In a survey we conducted two years ago, advocacy was named as one of the top priorities Utah members wanted from their academy.

Advocacy is a critical component to the work we do at UAFP and it comes with great responsibility. We speak for our doctors who are busy treating patients, we speak for the students and residents who are learning and preparing for their careers in medicine, and we speak for our patients.

When advocating on your behalf, I always ask myself three questions:

• Will this promote or advance the practice of family medicine?
• Will this help our physicians in their practices and professional journeys?
• Will this improve or impact the health and wellness of our patients?

The third Wednesday of every month and for 45 days from mid-January to early March, I participate in legislative hearings. I listen to proposed legislation and testimony and speak on behalf of our doctors. But there is so much more behind-the-scenes work that takes place.

I recently had the opportunity to work with a legislator on a bill that, when passed, will provide an enhanced penalty when an act of violence is committed against a health care worker. By expanding enhancement from the previous emergency-only situation to all your offices, clinics, and your staff, we can give you more peace of mind that there is a greater deterrent to violence and harsh penalties should any still occur. It is a tragic side-effect of both the pandemic and the ever-growing contentious world we find ourselves in, but it is paramount that those of you providing care are protected.

We also work proactively on ways to provide better health outcomes for patients by seeking funding and support for programs that will help educate patients with early onset diabetes, promote anti-tobacco initiatives, provide resources for our aging population and accessibility for our patients with disabilities, to name just a few. Family physicians care for the whole person from birth until death and it is incumbent on us to advocate for patients across the full spectrum of life.

One of our primary focuses for the coming year is primary care and looking for ways, both legislatively and collaboratively, to increase the amount of money spent on primary care and prevention. It is no surprise that increasing primary care decreases overall health costs while increasing healthy outcomes, and we are busy educating legislators and stakeholders on ways to accomplish this.

But, just as in all the work we do, our insight is only as good as our knowledge of what you need; what changes would benefit your practice and what initiatives could improve the health of your patients. I welcome input from you on issues you find important. I am here to listen and act on your behalf.

The more we hear from our members, the better understanding we have of how to help and where to advocate. In this fast-moving world where a lot of voices are competing for attention, representation matters, and we work hard to be the best representation possible for our Utah family physicians.