The Georgia Academy Board of Directors voted to support AAFP’s Health is Primary / Family Medicine for America’s Health initiative. We encourage you to read more about it and sign up to receive emails to keep you informed of this exciting initiative (http://www.healthisprimary.org/).
What’s the thrust of the Initiative?
The Campaign
For too long, our health care system has been out of balance. Spending on treatment has far exceeded spending on prevention and wellness. As our health care system evolves, it has become clear that a strong primary care system is essential to improving health in America.
Health Is Primary is a three-year communications campaign to advocate for the values of family medicine, demonstrate the benefits of primary care, and engage patients in our health care system. Our aim is to build a primary care system that reflects the values of family medicine, puts patients at the center of their care, and improves the health of all Americans.
The campaign will travel to cities across the country to highlight the individuals, organizations, and communities that are making health primary so we can build on their success to ensure that everyone has access to the benefits of primary care. We will provide specific tools and resources to increase collaboration between patients and doctors on important health issues, including smoking prevention and cessation, nutrition and fitness, immunizations, and chronic disease management.
Family Medicine for America’s Health
Family Medicine for America’s Health, the organization behind Health Is Primary, is a new collaboration between the nation’s eight leading family medicine organizations to drive continued improvement of the U.S. health care system and demonstrate the value of true primary care. We represent: American Academy of Family Physicians; American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation; American Board of Family Medicine; American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians; Association of Departments of Family Medicine; Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors North American Primary Care Research Group; and Society of Teachers of Family Medicine A Strategy for Family Medicine’s Future
We want to transform the family medicine specialty to ensure that we can meet the nation’s health care needs and, ultimately, improve the health of every American. This means: Furthering the evolution of the patient-centered medical home; Advancing the use of technology; Ensuring a strong primary care workforce; and, Shifting the payment system to improve the quality of care and the health of patients.