WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS VOICE. August 4, 2005: The head of the NYS Academy of Family Physicians, write The CitizeNetReporter on personal medical care availability in the future:
Opinion:
The American people have grown accustomed to receiving vital services. Fire, police and medical care are at the top of the list. However, the assumption that you and your loved ones can count on having a family doctor to go to for medical services is in real jeopardy. Why? This is because the only federal government program that supports the training of family physicians is at risk of a budget cut, or being cut out all together.
Consider the fact that President Bush’s family physician recently gave him a clean bill of health after his annual physical. And that New York’s members of Congress are most likely spending part of their August recess visiting their family physicians for their annual check-ups. All of these elected officials should be reminded that when they go back to Washington in September, it is crucial that they vote to support funding for the program that supports family physician training: Title VII of the Public Health Service Act.
Let’s be honest. Federal funding for Title VII is not a headline-grabbing issue for Members of Congress or the President this summer. But Congress and the White House need to realize that Title VII programs play a vital role in helping solve our community and our nation’s health care problems. Here are some examples.
Family physicians contribute a great deal to our community’s well-being. On average, the income that comes into a community due to one family doctor, and the additional jobs that result, is approximately $1.2 million in rural areas and $900,000 in urban areas. And, our state receives $10,482,517 from a portion of Title VII money that goes toward primary care training (Section 747).
Community Health Centers in our area also rely heavily on family physicians. These centers could become understaffed without Title VII dollars since one-half of the physicians in these centers are family doctors.
Title VII funds have been used to support clinical initiatives throughout NY that support medical education of family physicians and provide vital health care services to thousands of NY residents.
Our goal should be to train more family doctors to serve patients. This will continue to provide much needed staff for our community health centers and incomes for our local economy. Please join me in urging Representative James Walsh to support funding for family physician training programs.
Vito Grasso, CAE
Executive Vice President
NYS Academy of Family Physicians
