ADVOCACY RESOURCE / FACILITY TOURS

Facility Tour Kit

Make your facility visit a lasting policy connection.

A PRACTICAL ADVOCACY TOOL

Bring policymakers closer to the people behind long-term care

Hosting facility tours for legislators and other policymakers is one of the most effective ways to advocate for your residents and staff. Lawmakers rely on relevant experts to help them understand complex issues. As a local long-term care leader, you are an expert.

A facility tour is a powerful opportunity to show how public decisions affect residents, families, and caregivers. This toolkit makes it easier to plan a visit and share what matters in your community.

HOW TO HOST A TOUR

Five easy steps to host your tour

Use this simple sequence to move from outreach to an ongoing relationship.

01 IDENTIFY

Find your local legislators

Use the state District Finder with your facility address. Review their bios, committee assignments, and newsletters.

02 INVITE

Send a personal invitation

Invite one or more legislators by email. Follow up if you do not hear back within a week. Emails often follow firstname.lastname@leg.wa.gov.

03 PLAN

Schedule and prepare

Coordinate a convenient date. Decide what to highlight, who should attend, and which stories you want to share.

04 HOST

Conduct the tour

Tell your story, be brief and welcoming, and invite questions. Avoid partisan language. Designate a photographer.

05 FOLLOW UP

Thank them and stay connected

Share photos and a thank-you note. Tag the legislator and WHCA on social media when appropriate.

Tour tip: Keep the visit personal, respectful, and practical. Legislators want to understand what is happening in their district and how they can help.

TOUR OUTLINE

Plan a focused 30–60 minute visit

A simple agenda makes room for relationships, questions, and seeing care in action.

Welcome | 10–15 minutes

Welcome visitors and introduce key staff.

Summarize the facility and care setting.

Share high-level challenges such as Medicaid underfunding or workforce barriers.

Facility tour | 15–30 minutes

Show amenities, services, common areas, and living spaces.

Introduce residents and staff who represent your services.

Ask questions and invite the legislator’s questions. Have a designated photographer.

Conclusion | 5–10 minutes

Thank the legislator for their time.

Offer to be a local resource on long-term care.

Agree on a follow-up and share contact information.

FACILITY PROFILE

Build a one-page facility profile

Prepare a short leave-behind with the local facts a policymaker can remember and share.

Facility Basics

Facility name
Address • City, State ZIP
Main phone
Administrator and direct contact

About the Facility

Total licensed units
Total FTE employees
Annual payroll, property, and personal taxes
Residents served annually
Medicaid clients served annually

About Our Residents

Describe care needs, diagnoses, medications, where residents are admitted from, and a story showing how your facility helped a family. Give people a face, and protect privacy when sharing personal details.

About Our Workforce

List job types, workforce demographics, language needs, recruitment and retention barriers, and the roles staff play in keeping care running.

Long-Term Care Services & What Makes You Unique

Highlight transitional and long-term care, hospice, therapy, dementia support, assessments, care coordination, community-building, awards, and staff accomplishments.

LEGISLATIVE STORYTELLING

Go beyond talking points and build a connection

Legislators hear data, demands, and opinions every day. Personal stories make policy real, relatable, and memorable. You do not need to be a policy expert—your experience is your expertise.

Make it personal

Share your own experience, or another person’s story with permission.

Keep it specific

Focus on one moment, one person, or one vivid detail.

Connect it to policy

Explain how a bill, funding decision, or system challenge shaped what happened.

End with an ask

Offer a clear takeaway: “That’s why I’m asking you to support…”

WHERE DOES YOUR EXPERIENCE CONNECT?

Inadequate Medicaid funding

Have you made tough decisions because rates did not cover the cost of care? Were services reduced or staff stretched thin? Describe a moment when resources affected someone in your care.

Case management support

Have clients struggled to navigate the system alone? Have you seen preventable crises caused by uncoordinated care? How could better support have changed the outcome?

Workforce instability

Are you struggling to hire or retain qualified staff? Have burnout, morale, or staffing gaps affected care? Describe a time a shortage changed someone’s experience.

Regulatory risks

Have unclear or inflexible rules affected care or innovation? Has regulation created fear instead of supporting good decisions? Explain how policy shapes day-to-day work.

Your voice matters. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be real.

FOLLOW-UP TOOLKIT

Ready-to-use messages

Personalize the bracketed details before sending. Confirm names, titles, numbers, and photo permissions.

SAMPLE LEGISLATOR INVITATION

CC: Aidan Swayne (aidanswayne@whca.org)
Subject: Invitation to Tour [Facility/Community Name]

Dear Representative/Senator [Name]:

Thank you for your work to support constituent seniors and staff at my long-term care community. However, more must be done to ensure we can provide the highest quality of care for all who need it. That’s why I am pleased to invite you to visit [facility/community name], where we employ [number] of your constituents and care for [number] of residents. [If Medicaid-contracted: [number] of these residents rely on Medicaid funding.] This visit will give you an opportunity to speak to residents, family members, and caregivers, and learn more about the importance of consistent, reliable long-term care for all Washingtonians.

Your firsthand knowledge is especially important as Washington’s aging population places increasing demand on the long-term care system. I want to be a resource for you. Long-term care professionals in your district can help inform your decisions.

We will work closely with you and your staff to plan a convenient tour. Please reply by email or call me at [phone number] to arrange a date and time.

Thank you for all you do for our community. I look forward to sharing ideas on safeguarding care for our seniors.

Sincerely,
[Name] • [Title] • [Facility] • [Phone]

SAMPLE THANK-YOU NOTE

CC: Aidan Swayne (aidanswayne@whca.org)
Subject: Thank you for visiting [Facility/Community Name]

Dear Representative/Senator [Name]:

On behalf of our staff, residents, patients, and their families, thank you for taking the time to visit [Facility/Community name]. Everyone here enjoyed meeting you. We are grateful for your support and commitment to issues affecting the quality and future of long-term care in our community.

[Add a personal comment from the tour.] When you have policy questions, I hope you will turn to long-term care professionals in your district. If I can help with technically complex long-term care issues, please reach out.

I look forward to speaking with you again and sharing ideas on safeguarding care for our residents and patients. I have attached photos from your tour in case you would like to share them in a constituent newsletter.

Sincerely,
[Name] • [Title] • [Facility] • [Email] • [Phone]

SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Share a thank-you after the visit

Use a photo from the visit when you have permission. Tag the legislator and WHCA.

Social post 1

Thank you [Legislator name] for visiting [Facility/Community name] and supporting policies that benefit Washington’s seniors, patients, residents, and caregivers. More must be done to ensure high-quality care for all. [WHCA Tag] [Photo]

Social post 2

Washington’s low-income seniors deserve quality long-term care, and we are proud to deliver it. Thank you [Legislator name] for meeting with us and supporting constituent seniors and caregivers. [WHCA Tag] [Photo]

Social post 3

Washington’s population is aging, and long-term care providers rely on government leaders to meet community needs. Thank you [Legislator name] for recognizing the urgency and working with us on solutions. [WHCA Tag] [Photo]

WHCA tags: Instagram @whcacares • Facebook @WashingtonHealthCareAssociation • LinkedIn @WashingtonHealthCareAssociation

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