Advocacy & Legislation
During January of PGY-2, residents in our program engage in hands-on advocacy for health policy changes at the New Mexico State Capitol. We also serve as Doctor of the Day, providing medical care to legislators and members of the public who come from all over the state to watch our legislative process in action.
Reflections on the 2026 Legislative Session (previously published in the NMAFP Newsletter)
“I stand in support of this bill…”
I’m writing this with three days left in the session. Medical malpractice reform has passed the House but languishes in the Senate. By the time you read this it will have passed…or passed away.
This is the most exciting time to write about the legislature because the future is still unwritten. The second most exciting time, of course, was 4 weeks ago, just before it all began, when the anticipation of the session was palpable every time you walked through the Roundhouse. That’s when the PGY2 residents of the University of New Mexico Santa Fe Family Medicine program began our legislative and advocacy block, a longstanding annual tradition, and a major selling point to medical students from other states who look to New Mexico as a leader in innovative community medicine curriculum. Hopefully a few of them will choose the Land of Enchantment to hang their future shingles.
On February 11, 1969, the New York Times wrote: “The medical profession announced today establishment of the new specialty of family medicine. The step is aimed at halting a quarter-century decline in general practitioners.” It’s been 57 years and not only do we still face a shortage of family doctors, that shortage is projected to worsen, especially in New Mexico. But our elected officials recognize this issue. Their constituents – our patients – feel the shortages. If there was one overarching theme of this legislative session it was, “How do we increase access to care?”
And who better to advocate for this than family medicine doctors? For four weeks, our residency program met with lawmakers and lobbyists, attended committee meetings and floor sessions, and spoke up on behalf of legislation that aimed to recruit and retain more doctors in New Mexico. We built personal relationships with power. We were quoted on television and interviewed for newspapers. We worked closely with the NMAFP to advance our legislative goals. We served as Doctors of the Day, providing free medical care to people from all over the state. And we were welcomed into offices all over the Roundhouse to share our stories and fight for our patients.
By the time you read this, the session will be over. But our advocacy has just begun. This block, as it has done for so many of the residents who came before, has whet our appetite for making change. We know we need to increase access to care. And now, thanks to the legislative and advocacy block (and the tireless work of all our mentors, including Dr. Kristy Riniker, Dr. Alicia Gonzales, Dr. Rick Madden, and Steve Lucero) we have an idea of how to make that happen. And if you’re reading this with a concerned look on your face because, despite all the promises, medical malpractice didn’t pass, you’re still overworked, and things seem like they’ll never change – just know that the University of Santa Fe Family Medicine residents will continue to advocate year in and year out until we have the New Mexico our patients deserve.
After all, we’re family doctors. Advocacy is in our blood.
Please see the following links and video for more information:
AAFP Advocacy: Fighting for Family Medicine
New Mexico Medical Society – Legislative Links
New Mexico Legislature Website
New Mexico Academy of Family Physicians – Advocacy