“Advocacy in the AAFP is a way for me to lend a voice to those who cannot. It provides the 10,000-foot view which helps put my daily practice in context and provides a platform at a local, state, and national level, where I can advocate on behalf of my patients and colleagues.” 

– Ivonne McLean, AAFP Liaison, NYC Cluster co-leader, NYSAFP Board Member, Chair of NYSAFP Leadership Commission, and Young Physician Delegate to the AMA

2020 has become a year of change and adaptation. In May, the New York Cluster gathered to prepare testimony for the annual New York State Academy of Family Physicians’ (NYSAFP) Congress of Delegates (COD). Instead of gathering in Albany in June, as planned earlier, members will participate in the COD and provide testimony for resolutions virtually. During our meeting, we focused on the following resolutions: Remove the Title X Waiver; Support Family Physicians Providing Gender-Affirming Care for Youth; Confidentiality Protection for Non-Policy Holders in Health Care Billing; Resolution Against Criminalizing People Who Obtain An Abortion Across State Lines or Aid; and Support Full Coverage of Depo Sub-Q. Just this past week Cluster members mobilized to submit a new resolution calling on the NYSAFP to take a stand against police brutality and to support criminal justice reform policy.

Although meeting virtually was a big change from last year’s testimony prep workshop, the grounding aspects of sharing institutional knowledge, fostering mentorship, and providing feedback remained the same. Using Zoom break-out rooms, Cluster members practiced using a Resolved clause to anchor their testimony in personal experiences, shared values, and vision. Throughout the workshop, I was constantly reminded of the vital role administrative advocacy plays in the long game of reimagining health care in general, and reproductive health care specifically. Professional organizations are platforms to magnify our efforts and we are ready to take the microphone and shift the narrative, one resolution at a time.

-Hailey Broughton Jones, Organizer