3. Why Did 20 Doctors Resign From the American Academy of Family Physicians?
Yesterday, twenty family unit physicians in Contra Costa County, California,ripped upwardly their membership cards in the American Academy of Family Physicians in protest over the AAFP'due south partnership with Coca-Cola.
The director of the Contra Costa Section of Health Services, Dr. William Walker, announced that he was resigning his 25-twelvemonth membership in AAFP. In his statement, Dr. Walker said:
…I am appalled and ashamed of this partnership between Coca-Cola and the American Academy of Family unit Physicians. How can any system that claims to promote public health join forces with a company that promotes products that put our children at risk for obesity, heart disease and early on expiry.
…The AAFP is supposed to be an organization that works to protect the wellness of children non put them at risk. Their conclusion to take soda money is all the more unconscionable considering, dissimilar doctors in the 40s, they well know the negative health impact of soda. There is no shortage of documentation that soda is a major contributor to our nation'due south obesity epidemic.
…Let me be clear about something: as disappointed as I am with the American Academy of Family Physicians for being duped into thinking that Coca Cola wants to help promote health, the real problem here is our children are being put at gamble.
Companies similar Coca Cola are polluting our communities with deceptive advertizement promoting products that put our children'due south health at take chances.
…as a family practice md and the Health Officer for Contra Costa, I do take a prescription for every parent, teacher, community leader and student:
Look beyond the glitzy advertizement that makes you think pouring liquid containing sugar into your body is healthy. Read the label. Look at the ingredients. I'grand not suggesting that yous boycott sugared drinks, simply please make an informed conclusion about what you are consuming.
I'm calling on every city and neighborhood in our County to fight dorsum confronting the manufacture that pushes these harmful products. I inquire the American Academy of Family Physicians to end this unhealthy partnership and to join us in leading this important campaign to take dorsum the health of our residents and terminate the obesity epidemic.
Strong words, indeed. I hope that the AAFP – and other health and diet organizations that might consider food manufacture partnerships – pay close attention to these words.
* The result was covered in the Contra Costa Times. The Health Department'south website includes the press release and as well a video and podcast.
Annex:
Dr. Wendel Brunner, PhD, Doc, Director of Public Wellness in the Contra Costa Department of Health Services has given me permission to post excerpts from his letter of the alphabet to a representative of the California Clan of Family Physicians who had asked for more data nigh the protest:
"The epidemic of obesity is the greatest public wellness and clinical medicine event of our time, and will lead to untold illness, shortened life spans, and medical toll. That epidemic took off rapidly in the lxxx's. While genes and personal choices do take an touch on obesity, only profound ecology changes could pb to such a rapid development of the epidemic, and it volition only exist stopped by policy development and environmental and norm change. Nosotros need to create an environment that supports people in making proficient choices for themselves and their families.
Ane of the best choices families can brand is to pretty much eliminate sweetened beverages. And the soda industry doesn't want that to happen, so they are looking for credible groups who will say that drinking soda is OK for your health. But you know all that already, which makes this even more frustrating.
I am an onetime county doc, only I nonetheless believe that physicians have a responsibility to advocate for their patients and fight to protect their health, and to starting time of all, do no damage. I am truly gratified to meet that our younger physicians in Contra Costa have those same values also. The responsibility of a physician to their patient is a sacred trust; physicians should never sell out their patients' health and well-being for a price, not even i "in the mid half-dozen figures".
The AAFP needs to alter their policy and thereby brainstorm to redeem themselves. In the process, they would brainwash the country and do something valuable for the nations wellness, as well as for their own integrity. If they do not, they volition continue an unfortunately long and sordid tradition of professionals and their organizations forgetting their purpose and their ideals and putting their narrow organizational financial interest above the interest of the public that they serve. Resigning membership seems to be the nigh effective fashion for physicians to provide a wake-upwards telephone call to the AAFP, and at this point is the all-time thing a dr. could do to benefit the arrangement.We anticipate that there will be more than resignations every bit this story develops.
Everything cannot be blamed on the environs or peer pressures or economic factors; patients do have a personal responsibility to make proficient choices for their health and the health of their families. But physicians take the personal responsibility to make expert choices too, then practise the professionals who work for them.
The AAFP and the individuals in it made a bad choice. They now take the responsibleness to prepare information technology."
Source: https://www.foodpolitics.com/2009/10/family-doctors-resign-from-aafp-over-coke-partnership/
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