In just over a month, the American Medical Association has launched a YouTube channel, a blog written by AMA president James Rohack and a Facebook page.

AMA kicked off its YouTube presence with a video emphasizing the need for healthcare reform, and has since launched three “virtual town hall” videos tackling various aspects of the healthcare reform debate. AMA was an early supporter of the House bill on health reform, and has faced a backlash from some quarters of the medical community as a result.

Physician online community Sermo and the AMA ended their partnership in July after disagreements over the terms of their relationship.  On September 8, AMA announced the launch of a presence on Facebook. Rohack said in a release that the AMA’s Facebook page “is a tool for patients and physicians to learn and communicate with each other about the latest health-reform developments.” The Facebook page, which links to the YouTube channel and offers other information, photos and links, currently has 705 “fans.”

Rohack’s blog, titled On the Road with Dr. Rohack, launched in late August and is focused on chronicling his travels across the country as an AMA advocate. In his inaugural post, Rohack reiterated the AMA’s stance on health reform, and encouraged doctors and their patients to visit the AMA’s health system reform site.