Archive for the ‘GAFP PAC’ Category

GAFP PAC Donor Event – Georgia Elections – What do Family Physicians Need to Know About our Looming Statewide Elections?

The GAFP PAC Board is hosting an “Inside Georgia Politics” zoom discussion with our GAFP legislative consultant, Chuck McMullen, and Atlanta Journal Constitution political reporter Greg Bluestein. McMullen and Bluestein will discuss Georgia federal and state races and make a few predictions about the November elections and the 2023 legislative session.

Please donate to receive your insider link to register for this event on Tuesday, August 23 at 6:00 pm.

Chuck McMullen
GAFP Legislative Consultant/Lobbyist
Co-Lead Atlanta Office – Parker Poe Consulting

Chuck has more than 20 years of experience managing government relations for public and private sector clients in the pharmaceutical, health care provider, food and beverage, and energy infrastructure industries. He has leveraged his relationships and public policy experience to provide clients with legislative results at the local, regional, and national levels.

Prior to joining Parker Poe Consulting, Chuck was a senior director in Atlanta for two international law firms, serving as the state government affairs team lead and practice group leader, respectively. He has served in various leadership positions with law and public affairs firms for more than 15 years. He also worked in Washington, D.C., as a regional political director for the American Medical Association responsible for 127 congressional districts in the Southeast and Southwest. In addition, he served as chief of staff to former congressman and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price when he was Georgia’s first Republican majority leader of the state Senate.

Greg Bluestein
Politics/government reporter

Greg Bluestein is a political reporter and author who covers the governor’s office and Georgia politics for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He writes for the front-page of the AJC, contributes to the Political Insider blog and morning Jolt newsletter, hosts the Politically Georgia podcast and is a frequent guest on local and national TV and radio programs. He’s an MSNBC and NBC News contributor and the author of “Flipped,” a book on Georgia’s epic 2020 election. He’s a proud graduate of the University of Georgia with degrees in journalism and political science and lives with his wife and two daughters in Dunwoody. Order his book at: http://bit.ly/FlippedTheBook

 

GAFP President Dr. Susana Ajoy Alfonso Reflects on Her Journey to Leadership

Dr. Alfonso was sworn-in at GAFP annual meeting in November 2021.  She was installed by AAFP President Sterling Ransome, MD and in a gathering of over 100 friends, colleagues and families – she gave her first speech as chapter president.  Below is a selection of her inaugural speech:

First, I would like to thank you again for coming tonight.  I’ll start with some thank you’s, tell you a little bit about my journey in Family Medicine and the GAFP, and end with an invitation.

I’d like to start by thanking my patients who have allowed me the privilege of helping to take care of them and have trusted me to share their life and health journey with them.  You have taught me so much!  I’d like to thank the many classes of residents whom I’ve had the privilege to train.  I counted 19 alums at this meeting!

I’d like to thank my faculty colleagues who have been a part of my leadership journey from the beginning.  A few of them are here tonight and I won’t say which ones were interns with me in 1997!  I’d like to thank Dr. Ralph Peeler who stopped me in the parking lot behind the now demolished Shallowford hospital and said, “have you thought about getting more involved with the GAFP?”  and I said “no” and he said “you should think about it…I think you’d enjoy it.” That was 18 years ago.

I’d like to thank my village of friends, some of them are here tonight, many have known me since I was a teenager, who have at times literally carried me through life’s challenges.

  • I’d like to thank my mom in heaven who inspired me with her courage and willingness to defy the odds.
  • My father who loves with consistency and was never ever hesitant to set me straight.
  • My step mom who loves blindly and with her actions
  • My aunts and my sisters who in so many different ways have supported me as a mom and as a doctor, and a special shout out to my sister Paty who is deployed in Saudi Arabia who typed up my med school application because I was just home with a newborn baby.
  • My sons. I always knew I wanted to be a doctor but when I became a mother realized what my true purpose was and is, whose antics and perspectives kept me grounded…who taught me what is means to love without conditions.  You will both always be what I am the most proud of in this world.
  • To my husband who has walked every step of this journey with me, for always having a unique, practical perspective. I remember the first time having to tell a patient they might have a cancer and walking into our living room and saying a prayer that I would find the right words.  He looked at me and said “why are you praying for yourself, your patient is the one with cancer!” Thank you, Raul, for all the many years of support, even when what I wanted to do sounded crazy…I wouldn’t be here without all of you but especially you!

I was asked to re-apply to medical school after taking a leave to have a baby and was interviewed by someone who said “why are you here?  You should leave this spot to someone who is truly dedicated to medicine.”  After drying my eyes and my blouse because I was nursing and doing my second interview, I realized then and there that being a mother in med school made me different.

My own mother’s words rang in my mind, “you will always be different (she was referring to my ethnicity), and that difference can be your advantage or your disadvantage…it’s up to you”.   Three years later during my induction to AOA, when I was pregnant with my second son, the same person said to me “oh I always knew you’d do well.”

As a family physician I have had the privilege to practice full scope family medicine in an academic setting, serve farmworkers in South Georgia, serve children in an orphanage in the Dominican Republic, and serve as chief medical officer of a QI and UM company. None of which I ever dreamed of doing when I started.

As your president I pledge to work to advance the goals of our academy to serve the patients and families in Georgia and our family medicine colleagues.

COVID has placed a spotlight on some things we already knew:  our healthcare system is fragmented and siloed, we have not invested sufficiently in public health and primary care and prevention, and health disparities remain even when some barriers such as access to vaccine and testing are removed.

We have just finished our three year strategic plan and like our parent organization the AAFP, none of our 5 pillars specify goals around diversity equity and inclusion as we expect to weave DEI into everything we do.  As we work together to change things at a system level and advance family medicine through education, advocacy and service my call to action is this: I invite you to join me in beginning the culture change toward inclusion.

Mother Theresa says, “not all of us can do great things, but each of us can do small things with great love”.  When you go back next week to your practices, hospitals, and communities, look at whose voice is not being heard and invite them to the table.  Different perspectives will make us stronger, different perspectives will make us more innovative, different perspectives will allow us to build more effective healthcare teams and ultimately help us.

Georgia Academy Leadership Meets with Georgia Congressman Tom Price, MD

Chapter President Mitzi Rubin, MD recently sat down with Georgia Congressman Tom Price, MD to discuss a variety of issues affecting family medicine and our patients. One key discussion that Congressman Price and Dr. Rubin focused on was the epidemic of opioid abuse and addiction. Dr. Rubin also encouraged Congressman Price to join the Congressional Primary Care Caucus. Part of this discussion included Dr. Rubin giving Congressman Price a campaign donation from the AAFP FAM MED PAC to support his re-election.

The Georgia Academy has a state PAC (https://gafp.org/pac/) and encourages all family physicians to contribute to both our state and national PAC to help foster ongoing relationships with our elected officials.  For more information about the AAFP’s advocacy efforts click here:  http://www.aafp.org/advocacy/donate/fammedpac.html

 

Family Physicians-Advocating for Our Practice and our Patients

Please click here to make a donation now: https://gafp.org/pac/

My name is Mitzi Rubin, MD and I’m a mom with two young boys, a wife to a great husband, a growing family medicine practice in Marietta and a diehard Georgia Bulldog!  I’m also the president of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians and a supporter of the Georgia Academy’s Political Action Campaign (PAC).

You might not think of me as the typical supporter of political campaigns – but I know how important it is for the Georgia Academy to have legislators who understand the importance of a strong workforce of family physicians in our state.   I was a typical physician and assumed that other people, those out in practice longer than me or with less medical education debt- were always giving. But I was wrong, only 4% of our active membership donated to our PAC last year. Now I realize just how important giving to our PAC is!

Let’s help increase that percentage this year. A $100 donation is equal to about 27 Cents a day! The best quarter a day I have ever spent!   I would appreciate your taking time to consider making a contribution to our PAC.

A few facts about our PAC that you might be unaware of:

  • 100 percent of your donation will go to support candidates who are friendly to family medicine.  None of the PAC money collected go to offset GAFP’s advocacy activities.
  • If all of our active members donated $100, our PAC would outpace the lawyers, chiropractors and most other state political committees.
  • Our GAFP PAC is our voluntary family medicine PAC provides Georgia family physicians a strong voice in the Georgia state legislature and helps the Academy in its efforts to impact both health policy and the overall practice environment.
  • Our PAC is non-partisan and gives to candidates who are knowledgeable about family medicine and interested in the needs of our patients.

Please click here to make a donation now: https://gafp.org/pac/

 

Your PAC Dollars at Work –

·         Increase Medicaid reimbursement.

·         Prohibit further expansion of other providers and disciplines into primary care’s scope of practice.

·         Thwart regulations that add to administrative overload and impede patient access to quality care.

 

Thanks for your help and support.

Sincerely,

Mitzi B. Rubin, MD, FAAFP

Chapter President

 

Emory Residents present Tar Wars

 

emory tarwars

 

Emory Family Medicine Residents (L to R)

Bipin J.S. Bagga MD, Jairaj Vailoor MD, Priya Gulati MD, Gayle Wong MD, Rani Patil MD and Torrance Laury MD recently presented the Tar Wars tobacco prevention program to more than 150 5th graders at Indian Creek Elementary School in Clarkston, Ga.

To learn how you can present the program in your community contact Kara Sinkule at ksinkule@gafp.org.

 

 

Your Voice Matters: Speak Up at the Legislative Day at the Capitol!

Join your family physician and medical student colleagues and attend our Legislative Day at the Capitol on Thursday, February 11, 2016.  This day-long event allows GAFP members to build and nurture relationships with state legislators and their staff at the Capitol in Atlanta.  It is also the perfect opportunity to share personal stories related to important health policy issues – such as access to primary care, scope of practice and graduate medical education.

The event is open to all GAFP members who are passionate about policy issues and want to help advance the specialty of family medicine and primary care in Georgia, as well as meet and network with fellow advocates from around the state.  Registration is free (until February 1) and will include a light breakfast and lunch.  We will invite your local legislators to sit with you during lunch.

Legislative Day at the Capitol

Thursday, February 11, 2016
Floyd Veterans Building, Floyd Room, West Tower, 20th Floor
2 Martin Luther King Drive, Atlanta, GA 30334
And Georgia State Capitol

Hosted by Patient Centered Physician Coalition of Georgia

Members:
Georgia Academy of Family Physicians, Georgia OBGyn Society, Georgia Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics, Georgia Osteopathic Medical Association, Georgia Chapter – American College of Physicians

Schedule

8:30-10:00 am Breakfast – Advocacy Training

Keynote – Department of Community Health Briefing on Medicaid and State Health Benefit Plan

10:00-10:30 am Review of Legislative Priorities

10:30 am – Noon Legislative Visits at the Capitol

12:15 – 2:00 pm Lunch with Legislators/Wrap Up

Registration – Free Until February 1st!

Name ___________________________________________________________

HOME Address __________________________________________________________

***Home Address to Be Used to Identify Your State Representative and State Senator.

City/Zip_____________________________________________________

Phone__________________________   Email____________________________

____Physician  ____Residents/Med. Student

____Res/Med Student requesting travel stipend.(up to $75 for mileage and parking)

____Clinical/Business Staff

Please register by February 1, 2016

Fax Back: 404-321-7450 or email: Fay Fulton (ffulton@gafp.org)

Legislative Day @ the Capitol
Thursday, February 11, 2016

Plan to Attend the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians Legislative Day at the Capitol! Meet your state legislators and top government officials and learn how the state government and legislature impacts your practice and Family Medicine in Georgia. Join us under the Gold Dome!

Who Should Attend: The meeting is open to all family physicians, residents and medical students, clinical and business staff. We will be joined at the meeting by our colleagues in internal medicine, OB/GYN and pediatrics.

Support the GAFP Political Action Campaign Committee! Is your name on this list?

Drs. George Arimah, Karla Booker, Srinivas Bramhadevi, Karen Bullington, Mike Busman, Chip Cowart, Mark L. Daniel, H. Gordan Davis, Chastity R. Ducksworth, Clifford Dunn, Kim Eubanks, Tom Fausett, D. Paul Fieseler, Gary Fischer, Edwin Flournoy, Jairaj Goberdhan, Julia Hendrich, Wayne Hoffman, Matthew L. Jenkins, Evelyn Johnson, Bruce LeClair, James Lemley, Steven Lucks, Sean Lynch, Ronald McLean, Rolf Meinhold, Michael Miles, Thomas J. Miller, Harold Moore, Kerry Neises, Brian Nadolne, Ifechukwude Nwadei, Chetan Patel, Sherma Peter, Wilhelmina Prinssen, Eddie Richardson, Rodrigo Sanchez, Ted Scoggins, Vandana Setia, George Shannon, Susan Shayes, Michael Sims, David Sowell, Jeff Stone, Donald Thomas, Rachel Gordon Velez, John Vu, W. Steven Wilson, Rick Wherry.

(GAFP PAC Donors as of May 20, 2015)

The Georgia Academy of Family Physicians is the only association in the state of Georgia solely dedicated to advocating for OUR profession and patients.

GAFP PAC supports candidates who are sympathetic to the cause of promoting quality health care and family medicine in Georgia. GAFP PAC is nonpartisan and provides education to all who seek public office.  A candidate’s commitment to the values of family medicine determines the support from the GAFP PAC.

Join YOUR GAFP PAC and make a contribution today. Join YOUR GAFP PAC, encourage our colleagues to join with you, and wear the PAC donor ribbon proudly!

Donate Directly Online:  https://gafp.org/pac/

A Little Money Can Make a Strong Statement – GAFP PAC Dues Reminder

by Brian Nadolne, MD, GAFP PAC Board Chair

In the mail you should have received your PAC Dues reminder.  As you know, the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians is the only association in the state dedicated to advocating for our profession and patients.  As all politics are “local” so is healthcare.  We are in the throes of a huge upheaval in health care and health care payment.  We need to be able to support legislators throughout our state.  If every active member donated a minimum of $180, we would become the largest Political Action Committee in the state – outstripping many other entities that do not have the best interest of our patients when they seek to make legislative changes.

The GAFP PAC is non partisan and gives to legislators who are supportive of family medicine and our patients.  If you tossed the invoice away, please rethink your decision and financially support our advocacy efforts by clicking here to donate online:   https://gafp.org/pac/