On May 21, Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) members Sarah Sams, MD, FAAFP; Doug Harley, DO, FAAFP; Elizabeth Beiter, MD; Evan Howe, MD, PhD, MPH, FAAFP; John Sharma, MD, MS, FAAFP; and medical student Taylor Boyd met with members of Ohio’s Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., during the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Family Medicine Advocacy Summit (FMAS). The conference also included a training day to prepare attendees to meet with their legislators and receive AAFP updates.
OAFP members met with the staff in the offices of Senators Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance and Representatives Bob Latta, Dave Joyce, Brad Wenstrup, and Mike Carey. Dr. Sams also served as a panelist for an Advocacy 201 session alongside Chase Mussard, MD, resident member of the AAFP Board of Directors, and Paige Colston, a political advocacy specialist.
Attendees had the following to say about their experience:
“Thank you so much for the assistance and encouragement to participate in FMAS. As I prepared and headed out, I was concerned that I would not be able to find interesting enough experiences to share with the legislative assistants. It was a very encouraging experience to sit in the room with so many passionate family medicine advocates on the first day to identify our concerns and support our reasons for speaking out. The conversations with the legislative assistants went so much easier than I had anticipated. I found myself able to speak from my experiences with patients and found willing ears to hear my voice. I would very much look forward to the next opportunity I might have to speak directly to legislators and share my experiences to help guide the decision making process. I would encourage anyone thinking about participating to plan on signing up next year and adding your voice to the shared experiences of all of us,” shared Dr. Howe.
“This trip to Washington, D.C., was an exciting adventure of advocacy and mentorship. There were a large number of students and residents in attendance as well as many first time attendees from AAFP members. This provided a great opportunity for experienced advocates to share their expertise and words of wisdom while working together to promote family medicine to our legislators,” said Dr. Sams.
“This was my first time participating in FMAS. Leaving Washington, D.C., I was astonished that I had not attended FMAS prior. To have considered myself an advocate for family medicine and yet not have participated in this particular advocacy effort, along with others such as the AAFP’s Key Contacts Program, was indeed an oversight on my part. FMAS is a vehicle for our specialty to assert influence and meaningful change in the lives our patients, for our communities, and for family medicine students, residents, and practicing physicians. The opportunity to have important conversations with lawmakers and their staff about critical issues that affect primary care was not only illuminating from a process standpoint, but also inspiring as it reinforced my commitment to advocating for family medicine. Thank you OAFP for your support,” Dr. Sharma exclaimed!
“AAFP’s FMAS is a great place to connect with like-minded colleagues interested in advocating for family medicine. It is also a great place to be mentored by those with vast experience in the realm. The time on Capitol Hill allows you to realize what one voice can accomplish and how we each as healthcare professionals can make inroads with our legislators for positive change that affects our patients and community,” Dr. Harley said.
The AAFP’s 2024 FMAS is scheduled for Sunday-Tuesday, May 10-21. Additional information will be posted on the AAFP website as it is available.