Over the past several weeks, I have had the privilege of speaking with hundreds of family physicians. These conversations have been invaluable and deeply affirming.
As I reflect on the past few months, I want to share some thoughts and offer some words of encouragement. While the world around us may often feel divided, I believe the commonality among family physicians and the shared values we hold are as strong today as they were when our Academy was founded.
We all believe that the path to better health is more easily traveled with a continuous relationship with a family physician. We understand that navigating illness is easier with a trusted family physician by our side, and we know that a better health care system begins with continuous and comprehensive family medicine.
Throughout your patients' lives, you are their partner, their advocate and their confidant. You are the first call when they don't feel well. You were the first to hear the cries of a newborn baby. You are there to celebrate milestones, to support their setbacks and to offer comfort when they must say goodbye to loved ones. There is a humanism in family medicine that is unmatched in other medical fields, and it is this humanity that makes you so unique.
An AAFP member said to me this past weekend, “Shawn, family physicians are special. We are a group of people who have dedicated our lives to improving the lives of others, and in doing so, we improve our own.”
These are our shared values and these are our shared truths. They are neither red nor blue, but they are the foundation of who you are as a person, and they are at the heart of why you chose to serve others through the practice of family medicine.
Over the past two months, we have experienced tremendous change and uncertainty, and it has been unsettling for some. This brings me to the topic of politics and the AAFP's role in politics. Elections, by design, are disruptive. They're meant to be disruptive. New ideas are coming in, old ideas are going out, and the people are changing.
Something I hear often is, “The AAFP should stay out of politics.” This may surprise some, but I actually understand why you say this to me. Our national politics, in its current form, is viewed by many as divisive and not focused on the problems of American families or, in our case, family physicians. I would like to consider politics as it relates to our work at the AAFP, and then share why it is so important for the AAFP to be a strong and active participant in the political process at the federal level, and the state level through our chapters.
Politics is defined as the process through which groups of people make decisions about how to organize, govern and manage resources within a society. It involves the negotiation, distribution, and exercise of power and authority. It occurs at various levels — local, national or international. And it includes voting, law-making, political campaigns and policy advocacy. At its core, politics is about how individuals or groups with different interests and perspectives navigate and influence the distribution of power and resources in a society.
When we think of politics in this way, it's easier for us to understand why the AAFP must be involved in politics. We must be in the middle of conversations about the allocation of resources. We have a responsibility, an obligation, to make sure that investments are made in the health of our communities and in you, the people who have committed your lives to that mission. More importantly, if we aren't there, your voice isn't represented, your perspective is absent, and the voices of others grow louder and more influential.
Previous generations shaped family medicine as a profession committed to a set of shared values and a belief that every person has a right to health. They went further, making a moral pledge that even the most vulnerable among us would be afforded this right. Family medicine would not allow our health care system to overlook marginalized and underserved individuals and communities. This is who we are, and this is our mission.
The American Academy of Family Physicians, in turn, is an organization dedicated to this special group of individuals — those who have dedicated their lives to improving the well-being of others, a group of people who believe that every person, regardless of who they are, deserves access to health care. This is our purpose. This is our mission.
What I admire most about family physicians is that every day, in towns all across this great country, you stand by your patients. Irrespective of our political climate, you remain focused on what truly matters: the person in front of you. Day after day, you meet this moment. For decades, family physicians have answered the call for their patients and the communities they serve. And for more than 75 years, the AAFP has been there to support you.
This is our moment, and I have no doubt that just like the generations of family physicians before us, you will rise to meet this moment for your patients and your communities. And just as it has been for over 75 years, the AAFP will be here to support you.
I want to leave you with this thought: No matter the political or business environment, we all understand that we don't always get to choose the circumstances in which we do our work, but we do get to choose our mission. And just like each of you, I choose the mission.
Thank you for everything you do for your patients and communities. Together we will meet this moment for the people of America.
