President-Elect's Page: Standing Firm for Science, Equity, and Patient Care May 27, 2025 Advocacy, From the President, Hot Topics Standing Firm for Science, Equity, and Patient Care By Clifford Wong, MD, ACCMA President-Elect In these challenging times for healthcare, when medical expertise is being questioned and hard-won patient protections are under threat, physician leadership has never been more critical. In response, the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association (ACCMA) has formally adopted a new policy statement, “Protecting Our Patients and Community,” to clearly articulate our principles and guide our advocacy. This statement comes at a pivotal moment as we face simultaneous challenges to evidence-based medicine, healthcare access, and protections for vulnerable populations. The ACCMA policy statement outlines three core areas of focus, the first of which is Evidence-Based Medical Practice. The statement affirms our commitment to defending vaccine science and combating misinformation, protecting federal funding for medical research, ensuring patient access to FDA-approved medications, preserving physician leadership in clinical guidelines, and strengthening public health infrastructure alongside global health partnerships. The second area of focus is Healthcare Access Preservation in which we mandate our advocacy to oppose Medicare cuts that threaten senior care, protect Medi-Cal expansion and funding, and strengthen key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. We are also committed to making COVID-era telehealth flexibilities permanent, addressing physician shortages and burnout, and expanding access to behavioral health services. The final area of focus in our policy statement is Vulnerable Patient Protections. We are committed to advancing health equity initiatives, safeguarding comprehensive reproductive care, ensuring access to medical services regardless of immigration status, and defending treatment options for gender-affirming care. This policy statement serves as our formal position on these critical issues. It declares our intent to challenge policies undermining medical science, resist funding reductions that limit care access, oppose restrictions on essential health services, and combat discriminatory practices in healthcare. As ACCMA president-elect, I urge all members to familiarize themselves with this important policy statement, which is now the foundation of our advocacy efforts. It reflects our professional obligation to put patients first while upholding the highest standards of medical practice. The complete “Protecting Our Patients and Community” policy statement is available for review at www.accma.org. I welcome your engagement as we work to implement these principles in our practices and in the public arena.