Good public policy requires more than just lobbying. At Gridiron Public Affairs, we believe the right strategy is essential. Identifying the pivotal issues, engaging with partners, creating authentic relationships and building top-notch teams are the keys to positive, lasting change.
The most masterful public policy proposals won’t advance if the environment isn’t right. Understanding the political environment and working to shape it in advance is pivotal to success. We’ll help you assess and understand the landscape, craft sound, data-driven public policy proposals and develop a multi-dimensional campaign to gain support.
Thousands of policy proposals are considered every year, but which ones should you focus on? Prioritizing policy issues through the lens of what matters most to your organization is paramount. There are many ways to stay on top of the issues, but it can be overwhelming. Legislative tracking services, contract lobbyists, and trade association memberships can all be useful tools, but what will work best for your organization and its specific needs? We’ll work with you to ensure maximum impact by engaging the most efficient, effective tools.
What value does a government affairs team offer an organization? Government, at all levels, plays a major role in how organizations operate and, oftentimes, how successful you’ll be. In the context of health policy, more than 90 million Americans rely on government-administered health care, and state and federal regulations impact every aspect of health care delivery. Every day, policymakers consider proposals that impact whether patients can access the services they need. Understanding, shaping and impacting the public policy environment is critical to your organization’s success. We’ll work with you to build the right team of government affairs and policy professionals to create an effective plan—a plan that clearly exhibits value to internal stakeholders and aligns with your business goals and amplifies your organization’s impact and credibility.
In health policy, patients must come first, and impactful patient stories are critical to gaining policymakers’ attention. Partnering with patient advocates is necessary and respecting their unique role in the discussion is crucial. At Gridiron Public Affairs, we believe the best public policy is patient-driven and patient-centric.
After beginning his career in the non-profit sector, Greg spent seven years in federal service with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), spearheading initiatives ranging from expansion of rural health care services to collaborating with various health care stakeholders as leader of a 10-state education, outreach and enrollment campaign for Medicare Part D. For his contributions to the department, he was awarded the HHS Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award.
Greg’s leadership roles in the health care community have included small, mid-size and large organizations. He has created government affairs programs from the bottom up and has also led the U.S. Government Affairs & Policy team at one of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical innovators. Whether leading teams of one or 40, Greg knows what it takes to develop robust, effective and impactful policy shaping strategies.
While leading teams at biopharmaceutical and life science companies, Greg worked closely with various trade associations, including the Pharmaceutical Researchers & Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). He’s also a trusted partner with the patient and health care provider communities, working to identify issues impacting access to therapies and playing a pivotal role in the formation of several national and state coalitions, including the Rare Disease Company Coalition, the State Patients Equal Access Coalition, the Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care, and the State Access to Innovative Medicines Coalition. Greg believes that the best public policy emerges from thoughtful, honest and respectful collaboration with diverse stakeholders—each bringing their unique perspective, insight and skills to find real-world solutions.
Sheri understands the important role public policy plays in benefiting health care consumers and helps Gridiron’s clients navigate the environment to positively interact with policymakers at the state and federal levels. Sheri dives deep into health policy issues to provide accurate, in-depth analysis to craft the most impactful strategy. Her inside knowledge of the policymaking process and what positively impacts and empowers legislators to prioritize critical issues is a great addition to the Gridiron team.
Sheri earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Master of Teaching degree from Western Washington University. “I’m delighted to be working with Gridiron Public Affairs and our diverse clients. Our dedicated efforts in cultivating and sustaining robust relationships with stakeholders are fundamentally aimed at doing what’s best for patients,” says Sheri.
Sheri can be reached at sheri@gridironpublicaffairs.com
Patti’s knowledge of the health care environment, and how public policy has a real-world impact on patient access to innovative medicines, therapies and devices, helps Gridiron craft strategies that amplify our clients’ perspectives with policymakers.
“I’ve seen firsthand how transformative medicines can be a gamechanger for patients and the overall health care system,” says Patti. “I’m passionate about Gridiron’s mission of helping policymakers see the big picture on health policy and understand how vital innovation is to a vibrant U.S. health care ecosystem.”
Patti can be reached at operations@gridironpublicaffairs.com
