Candidates for Area 6 Trustee

I have seen over the years the division among the district branches within the California Psychiatric Association. I would like to see through all the district branches working together with a united front to fight against any effort by the California Psychological Association in the legislation for their rights to prescribe and/or practice medicine to protect the safety of our patients instead of wasting energy in interpersonal conflicts. I have been in the forefront with leaders of CPA to mediate differences among district branches within the CPA for the past few years, and plan to continue in that effort.

I believe in the decriminalization of mentally ill, and if I am elected to the APA Board of Trustees from Area 6, I will vigorously work on this issue and pursue the APA Board of Trustees to establish task committees nationwide in all the areas of APA to work in collaboration with state legislators to create alternative community-based residential treatment facilities. For example, when a mother is arrested for possession or use of an illicit drug, the immediate consequences are incarceration and the Child Protective Services placing her children in foster care. An alternative can be a community-based residential rehabilitation center where the mother is allowed to be with her children and receive treatment to overcome her problem of addiction and parenting skills.

In our modern civilized society the treatment options need to be compatible with human dignity and not incarceration being the only option. I believe APA has a responsibility to launch a campaign to free the mentally ill from the county jails and state prisons, especially those who are incarcerated for minor offenses who need to be treated in civilized community-based residential treatment programs, which are few and far between.

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