Effective Visualization

Of Information

Laura E. Ray, MA, MLSEducational Programing

LibrarianCleveland-Marshall College of

Law

Communication Guide

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Impact of Visual Aids

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A ttention

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E quality

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Impact of Visual Aids

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“Effective Visualization of

Information”

Sample Letter Advocating for Restoration of “Arthritis Care and Education” Funding

 

The Honorable ____________

Ohio House of Representatives

77 South High Street

Columbus, OH 43266-0603

 

Dear Representative ____________,

 

I am writing to ask for your support in restoring funding for the “Arthritis Care and Education” program which has been eliminated in Governor Taft’s proposed 2002-2003 budget. As a member of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, your support of the “Arthritis Care and Education” is particularly important for this critical program’s continuance.

Arthritis is a painful and debilitating group of 100 diseases that affects 43 million Americans, including 23 million women and nearly 300,000 children. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) names arthritis as the leading cause of disability in the nation, costing the American economy $82.5 billion a year in medical expenses and lost productivity. Ohio has a particularly high occurrence of arthritis, with over 25% of the population affected, costing an estimated $4 million annually. Arthritis is a serious public health issue that the “Arthritis Care and Education” program has addressed in several important ways.

The “Arthritis Care and Education” program was created in 1977 (Am. Sub. House Bill 191) with the goal to “make optimum diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation services available and accessible to all clients and families with arthritis and related musculoskeletal diseases in Ohio.” Ohio demonstrated its public health leadership with this program, the first of its kind in the nation. In 2001, the program will fund 12 projects at hospitals, local health departments, community action agencies, voluntary agencies, arthritis treatment centers and clinics, and academic medical centers throughout the state. Project activities will include exercise programs, patient education courses, support groups, in-home counseling, information and referral services, public awareness initiatives, medical student rheumatology rotations, as well as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis nutrition monitoring, counseling, and education. These are critical programs that simply must continue, if not increase, in the future.

Extensive research has documented and validated early detection and treatment, as well as educational services, as important components in the prevention of disabilities and deformities associated with arthritis. The federal government recognized the value of such preventive measures when it began funding the CDC’s “National Arthritis Action Plan” (NAAP) in 1998. Ohio successively competed with other states for one of the first CDC NAAP grants. The 2-year, $60,200 grant is supporting the development of arthritis surveillance in Ohio, as well as the production of an “Ohio Arthritis Action Plan.” Work is already underway to seek another CDC NAAP. However, the ability to attract such federal funding hinges significantly on the continuance of the “Arthritis Care and Education” program.

Without the “Arthritis Care and Education” program, Ohio will fall seriously behind in addressing the critical public health needs of its citizens with arthritis. In addition, all of Ohio will bear the financial burden of increased medical expenses and lost productivity. Please support the restoration of funding for the “Arthritis Care and Education” program in the 2002-2003 budget.

 

Sincerely,

Blah!

• Blah• Blah• Blah

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Write & Follow Outline

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One Main Idea Per Image

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combine upper & lower case

COMBINE UPPER & LOWER CASE

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Arial Font

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Text Slides – 7,7,7 Rule

Up To: 7 Words In Title

7 Words Per Line

7 Lines