Assembly Members Work Hard to Be Agents of Communication, Change
Gary Weinstein, M.D.
Credit: David Hathcox
After serving in elected office in the APA for almost 30 years, the last 20 in the Assembly, I have developed great respect for our membership in every locale and the staff on whom we depend so much. Caring, intelligence, and diversity of talent are the hallmarks of our colleagues and staff. As APA President Dr. Alan Schatzberg stated at APA's 2009 annual meeting in May,“ We have reason to take great pride in what only we can do” (Psychiatric News, June 19). Individually, we help patients on a daily basis while we struggle to meet the increasing demands of practice. The best way we can influence systems of practice, however, is on a collective basis; together we have made great strides, but have much work yet to do.
The remarkable efforts of those in the APA Assembly as agents of communication and change are often unrecognized, but we have done our best to represent our entire membership locally and nationally.
As Speaker, I have established the following three new work groups to improve communication, leadership, and district branch effectiveness along with my work in leading and coordinating other Assembly business.
The Communication Work Group, chaired by Dr. Scott Benson, will work with every district branch representative, deputy representative, and available executive director to establish a district branch list serve of APA members if the district branch does not already have one. A two-way communication process for local and national issues will be of great benefit. Additionally, we are working with Dr. Jeff Borenstein, chair of the APA Council on Communications, to coordinate our efforts to improve communication. | |||||
The Leadership Training Work Group, chaired by Dr. Eliot Sorel, will develop an optional series of training and mentoring workshops that will be offered to each new Assembly member and will also be open to current Assembly members and district branch presidents-elect. We have always had an informal orientation, but we hope that by developing a more organized and systematic orientation and mentoring system we will strengthen new Assembly members' experience and improve our effectiveness. | |||||
The Model District Branch Work Group, chaired by Dr. Connie Powell and coordinated through each of the seven Area Councils, will help district branches reassess needs, best utilize their strengths, and promote the sharing of capabilities in a systematic fashion. This is particularly important at a time of financial cutbacks at APA and would assist us in ensuring that we have infrastructure that will allow us to address our highest priorities. | |||||
We also are energizing our Assembly Committee on Public and Community Psychiatry, chaired by Dr. Larry Miller. The focus will be on public needs both locally and system wide.
The Assembly also serves to represent our various allied psychiatric organizations and the minority and underrepresented groups, which have a strong voice in our deliberations.
The Assembly has also developed a Remodeling Work Group, chaired by Dr. Clarence Chou, whose task is to analyze the current Assembly structure and look at reorganization for operational and cost efficiency.
With health care reform looming, we will work closely with the Board of Trustees and our AMA delegation to establish positions that best serve our membership and patients. We need your input and participation at this critical juncture. I urge you to communicate your thoughts and suggestions to your Assembly representatives as well as to me at [email protected]. Our future depends on our collective efforts! ▪
