Collaboration With Chapters Hallmark of FamMedPAC Plan

FamMedPAC, the AAFP's federal political action committee, proposes to work closely with constituent chapters this year to raise member awareness about the importance of participating in state and federal PACs, according to a plan approved Jan. 21 by the FamMedPAC Board of Directors.

The plan calls for joint state-national communications with members and scheduling joint political contribution activities within a lawmaker's or political candidate's home district. FamMedPAC plans to meet with constituent chapters to determine the best ways to complement each other's activities and goals.

"We want to ensure that we are working in concert with the chapters, particularly those that have political action committees," said FamMedPAC Board Chair Michael Fleming, M.D., of Shreveport, La. "Our goal is to let people know it's important to be involved at home and at the national level and to increase the number of people who give to both."

As part of that effort, FamMedPAC will work to schedule meetings with lawmakers or candidates and will ask chapter members and leaders to deliver approved FamMedPAC contributions to campaigns in their areas. Chapters and FamMedPAC also can work together to sponsor political forums with lawmakers and candidates in their home districts. Such an approach, said Fleming, will help ensure that chapter members and leaders can actually meet with incumbents and challengers.

More than 700 AAFP members have contributed more than $160,000 to FamMedPAC since its May 2005 launch. Those numbers impress people in the nation's capitol, according to Mark Cribben, J.D., FamMedPAC director.

"There's a lot of recognition in Washington that family medicine is coming in strong, and these numbers show that we can be influential," Cribben said. "But we need to do better."

FamMedPAC board members approved a budget of $400,000 for supporting lawmakers and candidates "if we have that much in the bank," said Cribben. The board's action will enable the organization to respond quickly to events or issues as they unfold.

Decisions on contributions will follow specific criteria, said Fleming. Among those criteria: whether the incumbent is a member of a committee or subcommittee that deals with health issues or whether the candidate's responses to a FamMedPAC questionnaire indicate future support of family medicine's issues.

FamMedPAC activities will "take family medicine to the next level" of visibility in the nation's capitol, said Fleming.

That visibility is particularly important in an election year, according to Cribben.

"This is an important election year, where health care is still listed as an important issue among the voters," Cribben said. "Congress is going to be paying particular attention to health care in the coming year, so it's more important than ever that AAFP be able to promote family medicine's issues to Congress. FamMedPAC is a key tool in that effort, and it can only succeed if our members support it."