xxAACP Newsletter, Volume 13, Number 3, Summer 1999

Home

Mission

Board

Join

Newsletter

Archive

Products

Board of Directors' Report

The Spring meeting of the Board of Director’s Meeting met in Washington, DC on May 15 and 16^th at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. This meeting was held during the APA Annual Meeting. In keeping with the theme of activism, psychiatrists were able to make a resounding voice on Capitol Hill by advocating for patients’ rights and increase the awareness of mental health issues. Several members of the board were able to meet with representatives and senators on the Hill. The thrust to maintain social responsibility seemed fitting, as works were under way on the hill to prepare for the landmark White House Conference on Mental Health scheduled for June 7. Psychiatrists were heard on the hill and thus, became part of the rich history of Washington. The excitement of promoting change was as breathtaking as the many sights of the city. . . the Capitol Building and White House at sundown, casual strolls in the museums, overlooking the Potomac, and gazing at the memorials. Some of the highlights of the board meeting are provided below.

At the start of the meeting, our membership total boasted at 737 with anticipation of obtaining more members during the APA Meeting. Unfortunately, there were reportedly approximately 280 members who remain delinquent for their 1999 dues. Strategies were discussed to retain those members who are currently delinquent and to send reminders for a designated period. Membership in the AACP offers many benefits, including a free subscription to the Community Mental Health Journal. Due to costs, the journal will not be sent to delinquent members after the reminder period has been exhausted. Promoting diversity within our association continues to be of utmost importance and strides are being made to gain a more diverse membership.

AACP continues to produce superb documents that receive broader attention within the scope of the APA. Cliff Tennison, MD is the AACP representative in the Assembly. We have had representation from the AACP for five years. Now that we are an Allied Organization, we will have a permanent position in the Assembly and have a vote! The following three papers--Public Sector Managed Care, Psychiatry Behind Bars and Guidelines for Medical Director, and Psychiatric Leadership in Organized Care Systems were developed through the APA’s Committee on Public Psychiatry. All three of these documents have roots in the AACP and were changed minimally after their submission to the Committee on Public Psychiatry. In addition, Hunter McQuistion, MD chaired a work group which developed a paper on psychosocial rehabilitation which was reviewed by the Assembly and which received much praise. The APA will release this paper as its Report on Psychosocial Rehabilitation. Linda Gochfield, MD has spearheaded the development of the statement on psychotherapy, which has been submitted to the Assembly. The AACP will continue to develop its position on seclusion and restraints and forward its recommendations to the Assembly as well.

This topic received a great deal of time and generated much energy within the Board. Clarke Ross of NAMI brought us up to date in regards to their latest work on parity, work incentives that will allow the SSDI and Medicaid populations to continue receiving their health care coverage upon returning back to work, diversion of mental health clients from jail into the mental health system, informed consent, medical records confidentiality issues and seclusion and restraints. It was indeed apparent that NAMI and AACP share many overlapping goals. Mr. Ross shared "Cries of Anguish: NAMI Report of on Restraint & Seclusion Abuse" which summarized reports of restraints and seclusion abuse obtained since the investigation by The Hartford Courant since October 1998. Through this discussion Dr. Huffine appointed a Task Force to work on the AACP Statement on the Use of Restraints and Seclusion. Ned McCulloch, aide for Connecticut Senator Joseph Liberman, reviewed the Liberman-Dodd Bill and encouraged AACP to give suggestions in regards to this seclusion/restraint legislation. (See articles P.3/4)

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Many of the committees gave a brief report at the end of the meeting.

Finance: The committee successfully continues to seek industry support to continue our endeavors. Dr. Bob Goisman has opened an account in a local bank in Boston but the Master Card bank account remains in North Carolina. Dr. Goisman will be checking on options such as interest bearing accounts and the possibility of investing some of the funds will be researched at a later time.

LOCUS: Dr. Wes Sowers reported that the contracts with Deerfield Behavioral Health Network for CALOCUS have proceeded slowly and are currently under review by our attorneys. Deerfield will assume the responsibility of marketing and distributing LOCUS and CALOCUS. The committee wishes to investigate the extent to which LOCUS is currently being used and will continue to consider revisions of LOCUS by E-mail committee meetings.

Staffing: Dr. Jackie Feldman will be creating clinical scenarios for psychiatric staffing on LOCUS Levels I-III patients.

Clinical Services: The committee has had many discussions on the list serve pertaining to continuity of care between state hospitals and community-based centers, length of time needed for medication checks, etc. Of note, the issue of keeping cases open generated much discussion via the list serve. The Task Force on the Use of Restraint and Seclusion will be under this committee. Their position statement will be finalized via E-mail.

Training: Dr. Goisman discussed the revisions of the requirements for training in community psychiatry from RRC and those suggestions will be forwarded to Carol Bernstein, MD. Dr. Goisman praised Dr. Bernstein in this collaborative effort.

Nominating: Dr. Silver reported that nominations would be needed for Board elections over the next few months. The areas affected are Area I, III, VI, and VII.

Diversity: Dr. Annell Primm will be stepping down as chair of the committee and Russell Lim, MD will be leading the committee. There are plans to develop a list serve for the committee. A list of 10 psychiatrists will be developed in order to enhance diversity for the next year. Dr. Lim will follow-up on those psychiatrists who have not responded this year to the free membership offer.

Program: Our winter council meeting in Portland, Oregon on February 25-26, 2000. A number of board members will be presenting at IPS in New Orleans in October. The committee discussed a number of topics that would be appropriate for the official AACP presentation at the 2000 APA Annual Meeting.

Back to Summer 1999 Table Of Contents