Nearly 100 Family Medicine Advocates Convene in Lansing to Increase Awareness of the Specialty
Beneath blue skies on February 23, nearly 100 Family Physicians, Family Medicine residents and medical students convened in the state's Capital City to talk with their legislators about the value of the specialty and its role in keeping people healthy, providing access to care, and reducing costs to the healthcare system.
More specifically, conversations during office visits and a legislative luncheon centered around MAFP's 2016 advocacy priorities:
- Preserving public health and safety
- Increasing access to care for all Michiganders
- Expanding the patient care team model
- Increasing investments in the primary care workforce
- Reforming the payment and delivery system
Upon accepting the 2016 Friend of Family Medicine Award, which received local media coverage, Senator Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) thanked Family Physicians for being on the front line of defense and serving as the best source of education for keeping people health. "One thing we need to do is to continue to advocate for and recruit people to go into family practice. There are not enough family practitioners across the state," said Senator Shirkey. Read more.
Later that afternoon, Representative Ed Canfield (R-Sebawing) introduced a resolution on the House floor extolling the value of Family Physicians, which received applause from his colleagues and those in the gallery. "Family Physicians are important and unique to the practice of medicine," he said. "Not only do they possess years of education and training, but also a special understanding of the whole person in the context of the family and the community." Read more.
Michigan Family Medicine Advocacy Day is an annual event hosted by MAFP in collaboration with the Michigan Association of Osteopathic Family Physicians, which takes place during Family Medicine Week in Michigan. This year, Governor Snyder proclaimed February 21-27 as Family Medicine Week in the state.
Be sure to visit MAFP's Facebook page and follow @MIFamilyDocs on Twitter to learn more about and see pictures from Advocacy Day 2016 happenings.