Contents tagged with advocacy
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A prescription for community health: The importance of advocacy in medicine
By Lane J. Aiena, MD
As physicians we are tasked with the monumental privilege of helping people as our craft. We train for four years in our undergraduate education, four years in medical school, and an additional three years minimum in residency to be given this trust by our patients. From this education, we gain the ability to help the patient in front of us, but all too often we lose sight of our ability to help the community as a whole. As physicians we have the ability to treat not just the patient in front of us but the thousands of patients beyond our door that are affected every day by policy.
Recently I was able to do a rotation with TAFP in Austin. This rotation was set up after several advocacy trips to Washington D.C. piqued my interest in policy. I was fortunate to match to a residency, Conroe Family Medicine Residency, that is very active both in its community and at the national level. The main takeaway from my first trip was this: everyone in politics has an ask, but stories are what stick. Simply talking about what we do on a daily basis can be a huge vehicle for change. I wanted a way to learn how to more effectively “get my story out there,” and this rotation was the perfect way to do just that.
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TAFPPAC FAQs
TAFPPAC FAQs
What is TAFPPAC? The Texas Academy of Family Physicians Political Action Committee speaks on behalf of more than 8,000 Texas family physicians, med students, and residents through … more
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February 2017 Member of the Month
Member of the Month: Erica Swegler, MD
Texas candidate for AAFP Board of Directors exemplifies service to her patients, her specialty, and her Academy
By Perdita Henry
posted 02.08.17
Few … more
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Advocate for the specialty of family medicine with TAFP
TAFP serves as your voice in the Texas Legislature and we have a team of advocates with strong relationships throughout the Capitol community and in state agencies working on your behalf. We continue to make strides for the specialty, but we can’t do it without your help. TAFP members can make a difference and we invite you to get involved in the fight for family medicine.
The 84th Texas Legislature convenes on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and getting involved is possible no matter how much time you’re able to commit. Whether taking five minutes to read a TAFP Capitol Update and send a message to your representative, or a few minutes to donate to TAFPPAC online, or dedicating a day to see patients at the Capitol, your involvement matters. Here are a few opportunities to consider.
- Sign up to be a Key Contact – State and federal lawmakers are making decisions that directly affect your patients and your practice. As legislative battles heat up, legislators need to hear from family physicians about how medicine should be practiced. Physicians who sign up for TAFP’s Key Contact program serve as resources to their legislators, educating them on health care issues that affect the practice of medicine and patient care. As a Key Contact, TAFP will reach out to you leading up to and during the 84th Legislative Session with resources and guidance for connecting with your senator or representative. It can be as easy as sending an e-mail, but each member interaction adds to the total effort.
- Serve as a Physician of the Day – As a service to the Texas Legislature, TAFP coordinates the Physician of the Day program. TAFP-member family physicians volunteer to staff the Capitol Health Services Clinic for a day during each legislative session or special session, demonstrating first-hand the value and necessity of family physicians in Texas. The Physician of the Day is introduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives and his or her name becomes a permanent part of the official legislative record. Sign up on the Physician of the Day page of TAFP’s website.
- Join TAFPPAC – The TAFP Political Action Committee speaks on behalf of TAFP members through grassroots involvement, personal relationships with elected officials, and political campaign participation and contributions. TAFPPAC is a non-partisan political action committee that supports candidates who demonstrate support for issues important to family physicians and our patients. TAFP members can give a one-time donation or sign up to be a monthly donor on the TAFPPAC page of TAFP’s website.
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TAFP members represent Texas at AAFP national conference
TAFP members represent Texas at AAFP national conference
posted 4.16.14
More than 200 family physicians, residents, medical students, and state chapter staff gathered in Washington, D.C., for … more
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TAFP Year in Review
By Samantha White
TAFP continued working diligently in 2013 to serve our members all across the state. The year including a legislative session meant staff and physicians alike advocating for … more
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Sen. Nelson given TAFP Patient Advocacy Award
Sen. Nelson given TAFP Patient Advocacy Award
posted 11.20.13
State Senator Jane Nelson was named the recipient of the 2013 TAFP Patient Advocacy Award at the 64th Annual Session and Scientific … more
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Family medicine under the dome in the 83rd Texas Legislature
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By Jonathan Nelson
After all the heated controversy and partisan polemics that characterized this summer’s special sessions of the 83rd Texas Legislature, it’s difficult to … more
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CAPITOL UPDATE: Watch TAFP's Capitol Report for May 9, 2013
Capitol Update: Watch latest report on TAFP’s priorities in the 83rd Texas Legislature
posted 05.09.13
In this edition of TAFP’s video newscast, Capitol Report, catch up on the progress of TAFP’s … more
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Advocating for family medicine under the pink dome
Advocating for family medicine under the pink dome
By Anastasia Benson, D.O.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked in to the TAFP office. Being a recipient of the TAFP Foundation’s James C. … more