• AAFP Welcomes Supreme Court Decision Preserving DACA

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
    Thursday, June 18, 2020

    Statement attributable to:
    Gary LeRoy, MD
    President
    American Academy of Family Physicians

    “The American Academy of Family Physicians welcomes today’s Supreme Court decision preserving Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

    “Today’s decision averted a course of action that could have threatened our health care system by uprooting some 27,000 health care workers and 200 medical students, medical residents and physicians, who are likeliest to work in rural settings and poor neighborhoods.

    “The preservation of DACA ensures that those medical students, medical residents and physicians protected under the program can complete their medical education and residency training and contribute to caring for our nation’s population during a time when health care is of utmost importance.

    “Most important, this decision brings welcome relief to thousands of DACA beneficiaries who have long wrestled with the uncertainty of whether they would be able to stay in the country they lawfully call home.”

    Editor's Note: To arrange an interview with Dr. LeRoy, contact Megan Moriarty, 913-302-8627, or mmoriarty@aafp.org.

     

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    About American Academy of Family Physicians
    Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 130,000 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 and the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, visit www.aafp.org. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.