These days, it is clear HME providers have to get involved in
the legislative process if there is to be any change in the
restrictive policies that continue to plague the industry. For
most, that means participating in a grassroots lobbying effort.
But Darren Jernigan, vice president of government affairs for
Lebanon, Tenn.-based Permobil, took his political involvement a
step further last year. He was elected to the Nashville, Tenn.,
Metropolitan Council, the legislative body governing the state's
Nashville and Davidson counties.
Jernigan, a self-described “public policy junkie,”
says it was a “no-brainer” when it came to his decision
to run for a seat on the council. “If you generally care
about where you live and the people who live around you, then the
decision is easy,” he says. “I do, and I wanted to
utilize my previous experience in government to work for my
community. So when this opportunity became available, I seized
it.”
To win the council seat, Jernigan utilized a personal approach.
“I went door-to-door, which is not the easiest thing to do in
a chair, but it enabled me to meet an incredible amount of people,
many of whom had amazing stories. The experience was
invaluable,” he says.
Jernigan, who was injured in an automobile accident, has been in
a wheelchair for 17 years. During the recent council campaign, his
opponent tried to insinuate that Jernigan's disability would
physically prevent him from handling the job. Fortunately, voters
felt differently. “That actually offended a lot of people
because they didn't see my being in a wheelchair as a factor. If
you have your head and your heart, then that's all you really need
to do the job,” he says.
However, he is breaking ground in the area. Jernigan is the
first person in a wheelchair to be elected to the Metropolitan
Council in Nashville, and his campaign and win has made an impact.
“What it has done is bring a tremendous amount of awareness
of disabilities to the government as a whole,” he says.
“The administration called me and took a very proactive
approach to ensuring I had what I needed be on the same level
playing field as my fellow council members.”
Jernigan has been on the job since October — he actually
missed the first day of Medtrade 2007 to attend his first council
meeting — and he has already seen the differences that can be
made on a local level.
“When you're involved in local government, you have the
opportunity to create change … It can be something as small
as somebody calling about their street light blinking or it can be
as large as building a coliseum for a professional sports
team,” he explains. “But it does provide an opportunity
for change.”
Naturally, not everyone in his jurisdiction agrees on every
issue. When things get touchy, Jernigan uses his background in
public relations and his experience in lobbying to resolve
conflicts and disagreements.
“Last night, there were some very angry people who were
very mad at me, and I listened to them. Calvin Coolidge said,
‘No man never listened himself out of a job,’” he
relates.
Jernigan is no stranger to politics. He earned academic degrees
in public relations and political science. He has worked at the
U.S. State Department and the Veterans' Affairs Administration in
Washington, D.C., and as a staff member for former Congressman Bob
Clement, D-Tenn.
In 2001, he was elected a member of the Davidson County
Democratic Executive Committee and was appointed by a federal judge
as commissioner of the Old Hickory Utility District from
2001-2006.
The lessons Jernigan learned through his campaign are simple but
effective, and they are extremely relevant to the home medical
equipment industry's need for grassroots lobbying.
“If you want to create change and you want to get a
message across, there are three things that you really need to
do,” he says. “You definitely want to volunteer on a
campaign. If you volunteer on a campaign, it makes a tremendous
impact on the public official.”
You also must be prepared with financial support. “I don't
mean you have to give $1,000. You can give $25,” Jernigan
says.
Finally, he says, “you have to become visible and known in
your community. When policymakers continue to hear your name on
various fronts, it becomes apparent you have influence and that you
aren't just bringing one vote to the table [but] you have the
capability to bring several hundred.”
At that point, the elected official begins asking what he or she
can do for you, according to Jernigan.
When it comes to asking federal legislators to support industry
legislation, Jernigan advises HME providers to find out who in
their community did those three things for their congressman.
“Then, you go to [that person] and ask them to make a phone
call. I guarantee you will get a cosponsor and they will sign that
piece of legislation. It's that simple,” he says.
Now seven months into his position, Jernigan is enjoying the
ride. He campaigned on a multi-faceted platform including public
safety and accessibility, among a host of other issues, and he is
hopeful about accomplishing his goals.
“Regarding home care in my first term, I would like to see
greater accessibility outside the home and to see individuals with
disabilities get out of nursing homes and into society as
productive tax payers,” he says, noting that the council's
airing of its own meetings “requires and needs closed
captioning. Those are just a few, but I have many more ideas
related to different subjects,” he adds.
As far as his future in politics, Jernigan says a move into the
state or national arena is not out of the question. He is
“waiting his turn,” he says, and when the time comes,
he and his ideas will be ready.
