March 28, 2024

Family Medicine Week is Nov. 11-17

DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds officially proclaims Nov. 11-17 as Family Medicine Week in Iowa.

The signing of this proclamation recognizes the many ways family physicians serve Iowans. As the core of primary care for the state, family physicians provide each patient a personal medical home with comprehensive care. Their practices are not limited by age, gender, organ system or type of problem (i.e. behavioral, biological or social). A family physician’s training encompasses recognition of the whole person in the context of the family and their community, emphasizing disease prevention and health promotion. Family physicians are advocates for patients’ health across the healthcare system.

Family Medicine Week coincides with the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) Annual Conference November 15-17, where the organization will be celebrating its 70th anniversary of becoming a chapter of the American Academy of General Practice in 1948.

“Family medicine serves as the cornerstone for high quality healthcare in Iowa” said IAFP Board Chair Jenny Butler, M.D. “Family physicians care for Iowans taking the whole person into account. We see how all aspects of life impacts health and well-being."

“Family medicine is the foundation of medical care in Iowa. Without family medicine, most of Iowa would be without medical care. I went into medicine to be able to take care of whatever walked through my door. Family medicine doctors do that every day,” said IAFP President Scott Bohner, D.O.

The Iowa Academy of Family Physicians has more than 1,800 members and is a constituent chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians, which is the largest medical specialty society in the United States with a membership of more than 120,000 family physicians, family medicine residents and medical students.