Current policy efforts
TEACH is active in both California and National policy efforts through the AAFP. We thank our national partners for their similar efforts. TEACH and its CREATE Advanced Trainees co-authored the following resolutions for presentation to the CAFP Congress of Delegates:
2021
- Resolution: Beyond Roe: Reproductive Health Care Accessible to EVERYONE- proposes that the CAFP urge the AAFP to write a letter to the Biden Administration demanding they rescind their commitment to the Hyde Amendment and veto legislation that extends, reiterates or incorporates the Hyde Amendment and related restrictions.
- Resolution: Supporting Reparations for Black Americans – proposes that the CAFP will offer continuing medical education (CME) opportunities regarding the relationship between reparations and public health and proposes that the AAFP lobby in support of House Resolution 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act.
- Resolution: Dues redistribution: Improving representation of Black members after the AAFP excluded members of the National Medical Association (NMA) from 1925 to 1965 – proposes that starting in 2021 AAFP covered dues for medical students and residents as a form of recruitment and eliminate them for 7 years following residency for any self-identified family physician of African descent. It proposes that the AAFP pay for this change by increasing dues by the necessary amount for White members, with an option for members who identify as non-Black People of Color to donate towards the support of Black membership.
Resolution: Requiring annual Trauma Informed Care(TIC) training for Continuing Medical Education (CME) – proposes that the CAFP support a CME requirement of TIC training annually for family physicians.
California Future of Abortion Council (CA FAB Council)
From September-December 2021, more than 40 organizations across the reproductive health, reproductive rights, and reproductive justice spaces along with legal experts, policymakers, academics, health care providers, researchers and more convened the California Future of Abortion Council (CA FAB Council) to identify current barriers to abortion care within the state of California – both for people based in California and those who call another state home – as well as solutions to those barriers.
The final report consists of 45 policy recommendations across seven areas of focus for California policymakers to act on to best prepare California as the threat to abortion access continues to increase, including the strong possibility that Roe v Wade will be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The CA FAB Council policy recommendations relate to 7 main areas of focus. These areas of focus are:
1) Investment in abortion funds, direct practical support, and infrastructure to support patients seeking abortion care;
2) Cost barriers and adequate reimbursement for abortion and abortion-related services;
3) Investment in a diverse California abortion provider workforce and an increase in training opportunities for BIPOC and others historically excluded from health care professions;
4) Reducing administrative and institutional barriers to care;
5) Legal protections for abortion patients, providers, and supporting organizations, and individuals;
6) Addressing misinformation and disinformation and ensuring access to medically accurate, culturally relevant, and inclusive education about abortion and access to care is widely and equitably available; and
7) Efforts to collect data, conduct research, and distribute reports to assess and inform abortion care and education needs in California.
If you’d like to discuss these recommendations further, please do not hesitate to reach out to TEACH or any of the steering committee members: ACCESS Reproductive Justice, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, NARAL, National Health Law Program, Black Women for Wellness, TEACH, Essential Access Health