Your two Representatives again represented GLIPS at this meeting. Prior to the Assembly Meeting there was a morning long seminar on the use of Telepsychiatry to bring psychiatric services to remote areas. There was a fascinating presentation by Wandal Winn about the use of this technology in Alaska. The implications for LI are less obvious, but we should pay attention to developments in this field.

Candidates for President – Elect: Donna Norris, MD, and Alan Schatzberg, MD
Candidates for Area II Trustee: James Nininger, MD, and Seeth Vivek, MD
Candidates for Trustee at Large: Anne Sullivan, MD, Dilip Jeste, MD, and James Lu, MD.

For those members interested in the fine details, you can access the complete agenda of the Assembly meeting on the APA website, by going to the Members Corner and finding the section on meetings. This information is posted at the time of the meeting. Under the section called, “APA At A Glance,” you can access all sorts of information relevant to the Assembly.

 There was a spirited debate about whether or not to direct the APA to take a stand on advocating for more research on the use of marijuana for medical conditions, for making such research easier to carry out, and for greater protection for doctors and patients in states where the use of marijuana for medical purposes is permitted. Ultimately there was approval for these measures. There was a disappointing lack of data given to support the positions of proponents or detractors – which is the case for most of these Action Papers. In general, one is insufficiently prepared to think knowledgeably about the issues placed before the Assembly, and this becomes a problem when common sense or intuition is not an accurate guide to the proper vote.

 One measure that holds promise for all members will be the establishment of a Corresponding Committee on Information Technology which will be available to help members in their selection and use of the latest IT hardware and software for their clinical work and practices.

Another important measure that passed was to establish a Training Course on Disaster Preparedness that would be given at each Annual Meeting to prepare designated representatives from each DB to assume a leadership role when psychiatric expertise is needed in case of public disasters. There were also a number of important position papers passed related to patient advocacy issues including topics such as access to emergency room services and insurance coverage needs for college students who become ill and then cannot continue as full-time students.

 From the sublime to the ridiculous: the Assembly was unable to agree to endorse the wording of an APA position statement on ECT describing the procedure as “safe” and effective. Surprisingly, there was disagreement about the use of the word “safe.”

The “Profiles in Courage” award was given to Anna Holmgren, MD, from the Queens District Branch. Dr. Holmgren works at Elmhurst and volunteered in the early rescue efforts following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. She gave a moving account of her work there.

Also of note was the fact that SIECUS, a union representing state employees, is mounting massive lobbying efforts on the part of psychologists in states where that professional group is seeking “prescribing privileges.”

We heard from Joseph Rubin, MD, who presented the results of the Member Satisfaction and Needs Assessment Survey. Results were not surprising: most members who responded (<20%) were satisfied with what the APA offers its members. The other finding was that members’ perception of “value” received for dues was related to the sense of awareness of and connection with DB activities. Since the percentage of responders and the percentage of voters in the APA National Elections are about the same, it is possible that the data are not completely valid.

We will be back in Washington in May, representing you and GLIPS. Let us know if there are issues or problems on your mind that we can bring before the Assembly in the form of an Action Paper.