Last week, I had the privilege of participating in Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. alongside fellow members of the Alliance for Physical Therapy Quality and Innovation (APTQI), including many of Raintree’s valued clients.
Reflecting on those meetings on Capitol Hill, the experience felt deeply personal.
I was proud to represent the great state of Texas and my own congressional district — and even more honored to do it alongside two incredible female leaders in our field: Kristi Henderson from Confluent Health and Jayne Fleck Pool from US Physical Therapy. Standing together, advocating for something that truly matters to patients and families, was both energizing and humbling.
Over two days, APTQI members came together to share ideas, reconnect with colleagues, and engage directly with policymakers about the future of rehabilitation therapy and patient care.
And we made the most of that time.
Our group completed 80 meetings, including conversations with:
- An advisor on the President’s Domestic Policy Council
- An advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Professional staff from the House Ways and Means Committee
- 78 House and Senate staffers in a single afternoon of meetings
But numbers only tell part of the story.
The real impact of Advocacy Day came from our shared focus: to advocate for stronger fall prevention policies that help protect older Americans.
APTQI Advocacy Day: Our Shared Focus
Our message during the APTQI Advocacy Day 2026 meetings was simple and clear:
Falls are the leading cause of injury and injury-related death among older Americans — and many of them are preventable.
What begins as a single fall can quickly lead to hospital readmissions, opioid or pain management challenges, loss of independence, and an increased risk of additional falls.
For families, the emotional toll can be devastating. And for our healthcare system, the financial cost is enormous: roughly $50 billion each year.
The Stopping Addiction and Falls for the Elderly (SAFE) Act
The emotional and systemic cost of fall-related injury embodies exactly why prevention matters. When we intervene early, we can help people maintain mobility, independence, and quality of life.
That’s where the SAFE Act comes in.
The Stopping Addiction and Falls for the Elderly (SAFE) Act would allow Medicare beneficiaries identified as at risk for falls to receive a fall risk assessment and referral to appropriate preventive services — including physical therapy — before a serious fall-related injury occurs. It represents a practical, evidence-based policy solution that benefits patients, families, and providers. And best of all, it does something healthcare policy rarely manages to do: improve outcomes while reducing downstream costs.
Advocacy and the Rehab Therapy Community
For those of us in rehabilitation therapy, advocacy is not just about policy — it’s about creating access to care for patients.
Every day, physical therapists help people recover mobility, regain independence, and improve quality of life. But too often, policy decisions are made without fully understanding the value that rehabilitation care brings to patients and communities.
That’s why events like APTQI Advocacy Day are so important.
The Stories: Advocates for Life-Changing Care
One of the most striking parts of our time on Capitol Hill was how personal this issue felt for nearly everyone we spoke with.
During meeting after meeting, staffers shared stories about a parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle who had fallen — and, as people often say, “never quite got back up.”
Those conversations changed the tone of the discussions.
What could have felt like abstract policy debates instead became something much more impactful and human — a shared recognition that we can, and should, do better for older Americans.
The Experience: Navigating APTQI Advocacy Day
If you’ve never participated in a Hill Day, the logistics alone can be surprising.
Planning begins months in advance, coordinating meetings around congressional calendars that change constantly.
When you arrive in Washington, the day starts with a long security line just to enter the House or Senate office buildings. From there, you move through what feels like an underground highway system of tunnels and hallways connecting the Capitol complex.
Once inside the House buildings, you can move between Cannon, Longworth, and Rayburn without going outside. The challenge is figuring out where you’re going. Each building follows its own logic for room numbers and floors, so finding the right office can feel like solving a puzzle.
Moving between the House and Senate sides resets the process. You leave the building, walk across the Capitol grounds, and go through security again before entering Russell, Hart, or Dirksen.
By the end of the afternoon, you start to appreciate how much coordination and persistence it takes just to get an idea in front of the right people.
The People: Staffers Who Shape the Conversation
Another thing that surprises many first-time advocates:
You rarely meet the lawmakers themselves.
Instead, you meet with a legislative assistant or policy staffer — often someone in their twenties — whose job is to meet with people from across the country (and often around the world) all day long.
These staffers are the true gatekeepers of the policymaking process.
And they’re impressive.
Their energy, curiosity, and willingness to engage — meeting after meeting, conversation after conversation — is remarkable.
You typically have about 30 seconds to deliver a hook that captures their attention and explains why your issue matters. If they start writing notes while you’re speaking, you know you might have a chance.
Later, those staffers sift through the thousands of policy ideas and requests they hear each day, deciding which ones deserve to be elevated to the lawmakers they advise.
The Process: Democracy in Motion
There’s something about the advocacy experience that feels deeply American.
The effort. The persistence. The idea that anyone can show up and make their case.
While waiting in security lines and navigating hallways, we stood shoulder-to-shoulder with advocates from causes I had never heard of — and some whose views directly conflict with one another. Different perspectives, different missions, but all hoping to move the country forward in their own way.
Standing there, I felt a deep connection to my fellow Americans. I felt hopeful about our future, and proud to see so many people who had come to Washington on their own dime to participate in democracy. Each of us was there to advocate for something bigger than ourselves. It’s a process worth showing up for.
And at the same time, the operator in me couldn’t help but notice how inefficient and chaotic parts of the system can feel. Surely there must be more streamlined ways to facilitate these conversations.
I don’t pretend to have the answers. I’m simply grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in this process again — representing an incredible community alongside APTQI and standing in support of life-changing legislation.
A Final Reflection
Advocacy days offer a unique, close-up view of how policy conversations actually unfold.
The experience this year alongside clients, colleagues, and APTQI members reminded me how much work goes into shaping policy, how many people are involved behind the scenes, and how powerful individual voices can be when they come together around a shared purpose.
If there’s one takeaway from those days on Capitol Hill, it’s this:
Advocacy matters.
And when the rehabilitation community speaks together, we can help move meaningful change forward.
Support the SAFE Act: https://www.aptqi.com/take-action/
About the Author
Sarina Richard is Chief Strategy Officer at Raintree, where she leads corporate strategy and cross-departmental initiatives to build high-performing teams, systems, and processes. A healthcare technology executive with two decades of experience, she has worked across the healthcare continuum as an operator, advisor, and investor. Sarina is also a five-time healthcare startup founder with four successful exits and previously held roles at Bain & Company, MD Anderson, Merrill Lynch, and a VC-backed startup where she served as COO. Read full bio >