FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Statement attributable to:
Gary LeRoy, MD
President
American Academy of Family Physicians
“The decision to decrease financial support for the World Health Organization during the worst public health crisis in a century is a dangerous action which will impede worldwide efforts to fight COVID-19. This virus knows no boundaries. During this global pandemic, the WHO and other international bodies coordinate and provide invaluable data to track and mitigate the spread of disease, informing the response efforts worldwide. The American Academy of Family Physicians is deeply concerned about any action that would limit the United States’ support for the WHO during this uncertain time.”
Editor's Note: To arrange an interview with Dr. LeRoy, contact Megan Moriarty, 913-302-8627, or mmoriarty@aafp.org.
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Founded in 1947, the American Academy of Family Physicians represents 133,500 physicians and medical students nationwide, and it is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.
Family physicians conduct approximately one in five of the total medical office visits in the United States per year – more than any other specialty. Family physicians provide comprehensive, evidence-based, and cost-effective care dedicated to improving the health of patients, families and communities. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing and personal patient-physician relationship where the family physician serves as the hub of each patient’s integrated care team. More Americans depend on family physicians than on any other medical specialty.
To learn more about the AAFP and family medicine, visit www.aafp.org/media. Follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, visit the AAFP’s award-winning consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.