CAFP President Dr. Bazzo says proposed health care investments will be transformative.
San Francisco – The California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP) and its more than 10,000 members commend Governor Gavin Newsom on the impactful, forward-thinking approach of his proposed May revision to his 2021-22 Budget Proposal. The proposal will help California rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic and begin to address inequities in health care services and access.
“The May Revise proposal includes big, bold steps to help those who continue to be left behind despite huge increases in wealth for some Californians.” said CAFP President David Bazzo, MD. “As physicians who take care of every member of the family, from kids to seniors, we were especially pleased to see initiatives to address youth behavioral health, expanded health insurance eligibility for elderly individuals regardless of immigration status and low-income postpartum mothers” he added.
CAFP supports the Governor’s proposal to significantly increase funding for youth behavioral health. “Family physicians are the usual source of care for about 20 percent of children, and more than 80 percent of family physicians care for children aged 18 and younger. This effort couldn’t be more important,” said Dr. Bazzo. The proposal increases funding from $400 million to $1 billion for the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative. The Initiative aims to better connect children and youth to behavioral health care, investing in direct deliver of care and significantly expanding the infrastructure for providing behavioral health care for all Californians under the age of 26.
CAFP was also pleased to see the Governor address the shortage of primary care physicians in underserved areas, by including additional funding to train primary care physicians through the Song-Brown Primary Care Physician Training program. The May Revise would invest $50 million in the Song-Brown Primary Care Physician Training Program. The program provides funding for primary care residency programs with a proven track record of serving underserved populations, attracting underrepresented individuals to careers in medicine, and graduating physicians who practice in underserved areas.
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About the California Academy of Family Physicians: With more than 10,000 members, including active practicing family physicians, residents in family medicine, and medical students interested in the specialty, CAFP is the largest primary care medical society in California. Family physicians are trained to treat an entire family’s medical needs, addressing the whole spectrum of life’s medical challenges. FPs serve a broad base of patients in urban, suburban and rural areas, often in California’s most underserved areas.
