FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Statement attributable to:
Gary L. LeRoy, MD
President
American Academy of Family Physicians
“The concerns raised in the recent whistleblower complaint regarding medical care at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, if substantiated, would represent an alarming violation of patient autonomy and ethical standards governing informed consent, causing great harm. We applaud the actions by U.S. Department of Homeland Security to conduct an internal investigation. If these claims are substantiated, we call on DHS and ICE to take swift and decisive corrective action. We also urge DHS to investigate whether similar incidents of medical abuse and neglect may be occurring at other detention facilities.”
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Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 133,500 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits -- that’s 192 million visits annually or 48 percent more than the next most visited medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. To learn more about the specialty of family medicine, the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, and for downloadable multi-media highlighting family medicine, visit www.aafp.org/media. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s award-winning consumer website, www.familydoctor.org