News

Anna Askari, M.D., M.S.B.S., is the resident member of the AAFP Board of Directors. Family physicians are taught to practice the art and science of medicine by caring for patients, their families and communities while fostering trusting relationships. As I consider the current landscape of family medicine, as well as its future direction, I keep coming…

 Source: AAFP Michael Devitt — This year, the Office of Minority Health announced #vaccineready as its theme for National Minority Health Month in April. According to OMH, the objectives of the #vaccineready campaign include confronting misconceptions about vaccines for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases as part of a larger goal to end the pandemic, reduce vaccine hesitancy, and…

By Darlene Petersen, MD and Maryann Martindale, UAFP Executive Director This year’s session was very different from previous years. With COVID still in full swing and very few people vaccinated, the legislature opted for a hybrid version of the session. Committees that were typically held in small rooms were moved to larger spaces, all committees…

With the passage of HB 294, Utah’s statewide mask mandate will end April 10, 2021. While not fully supported by Governor Cox, he will likely sign it as the bill passed with a veto-proof majority. Masks will still be mandated for gatherings of 50 or more and County governments can still impose their own mandates. Other restrictions can be…

Utah Academy of Family Physicians congratulates two members and leaders, Dr. Marc Babitz and Dr. Sarah Woolsey, for their public health leadership in Utah. Dr. Babitz will retire from the Utah Department of Health after a lengthy career of service to the community and family medicine profession. Dr. Babitz has had a prolific career in…

In his weekly COVID-19 press briefing on Thursday, Governor Spencer Cox called on medical professionals to volunteer to assist with Utah’s ongoing vaccination effort. As of Friday, 489,716 doses had been administered, which leaves hundreds of thousands of doses left to administer over the next several months. If the state receives the amount of vaccinations…

Updated as of 1/15/21 More details come out at the state level regularly about how the COVID-19 vaccine will continue to be distributed over the next few months. NATIONAL NEWS AP News – Anger in states over pace of COVID-19 vaccine allotments New York Times –Who gets priority? Patchwork U.S. vaccination policies create uncertainty. New York Times –…

COVID-19 cases are surging in Utah at an unsustainable rate. By now, you probably know (or know of) several people in your personal circle who have fallen ill. Many of them have probably recovered or are recovering without serious complications. But, by now, you probably also know an individual who has died or is struggling…

Panel moderator Ben Winslow of Fox 13 Utah was joined by Dr. Todd Vento – Medical Director, Infectious Diseases for Intermountain Healthcare; Dr. Andrew Pavia – Chief, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of  Utah; State Representatives Dr. Suzanne Harrison and Dr. Ray Ward, Dr. José E. Rodríguez – Associate Vice President for Health Equity,…

Over the past six years, “CME & Ski” has become one of UAFP’s signature events. Since its inception in 2015, we have had hundreds of speakers and attendees join us from around the county to learn, ski, network, and enjoy the fantastic amenities Utah has to offer. We were so fortunate to be able to…