AACOM Joins Coalition in Supporting Health Care Workers and Advocating Coordinated Virus Response

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Bethesda, MD)- As a proud member of the Coalition for Physician Accountability, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) today issued this joint statement:

“The Coalition for Physician Accountability shares a strong commitment to protect the public’s health and safety through the delivery of high-quality health care. Public health officers and physicians involved in various public health roles, including advocacy and leadership, have recently been criticized by elected officials and members of the public for following evidence-based practices. Recognizing that understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its transmission and pathogenicity continues to evolve, the member organizations of the Coalition for Physician Accountability strongly:

1. Support public health officials and workers at the local, state, territorial, tribal, and national levels committed to acting upon prevailing evidence-based public health practices to contain and mitigate transmission of the virus;
2. Encourage greater integration of public health practices and principles – including epidemiology, statistics, population health, health policy, social determinants of health, and equity and diversity – across the continuum of medical education, from medical school through residency and fellowship training, and throughout practice;
3. Support a commitment from local, state, territorial, tribal, and federal officials to protect the public by closely collaborating with health officials and to substantively increase funding and resources for local, state, territorial, tribal, and federal health departments and agencies, especially for the prevention and management of COVID-19 and future pandemics;
4. Endorse a commitment by all physicians at every level of training and practice to follow prevailing expert advice for the reduction of viral transmission, including wearing a face covering (mask) when engaged in the in-person care of patients; and
5. Recognize that physicians have an ethical responsibility to follow evidence-based practices; provide high quality health care for the nation’s most vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic; maintain professionalism, accountability and competence; collaborate with colleagues across the health professions; respect science and the scientific method; support ongoing research that improves our understanding of COVID-19 and the impact that health inequities and social determinants of health play; and understand their own role as trusted spokespersons of the medical profession.”

Endorsed by Members of the Coalition for Physician Accountability:

Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM)

American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)

American Medical Association (AMA)

American Osteopathic Association (AOA)

Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)

Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) (liaison member)

Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)

Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)

Joint Commission (liaison member)

Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME)

National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)

National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME)

Contact:
Joseph Shapiro
Director of Media Relations
(240) 938-0746
jshapiro@aacom.org