Our Work Has Begun.
This morning, many California family physicians woke up angry, sad and bewildered to learn that their candidate or initiative was defeated. Others woke up happy and hopeful. Many woke up anxious about what the election results will mean.
The sixty percent of Californians who did not vote for Donald Trump are bewildered by how so many Americans and Californians could reject the values they hold as truths. Values like the belief that all Americans, regardless of where they came from or how they got here should have access to evidence-based health care services.
Many of us had to put our feelings aside this morning and be family physicians. We had to give our all to patients who voted for a different candidate or initiative position. I encourage each of us to take any time and space we need to process and come to terms with the election results. For those who were devastated by the election results, it’s ok not to be OK. Acknowledging this and reaching out to friends, colleagues and family for support or seeking professional help to ensure our own mental health needs are met is critical. Those who are happy with the outcome must be respectful and understand the perspective of others. We must acknowledge that the election results may impact interactions with colleagues and patients. If you don’t feel like you are able to provide the best care for a patient, it’s ok to acknowledge that and refer to another colleague. We must also strive to remember the complexity of the human system. It is not as simple as good and evil.
Many of us are feeling a huge emotional weight today. Let’s make sure this weight doesn’t drag us down, but instead makes us stronger in our convictions and understanding of difference. We must refocus and continue to engage in our local and state CAFP to support one another and work to create changes to improve the health of our patients, our community and our specialty. An uncertain future makes the work that we do at CAFP even more important. We cannot depend on others to do the hard work of fighting for a health care system that is more equitable, just and affordable or protecting the autonomy of health care decisions made by patients and their physicians. Regardless of who holds elected positions, CAFP will find meaningful ways to improve access to care for all Californians, we will defend science and evidence-based approaches to health care, and we will fight to protect reproductive health access.
For some today is for grieving. For being angry. For feeling lost. For others a day of optimism. Whatever you need to feel. But no matter your feelings about the election, tomorrow we continue to fight for what we believe. Because we don’t give up. We keep showing up and you keep working to improve the health of our patients and our community.
