🚨 Data Collection Closed and CMS Comments are now completed, but the work continues. Read the Update
TAKE SPEAK TO
YOUR LOCAL NEWSROOM
You don't need media experience. We'll walk you through it.
Local reporters need local voices. You can help bring the national conversation about SLP reimbursement
and access to care directly to your community.
YOUR ROADMAP
Never contacted the media before? That's okay.
Start at Step 1 and we'll walk you through the entire process.
Long waitlists?
Difficulty maintaining services?
Rising costs of providing care?
Families traveling for care?
Trouble recruiting SLPs?
Practices limiting certain insurance?
Your first job isn't to explain reimbursement. It's to answer one question:
Why should people in my community care?
YOUR TURN
Complete this sentence:
“Here in [CITY/REGION], we're seeing ______________.”
That’s your local hook.
Protect patient privacy: Never share identifying patient information without appropriate permission.
ARE YOU SEEING…
Start with Google
Search:
[YOUR CITY] TV news
[YOUR CITY] newspaper
[YOUR CITY] news radio
Choose 2–5 local outlets to start.
Then give them a very simple hierarchy:
WHO AM I LOOKING FOR?
BEST:
Assignment Desk / Assignment Manager
ALSO GOOD:
Health Reporter • Education Reporter • Consumer Reporter • Executive Producer
CAN'T FIND ANYONE?
Use the station's News Tips, Contact the Newsroom, or general newsroom email.
What's an assignment desk?
Think of the assignment desk as the newsroom's front door for stories. They help determine what the
station will cover each day.
You do not need to know a reporter personally.
WE WROTE IT FOR YOU.
You don't need to write a press release.
We've created a ready-to-send media pitch. Anywhere you see [BRACKETS LIKE THIS], add your own local information.
You'll need:
✓ Your city and state
✓ Your name and credentials
✓ Where you work/practice
✓ 1–2 examples of what's happening locally
✓ Your email
✓ Your phone number
Optional but powerful: An anonymous local patient/family example.
Don't worry about being a reimbursement expert.
YOU = the local expert.
SPEAK = the national data, policy, and advocacy resource.
EMAIL FIRST
Suggested subject line:
LOCAL STORY: Speech therapy access in [CITY/STATE]
or
STORY IDEA: What SLP reimbursement changes could mean for [CITY] families
Before you hit SEND:
☐ I replaced all [bracketed] sections
☐ I included a local example
☐ My email address is correct
☐ I included a phone number I actually answer
☐ I proofread it once
☐ I'm ready to respond if a reporter contacts me
SEND.
You just did the hardest part.
No response? That's normal.
Newsrooms receive story pitches all day. Follow up later that day or the next business day.
WHAT DO I SAY?
If they can't find your email:
“Is there a better email address or person I should send it to?”
If they ask something you don't know:
“I don't know the answer to that, but I can connect you with someone from the SPEAK Project who does.”
You do NOT need to pressure them.
You're making sure they saw the story and giving them an opportunity to ask questions.
First: Tell The SPEAK Project Team
[ A REPORTER CONTACTED ME ]
We'll help you from there.
Please share:
✓ Media Outlet
✓ Journalist Name
✓ Deadline
✓ Date/Time of Interview
✓ Specific Needs
You Only Need 3 Things
SLPs affect real lives.
We treat communication, swallowing, learning, recovery, and independence across the lifespan.
Access depends on making care financially sustainable.
When reimbursement doesn't reflect the cost of providing care, maintaining access becomes harder.
The SPEAK Project is bringing DATA + PEOPLE to policymakers.
National economic evidence shows what it costs to provide care. Patient and family experiences show why that care matters.
THEN BRING IT HOME.
“Here in [COMMUNITY], we're seeing…”
That's why the reporter is interviewing you.
❶
❷
❸
DON'T
DO
Speak like you're talking to a family
Keep answers short
Talk about your community
Use real examples
Say “I don't know” when necessary
Refer policy questions to the SPEAK team
Instead of this:
“The valuation of the new CPT code set doesn't adequately account for the practice expense.”
Say this:
“We need reimbursement to reflect what it actually costs to provide this care so patients can continue to access it.”
Use reimbursement jargon
Try to explain everything
Guess at national statistics
Share private patient information
Feel pressured to know everything
Speculate