News

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…

August 5, 2020 — The Student Association of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians of the Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine—Southern Utah (RVUCOM-SU) was recently recognized by the American Academy of Family Physicians as one of 18 medical school Family Medicine Interest Groups (FMIG) to win the prestigious 2020 Program of Excellence…

Originally published in the Salt Lake Tribune on July 23, 2020 It sounds like a broken record — wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands, stay home if you’re sick. But despite the repetition and the pleas from medical professionals, many still refuse. It raises the question of why? Why, when people who are…