Trustees Approve Action Items Embedding Anti-Racism in Governance Structure

During its March meeting in Washington, D.C., APA’s Board of Trustees approved several action items intended to embed anti-racism in APA’s governance structure. The action items were included in a report to the Board by the Structural Racism Accountability Committee (SRAC).

Mary Roessel, M.D., co-chair of SRAC, reported on work throughout APA components and the Assembly to incorporate anti-racism activities in their work products. The Board had a robust discussion on SRAC’s role and the importance of ensuring that leadership of the organization stay informed and engaged in diversity and anti-racism activities.

The following is a summary of items from SRAC that were approved by the Board:

• Trustees approved a request that the APA administration work with the APA Foundation to build on the current Advocate/Protégé Program to create a formal sponsorship program for underrepresented and minority psychiatrists. The Advocate/ Protégé Program was developed in 2021 by the Division of Diversity and Health Equity under the leadership of DDHE Chief Regina James, M.D. Under this initiative, 30 APA/APAF SAMHSA Minority Fellows—the “protégés”—were paired with 30 APA “advocates” who share similar interests and can help the protégés with networking, professional growth, and career development.

• The Board approved a request that the APA administration provide an analysis of whether term limits for council chairs and members has adversely affected the representation of minority/underrepresented groups.

• Trustees voted to require that APA components, including the Joint Reference Committee, Assembly Executive Committee, and Area Councils, invite SRAC members to participate in their discussions on implementing the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry.

• The Board of Trustees clarified the wording of an action item from its last meeting that called for APA committees, task forces, work groups, and councils to recommend psychiatrists from diverse groups as candidates for appointments and to promote and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in its agendas, discussions, and work products. These efforts will be reported to the Joint Reference Committee on an annual basis.

Update on New Election Process

Josepha Cheong, M.D., chair of the APA Elections Committee, reported that the committee had launched a two-year pilot project beginning with the 2022 election in which all campaigning is prohibited except through approved APA-managed activities. Stemming from a Board-approved action item from the Presidential Task Force on Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry, the pilot project is designed to “level the playing field” for all candidates and thereby encourage a more diverse slate. The pilot will be assessed by the Elections Committee at the conclusion of the 2023 election, and outcomes will be reported to the Board at its March 2023 meeting.

Legislative Update

In his medical director’s report, APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., reported that despite polarization in Congress, mental health initiatives continue to transcend partisan politics, with key congressional committees focusing attention on the nation’s mental health and substance use crisis. He also noted that in February, Lisa Fortuna, M.D., M.P.H., chair of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, testified on behalf of APA before the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in a hearing titled “Americans in Need: Responding to the National Mental Health Crisis.” The subcommittee’s goal was to gain a better understanding of the mental health challenges Americans are experiencing since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among youth, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community (“APA Member Urges Congress to Act Now to Provide MH Help for People Impacted by Pandemic”).

In addition, Levin noted that President Joe Biden had highlighted the nation’s mental health crisis in his State of the Union address to Congress as part of a “unity agenda” for which he is seeking bipartisan support. Components of the administration’s proposal include strengthening system capacity by expanding the supply, diversity, and cultural competency of the mental health workforce; expanding evidence-based services; and supporting the rollout of the mental health crisis phone number 988. The proposal also seeks to connect more people to care by strengthening enforcement of the federal mental health parity law.

Report of APA Foundation

Finally, Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq., executive director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF) reported that APAF has committed up to $25,000 to support human services organizations addressing the mental health and well-being of Ukrainian refugees and those who are still in harm’s way in Ukraine.

Additionally, the APAF Center for Workplace Mental Health recently received a two-year $379,200 grant from Brave of Heart Fund for a project titled “Leadership Commitment: Mental Health of Frontline Healthcare Workers.” APAF will develop tools and resources that highlight effective strategies for health care leaders to improve access to mental health care for health care workers and to eradicate stigma so they feel psychologically safe seeking help. ■