Ambassador program highlights that advocacy is for everyone 

Brendan Prast, MD, MPH, of Sanford, Maine, also appreciates that network. 

“The ability to connect with, and mobilize, the collective knowledge and power of family docs around the country is amazing,” he told us. “And the resources and guidance provided by the program help make it easy to advocate for our patients, communities and family medicine. 

Advocacy Ambassadors program eliminates the intimidation factor

“Given how busy everyone is, the program provides a variety of ways to become involved in health policy and patient advocacy, some of which can be done quickly,” said Camellia Koleyni, MD, FAAFP, of Nashville. 

She added: “Advocating does not have to feel intimidating because this program makes it easy. You get direct, timely support, including easily digestible, well-organized emails with up-to-date, expertly curated content and clear action steps at the local and national levels. There’s also free access to online community support, training modules and resources.” 

McDonald echoed Koleyni’s encouragement to newbies. 

“For those new to advocacy or intimidated, it is a welcoming group to learn from and grow with. We all have different perspectives, and no experience is necessary,” he said.  

Get focused conversations and focused time as an Advocacy Ambassador

“The program’s action alerts and focused discussion points are incredibly helpful in my discussions with legislators,” said Samuel Mathis, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAFP, of Galveston, Texas. 

“For example, I recently got a call to reach out to my legislator who sits on a key house committee. The Ambassador program provided me with the name and email address of one of his staff members, and key points about the legislation that would affect family physicians and their patients. I was able to call and have a focused conversation as well as send a follow-up email highlighting these points to the staffer.” 

“This program gives participants the confidence to know that the AAFP health policy and government experts have whittled down current health policy–related issues to some of the most important ones to focus on,” Koleyni said. 

That focus allows Ambassadors to make the most of their time. 

“You get to decide how much time you can put into important health policy advocacy work as well as when and how you want to do this work,” Koleyni said. 

You can advocate every day

Being an Advocacy Ambassador isn’t a full-time job, but the program tends to inspire an eye for opportunity.  

“Advocacy can come in many forms and does not always mean hours spent in D.C. or require that you be a health policy expert,” Koleyni said. 

Prast said, “I started off by signing and forwarding surveys, eventually progressed to writing letters to the editor and opinion pieces in local papers, then testimonies, press conferences and recorded interviews with news stations.” 

“There are plenty of other ways to help advocate,” Mathis said. “I have a small QR code in my office that allows my patients to email their legislators directly regarding concerns. Now, when a patient complains about access or their Medicare benefits, I point them to the QR code and encourage them to call our representative to express their concerns about how current and proposed legislation is affecting the care that they receive. This is a great way for my patients to advocate for themselves as well.” 

“Advocacy is on a spectrum,” Prast said. “Signing a survey is advocacy, and so is testifying in front of your state legislature. It all counts! What's important is that more of us start to advocate, since our country needs strong, family medicine-focused advocacy now more than ever.” 

As McDonald put it: “Those who show up are the ones who get to help make decisions. We need all different types of family doctors to show up to ensure the best decisions are made for all of us through a collective and collaborative effort.”