CAFP State Legislative Candidate Reception Held

The cornerstone of family medicine is the relationships family physicians build with their patients. That special relationship of trust and understanding can help a patient achieve their full health potential, and as we know from countless CAFP members, it’s what brings great joy to their practice and to their lives.

Yet family physicians are even more than healers in the patient room. They are trusted leaders in their communities, insightful advocates who can shape a better health system that leads to more equitable and just outcomes for every Coloradan.

That’s why we held the 2016 CAFP State Legislative Candidate Reception. It’s an opportunity to build relationships between Colorado’s physicians and state leaders who can shape the future of healthcare. These relationships are just as important as those with patients, because what happens under the Gold Dome of the State Capitol will ultimately impact what happens in clinic. The way we pay for care, the training opportunities for rural physicians, the cost of medical student debt, the extent of patients’ coverage for services or prescription drugs – these are all influenced by state policymakers. And family physicians, who know what makes and keeps patients healthy, need a strong, trusted voice in the debate.

27 candidates for state office joined us to learn about family medicine and what they can do to make Colorado a healthier state. As CAFP President Tamaan Osbourne-Roberts, MD put it, “family physicians face seemingly endless challenges, from the highest rates of burnout in any specialty, to being on the hamster wheel of the fee-for-service system with fewer minutes in the day for patients than for paperwork.” But despite these challenges, we know there is a path to a better system. Said President Osbourne-Roberts, “paying for value rather than volume, supporting the Patient-Centered Medical Home, ensuring physicians can practice the way they work best, whether it’s in solo, employed or Direct Primary Care practice – this is what we need state policymakers to support.”

CAFP’s support of 51 candidates this election cycle is about putting family medicine at the forefront of building a better healthcare system. It’s about making Coloradans healthier and rekindling what makes family medicine such a rewarding profession.

The candidates endorsed by the CAFP include:

CAFP members and spouses can donate to the CAFP Small Donor Committee to strengthen our collective voice and help elect candidates – on a nonpartisan basis – who support and promote family medicine. Contribute here: https://www.coloradoafp.org/advocacy/contribute/

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