On Tuesday, July 16th, 2024, Project Sleep proudly hosted “Awakening America: A Congressional Briefing on Sleep and Public Health” followed by a first-ever Sleep Screening event on Capitol Hill.
Over 100 people attended Project Sleep’s events, with great interest from Hill staffers looking to learn more about their sleep and Project Sleep’s activities, including Project Sleep’s free national Sleep Helpline and the new SLEEP Act!
Lindsay Scola moderated the briefing and shared about being a Hill staffer earlier in her career while facing an undiagnosed sleep disorder. Dr. Michael Grandner shared exciting scientific advancements in our understanding of the importance of sleep for our overall health and well-being. Next, Dr. Kali Cyrus shared her personal story of eventually finding a sleep disorders diagnosis after many years of experiencing symptoms while in medical school and beyond.
Lastly, Project Sleep’s President & CEO, Julie Flygare, JD, discussed challenges we face to educate the public and medical providers about sleep and sleep disorders. Flygare shared about what Project Sleep is doing to help improve public awareness of sleep and sleep disorders and how policymakers can play a key role as well.
Following the briefing, Project Sleep invited Capitol Hill staff to participate in the free sleep screening event featuring one-on-one educational consults with sleep specialists to discuss potential concerns about their own sleep or wakefulness.
Huge thanks to Congresswoman Kat Cammack, Co-Chair of the Sleep Health Caucus, and her staff for supporting this event, everyone who attended the event, our wonderful speakers, and Lindsay Scola and the Health & Medicine Counsel for organizing such a successful day. Special thanks to Drs. Hassan Chami, Michael Grandner, Virginia Runko, and Erin Baehr for facilitating the sleep screenings for Hill staffers.
The day after the briefing on Wednesday, July 17th, Project Sleep representatives, Julie Flygare and Lindsay Scola met with the White House Office of Public Engagement to follow-up from the Sleep Equity Convening and to share about the recent Capitol Hill activities.
Last fall, in partnership with the White House Office of Public Engagement, Project Sleep hosted the Sleep Equity Convening on Tuesday, Nov. 14th, 2023. This meeting was the first-of-its-kind on sleep with the White House. Leaders from 12 sleep-related organizations came together to discuss access to sleep equity as a social justice issue and shed light on current social, economic, and environmental inequalities.
