Pub. 4 2020 Issue 2

state academy delegates in family medicine and alternate delegates from all 50 states, plus representatives from Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the U.S. Uni - formed Services, the Resident Section, and the Medical Student Section. A new component this year was a survey we sent to our membership on a few key resolutions. It helped inform the delegates of our membership’s views and is extremely helpful during the debate as delegates share the Utah perspective during testimony. The majority of our Utah member respondents favored not linking health care coverage solely to employment and favored an option for a single-payer system. The majority of our Utah members did not support the assertion that a universal health care system is the most optimal sys- tem. Concerns were expressed about the effectiveness of such a system. The Utah perspectives were relayed to the national caucus. The Town Hall is typically a very social event where del- egates mingle, have an opportunity to meet leadership candidates, and discuss Congress in general. Changing to a virtual format was a significant departure. It provided a more formal structure for presenting speeches by the Board Chair Dr. John Cullen, AAFP President Dr. Gary LeRoy, and President Elect Dr. Ada Stewart. The first day of the Congress sessions began with del - egates’ opportunity to hear from the president elect and candidates for the board of directors. The recommendations from the Organization and Finance Committee were presented. After some debate, the COD voted against adopting the AMA Code of Ethics, deciding it was better to maintain the independent voice of AAFP to speak on behalf of family physicians and family medicine. The final day started with the remaining two reference committees: Health of the Public and Science and Advo - cacy. Resolutions regarding the development of an AAFP position paper on climate change and member education regarding older driver impairments were passed. Lively The majority of our Utah member respondents favored not linking health care coverage solely to employment and favored an option for a single-payer system. Merci www.mica-insurance.com discussions were had on the importance of AAFP develop - ing a comprehensive position paper on police violence. In the Advocacy session, delegates dealt with the way that AAFP will discuss payment policy. The AAFP has done a great job addressing this in past years, and the Congress continues to ensure that health coverage for all is critical to seeing the advance in health that we desire. Utah delegates were supportive of an AAFP policy to ask for the X Waiver to be removed for buprenorphine prescribing. After the work was done, the final vote tally was announced for the next AAFP President Elect, Dr. Sterling Ransone, who will lead the AAFP in 2021-2022. Delegates also cel - ebrated the installation of Dr. Ada Stewart as AAFP’s new president. She is a strong and amazing leader, and family physicians will be well represented under her leadership. The AAFP Board asked for a special task force to evaluate the 2020 Virtual Congress of Delegates to see what worked and what did not. Our academy is committed to innovative ways to connect in any circumstance. Despite the typical technological hiccups, Congress ran smoothly, and the AAFP staff should be proud of presenting such a complex conference in a virtual format. With another year behind us, your Utah delegation hopes members will see the value of UAFP’s participation in the Congress and consider running for a delegate position in the future. Attending the Congress is an incredible opportunity to meet with fellow physicians from around the country, even if only virtually. It is a critical opportunity to present resolutions of importance to the practice of family medicine in Utah. 19 |