The ACPM Advocacy Committee supports the efforts of the College to shape federal policy decisions that influence public health and the practice of preventive medicine. This includes developing a legislative agenda, drafting and publishing policy statements, and commenting on and supporting various pieces of legislation and regulation. Recently, we’ve submitted four new and updated position statements for board approval and finalized our 2022 legislative agenda.
However, one of the most important activities of the committee is driving advocacy strategy in support of preventive medicine residency funding. As many of you know, preventive medicine residencies face significant challenges in securing the funding they need to train the next generation of preventive medicine physicians. Too often, residency program directors find themselves doing three jobs— fundraiser in addition to physician and educator. Too often, residency slots go unfilled due to unsustainable funding levels.
By advocating in Congress for sufficient and sustainable funding for the residency programs, we can help train the next generation of preventive medicine physicians and ensure the future of the healthcare workforce understands the immense value and importance of prevention. Reaching out to your Congressional representatives to share your story, help them understand the value of preventive medicine and encourage them to support residency programs is at the heart of these efforts. We hope you will join us the week of March 14 for a Virtual Hill Week or take advantage of the ACPM Action Center to send a letter of support to your local representatives. Last year, we had a record amount of ACPM members participating in virtual Hill meetings, which led to the first program funding increase in 10 years. I’m excited to see what we can do in the future with even greater support.