to legislators, or email Josh Fein (Fein@hmcw.org) at the Health and Medicine Counsel of Washington. Josh will provide direction on how to personalize letters to your Congress member or visit your local congressional offices with your concerns.

We will continue to update this page with materials and ways you can participate to keep opioids as a viable option for managing refractory RLS.