Medically Underserved

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recognizes that the greatest disparities in health are experienced by marginalized communities, communities of color, and communities with lower average incomes. The AAFP urges its members to actively seek to reduce these disparities through social, environmental, and political advocacy. The AAFP supports:

1. Cooperation between local family physicians, community health centers, health teams serving the unhoused, and free clinics in their communities;
2. Promotion of fact-based, inclusive health education in schools, faith-based organizations, and community groups;
3. The use of practice-based resources such as the EveryONE Project tToolkit to identify critical social and environmental factors that impact patient health;
4. Family physicians leading efforts to improve the health of the American public by providing patient education that is accurate, evidence-based culturally sensitive, linguistically appropriate, health-literacy informed, and inclusive.
5. Sustained funding for evidence-based policies and programs, to promote health and disease prevention;
6. Simplified regulations and improved medical payment models, which encourage the establishment and success of physician practices in underserved areas; and
7. Development of programs which encourage and support physicians and other health care professionals to live and work in underserved areas.

(1982) (April 2026 BOD)