AAFP Advocacy Ambassadors reach major milestone

By Rebecca King, Senior Strategist, State Affairs and Member Advocacy and Julie Harrison, Senior Manager, State Affairs and Member Advocacy

Family physicians see every day how policy decisions affect the people you serve. You see when paperwork takes time away from patient visits, when unstable payment makes it harder to sustain a practice, and when workforce shortages limit access to care in your communities.

That perspective gives family medicine a strong voice in Washington and in every congressional district. Lawmakers need to hear from the physicians who care for patients every day and can explain what primary care needs to thrive.

This summer, the AAFP Advocacy Ambassador program reached 1,000 members, a milestone that shows how many family physicians, residents, and students are ready to carry this message forward. It is a sign of growing grassroots momentum and a reminder that the Academy’s advocacy is strongest when members like you are directly involved.

The Advocacy Ambassador program now includes 1,000 AAFP members in 49 states. It continues to grow as a national network committed to advancing family medicine through year-round, grassroots advocacy.

The milestone comes after an active year for member advocacy. Thousands of AAFP members have taken action in 2026 to advance family medicine at the local, state and federal levels. More than 350 advocates attended the Family Medicine Advocacy Summit this spring and held more than 240 meetings with congressional offices in Washington, D.C.

Impact of family physician advocates

Those numbers matter because every meeting, message and local conversation connects your work with the policy decisions that affect patient care. Advocacy Ambassadors build relationships with members of Congress and their staffs while communicating AAFP legislative and policy priorities.

That work complements the Academy’s formal lobbying efforts by bringing family medicine experience directly to lawmakers’ doorsteps. It gives policymakers a clearer understanding of what you need to care for patients properly and what patients gain when primary care is supported.

Many AAFP members are passionate about advocacy and want to get involved, but are unsure about where to start. The good news is that you do not need previous advocacy experience to begin, nor do you need to have expertise on every federal issue.

You already understand what lawmakers need to hear: what keeps a practice viable, how limited access affects patients, and why primary care must be supported for the health system to function. The AAFP helps members turn that knowledge into clear messages, practical next steps, and stronger relationships with lawmakers.

Make your experience part of the story

The AAFP provides tools, training, and support so you can participate in ways that match your interests, comfort level, and time. Some Advocacy Ambassadors meet directly with lawmakers. Others amplify Speak Out campaigns, attend advocacy events or encourage other colleagues to get involved.

The common thread is sharing lived experiences. Family physicians can explain what it takes to manage complex health needs, keep services accessible in your communities and maintain long-term relationships even as pressures on primary care grow.

Family physicians are trusted voices because you connect policy to people. You can help lawmakers understand:

That is the value of grassroots advocacy. It brings credibility, specificity and local context to policy conversations that can feel distant from patient care.

Advocacy does not end when FMAS attendees leave Capitol Hill. The conversations that begin in Washington should continue in district offices, community events and local meetings back home. This next phase is when lawmakers return home and spend more time with the people they represent.

What is August Recess?

In August, members of Congress typically spend more time in their states and districts. For family physicians, that August Recess period creates one of the year’s best advocacy opportunities: a chance to meet lawmakers closer to home, reinforce the issues raised during FMAS and show how federal policy affects primary care in your communities.

Those local conversations help lawmakers connect national health policy to patients, physicians and practices in their districts. They also help you build relationships that can be strengthened as time goes on.

Join the August Recess Challenge

This year, the AAFP is making it simple for every member to take action through the August Recess Advocacy Challenge, a nationwide advocacy scavenger hunt that turns grassroots advocacy into clear, meaningful steps. By completing advocacy activities, earning points and sharing your experience, you can help make family medicine impossible to overlook while members of Congress are back home and listening to constituents.

Now is the time to show lawmakers what primary care looks like in their communities. Schedule a meeting, invite a member of Congress to visit your practice, attend a local event or talk with congressional staff about what your patients and practice need.

If you cannot participate in person, add your voice to an active Speak Out campaign. Every message, meeting and conversation helps reinforce the priorities family physicians are raising across the country.

The first 1,000 Advocacy Ambassadors have shown what is possible when family physicians commit to sustained, organized advocacy. The next step is building on that momentum.

Family medicine has a strong story to tell: one of access, continuity, prevention, and care delivered close to home. The AAFP Advocacy Ambassador milestone shows that more of you are helping tell that story, and every new connection with a lawmaker strengthens the Academy’s collective voice.