AACP Newsletter, Volume 10,
Number 3, Summer 1996
Board of Directors' Report
Stepping off a plane in New York, it does not take long to recognize that you have landed in a place that is unlike any other in this country. The energy and activity that radiates from the pavement is unmistakable. The diversity and physical variability of the city’s inhabitants is apparent in almost all corners of the city, and the most amazing part is that it more or less works. Taking a cue from the location, as seems to be our habit, the board was energized by this setting and was able to move into some new territory and accomplish some important work. We again considered our own diversification as we said farewell to outgoing board members and welcomed several new members who attended this meeting as guests. We were reminded that changing faces bring new ideas to the table, and that old ones provide the sense of tradition that has allowed us to move ahead in an influential way.
The following summarizes some of the highlights of this year’s spring meeting.
APA Liaison
The AACP has been involved as a “participant observer” with the
APA Assembly over the past two years, with
Dr. Tennison serving ably as our representative. Feedback on the AACP’s participation has been very positive, our collaboration on the updated guidelines being just one example of our contributions. The APA has invited the AACP to continue serving on the Assembly but there are no provisions for expanded funding of this effort. Despite this fact, the Board felt strongly that this is a worthwhile activity and that we should continue to fund a representative to attend the two meetings annually which do not coincide with our Board meetings. Dr. Tennison was reappointed to serve as our representative. The APA continues to consider various options for developing relationships with allied organizations and the possibility of delegating certain functions to these groups. There continues to be interest in the APA in developing a relationship with Community Psychiatrist to reach members involved in Public and Community Psychiatry. Additional support for the newsletter will need to be procured in order to accommodate this interest and the expanded circulation it would carry with it.
Diversity in Representation
The Board again discussed concerns about maintaining diversity on the Board of Directors and in the membership at large. A motion had been passed at a previous meeting to amend the
Bylaws to ensure that at least one representative at large would be a child and adolescent psychiatrist. This motion was rescinded in the face of competing interests of other subspecialty groups, such as geriatrics and addictions. It was felt that all these groups need to be adequately represented and that the selection of one without taking action on the others presented a dilemma. This issue was partially resolved with the suggestion that a task force be formed to explore new organizational structures to maximize the diversity of representation on the Board.
AADPRT Liaison
Dr. Tana Grady of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training Programs
(AADPRT)
visited the Board. She is the Chair of the AADPRT Liaison Committee and her visit was the result of correspondence between the AACP’s Training Committee and the AADPRT. Dr. Grady admitted that in the past, Community Psychiatry has not been a high priority in training programs, but that with the influence of managed care, there has been a shift in these priorities and in perceptions of what sites will be best used for training purposes. Several Board members voiced their frustrations that earlier attempts to form a relationship with the AADPRT and our offers to provide support in the development of training guidelines had largely gone unheeded. Dr. Grady was also informed of the many publications that the AACP has been involved with which could be valuable resources for training in the future. The important outcome of this visit was the opening of a dialogue with the AADPRT and a commitment from Dr. Grady to raise these issues and request a special symposium to consider them at the AADPRT’s upcoming meeting in Charleston, SC. The AACP will also be invited to discuss issues related to training in Community Psychiatry with the AADPRT at their meeting in January of 1997.
Health Care Systems
The AACP submitted suggestions for revisions to a document being developed by the Center for Mental Health Services
(CMHS)
entitled “Managed Care Principles”. The document was generally felt to be inadequate and not relevant to many of the concerns of our members. The CMHS document was redrafted and incorporated many of the concerns raised by the AACP. It will be further scrutinized and evaluated before the Board determines whether the AACP should endorse the document or explore the possibility of developing an independent document more reflective of the philosophy of our organization.
AACP Homepage
Work continues on the development of the AACP homepage. Although it currently only carries the text of Community Psychiatrist, plans are underway to develop it as a conduit for all types of information gathering and communication. A virtual resource center and information clearinghouse for information related to Community Psychiatry and development of mental health systems could eventually be available. (See
Brief Notes for details.)
LOCUS
The Board approved an initial adult version of LOCUS and some principles for formulary management.
Back to Summer 1996 Table of Contents