HACA members joined a total of 357 advocates from around the country March 4-6 at the annual Washington Days advocacy event hosted by the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation. 

The event kicked off on Wednesday with advocacy training at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill. Advocates learned about the issues that would be discussed with legislators and staffers at the next day's visits. This year's three asks were:

1. Continued support of bleeding disorders programs through HRSA and CDC, with a request to House members to join a Dear Colleague letter to support funding for FY27 for these federal programs. 

2. Support for the Help Ensure Lower Patient (HELP) Copays Act, bipartisan legislation that bans co-pay accumulator adjusters and maximizers, and ensures all co-pays go toward a patient's annual deductible. 

3. Support for Fostering Effective Diagnosis and Treatment for Underserved Populations (FED UP) with Bleeding Disorders Act, future legislation that would call for an interagency review to evaluate the status of and identify new opportunities for research, access to treatment and education and training of providers, with the aim of advancing care for women and girls with bleeding disorders.  

Thursday was jam-packed with visits to legislators offices in both the House and Senate, with a few triumphs: new co-sponsors for the HELP Copays Act, a Republican lead for a Dear Colleague letter on federal funding and the FED UP with Bleeding Disorders Act.

Thursday evening featured a dinner for advocates, and Friday morning wrapped up with an industry panel, a session on formulary exclusions, and information on Community Voices in Research. 

Thank you to the HACA members who attended this year and participated in this important event! 

HACA's annual Chapter Education Day event took place on Saturday, March 21, with more than 100 participants in attendance. 

This year we tried something a little different, with branded sessions sponsored by some of our industry partners between our general education sessions. 

We started the day with a program led by Dr. Gary Kupfer, hematologist at the Georgetown University Hospital HTC, who led an informative session on pain and bleeding disorders. He touched on what is pain, acute versus chronic pain and its impacts, drug and non-drug intervention, and multidisciplinary approach. 

We closed out the day with a session on goal setting with Kate Nammacher of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation. 

Industry partners Genentech and Sanofi each led a session on their products before lunch, and then we followed lunch with a program by Pfizer and one with Takeda. The addition of these sessions made the day longer, so thank you to chapter members who stuck with us for this long day! 

During the lunch break, chapter members were able to visit with exhibitors, and we also held the annual meeting. New board members Brian DuVal, Veronica Scott and Marina Ventura were all approved by the membership, as well as returning board members Shawna Gray, Kathy Krug, Katherine Vargas Ladoja and Marissa Zanno. Executive board members for 2026-2027 will be Shawna Gray, president; Kate Greene, vice-president; Kathy Krug, secretary; and Katherine Ladoja, treasurer. 

We also provided camp activities for kids ages 7-17 with Camp Holiday Trails, and childcare with White House Nannies. 

Thank you to this year's event sponsors: Accredo, Bayer Healthcare, Biomatrix, CSL Behring, DrugCo Health, Genentech, Novo Nordisk, Optum, Pfizer, Sanofi and Takeda. A very special thanks to Genentech for sponsoring lunch as well! 

Registration is open for the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF) Bleeding Disorders Conference (BDC) in Orlando August 13-15. 

We've extended our deadline and will be taking applications for the Qualley Scholarship to BDC through May 1; click here for that application. Thank you to Genentech for providing additional funds for our meeting scholarships. 

HACA hosted its first-ever luncheon for new chapter members on Saturday, March 7. The low-key gathering at the Maggianos in Washington, DC, featured a slide show led by Brenda Bordelon and Robin Monin that talked about HACA programs, our two national organizations, and tips for being a savvy consumer. 

Thank you to Shawna Gray, board of directors president, and Marissa Zanno, board member and social worker at Children's National, for participating, and thank you to the new chapter members who attended. 

The George and Linda Price Scholarship Program is now open for applications for the 2026-2027 school year. 

The scholarship was established to honor the generous volunteerism of George and Linda Price. From the time their youngest son, Greg, was diagnosed with hemophilia B, George and Linda were actively involved with the chapter. They both became members of HACA’s Board of Directors in 1984 and served in various capacities on that board until the mid 1990s. George passed away in 2015, but Linda is still involved in chapter activities - you may have seen her at Chapter Education Day in March!

Members of HACA who have a bleeding disorder, as well as their siblings, parents or spouses, are eligible to apply. Priority will be given to those members who actively participate in HACA activities and individuals affected with a bleeding disorder. The applicant’s home must be in Prince George’s or Montgomery County, Maryland; Northern Virginia; or Washington, DC.

Click here for the application in English and here for Spanish. Applications are due June 1. 

Want to register for a HACA event? You can do that through our weekly Chapter Connection email, or you can go here on the HACA website to check out the calendar of events. 

Here are some upcoming events: 

Saturday, April 25 - vWD Education Event

Saturday, May 16 - Factor Dash 5K and Walk.

Sunday, June 21 - Community Event at Thunderbolts Baseball Game