Board Addresses Range of Issues During October Virtual Meeting
Among the good news that trustees heard was that this year’s Mental Health Services Conference was an enormous success with over 800 paid attendees.
APA wants to better communicate to members about the mission and work of the Structural Racism Accountability Committee (SRAC).
During its October virtual meeting, the APA Board of Trustees approved an action paper directing APA to communicate to members the existence of the SRAC and its charge and mission through all available means—including but not limited to the APA website; Psychiatric News Alert, Update, website, and print editions; APA listservs; email cascades; and social media accounts.
The SRAC was established by the Board at its July meeting to ensure that the recommendations of the APA Presidential Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry are carried out. That task force, established last year by then-APA President Jeffrey Geller, M.D., M.P.H., in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, formulated a range of recommendations designed to address structural racism throughout the APA governance, staff, and membership.
The SRAC is chaired by Area 7 Trustee Mary Roessel, M.D., and co-chaired by Felix Torres, M.D., M.B.A. Members include Early Career Psychiatrist Trustee-at-Large Elie Aoun, M.D., Area 3 Trustee Kenneth Certa, M.D., immediate past APA President Jeffrey Geller, M.D., M.P.H., Area 2 Trustee Glenn Martin, M.D., Resident-Fellow Member Trustee-elect Urooj Yazdani, M.D., and Area 6 Trustee Melinda Young, M.D.
Past APA President Altha Stewart, M.D., is a consultant.
Also at the meeting, discussion focused on the need for a strategic communications plan regarding the work of the committee. In her report to the Board, Roessel emphasized that clear communication and transparency to all APA components and members is vital for the committee to achieve its goals.
In related news, the Board approved the formation of an advisory group to include APA members and staff of the Division of Diversity and Health Equity and Division of Research to formally review the term “underrepresented minority” (URM) to better clarify what the term encompasses. Torres told the Board it is challenging to target underrepresented groups meaningfully without a clear definition.
Board members also heard a report from the Presidential Task Force on Social Determinants of Mental Health (SDoMH), a key priority of APA President Vivian B. Pender, M.D.
APA Launches New Reporting System for Incidents of Structural Racism
APA has launched a confidential reporting system for reporting suspected incidents of structural racism or discrimination at APA events. This was one of the four projects that came from the APA Workgroup on Fellow Projects and Leadership of the Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry. The task force was created by then-APA President Jeffrey Geller, M.D, M.P.H. The workgroup was chaired by Sanya Virani, M.D., M.P.H., APA’s resident-fellow trustee, and Charles Dike, M.B.Ch.B., M.P.H., chair of APA’s Ethics Committee.
The goal of this reporting system, called the Reporting for Incidents of Racism Within APA (RIRA), is to serve as a channel to promote continued anti-racism efforts within APA.
The reporting system can be used by all members who have been subjected to or personally witnessed a potential incident of racism or discrimination during an APA event; for example, Annual Meetings, component meetings, and Assembly meetings. The data collected via an online form will be used to aggregate material to analyze whether themes around repeated incidents exist and solutions can be devised or recommendations made to mitigate these issues. Anonymity and confidentiality will be maintained throughout the entire process.
APA will report events (without mentioning names or specifics that would identify the parties involved) to its members on a quarterly basis in Psychiatric News and will use the information to create educational materials on racism, discrimination, anti-racism, and professionalism.
To report an alleged incident of racism or discrimination, click here.
The task force’s charge is to build on the 2018 APA Position Statement on Mental Health Equity and the Social and Structural Determinants of Mental Health and the work of the APA Presidential Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry. Another charge is to develop evidence-based, pragmatic strategies that may be used by clinicians, teachers, researchers, and administrators to assess SDoMH and improve individual and community well-being.
The task force has four work groups focusing on these areas: clinical, research/education, policy, and public health. To date, the task force has held two town halls on SDoMH. Links to the town halls and other resources associated with the task force are posted here.
Trustees also discussed the following items:
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Mental Health Services Conference: APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., reported that this year’s Mental Health Services Conference, presented in partnership with SMI Adviser, was an enormous success, with over 800 paid attendees and an estimated revenue of $141,820. (The amount is pending audit and verification from the Division of Finance.)
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Advancing collaborative care: Levin reported that in early September, Reps. Fletcher (D-Texas) and Herrera-Beutler (R-Wash.) introduced legislation, HR 5128, with strong and broad support among physician partners, employer associations, insurance groups, social workers, and several key mental health and addiction organizations. The week after the legislation’s introduction, APA President Vivian B. Pender, M.D., lobbied on Capitol Hill in support of the legislation with the other “Group of Six” medical organizations (American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Physicians, and American Osteopathic Association).
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2022 APA Annual Meeting: Levin said the 2022 meeting, scheduled to be held May 21 to 25 in New Orleans, will consist of 300 sessions, slightly reduced from previous years to accommodate for social distancing while still maintaining a balanced program. Of 481 submissions, the three top topics were diversity and health equity (10% of submissions); global, political, and social issues (8% of submissions); and community psychiatry (7% of submissions). In addition to the live meeting in New Orleans, a virtual component of the Annual Meeting is planned for two weeks later. During this virtual meeting, recordings of some of the live sessions in New Orleans will be played, and online attendees will engage with the presenters in live question-and-answer sessions.
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APA and APAF Fellows: As part of the work of the Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry, a group of fellows, led by Sanya Virani, M.D., and Charles Dike, M.D., are working on these tasks: establishing a directory of all prior APA and APAF fellows and developing the Primer of Online Resources on Structural Racism in Psychiatry for Residents and Trainees to assist medical students and residents in understanding how structural racism impacts psychiatry. A third task has been completed—developing a reporting system in which members and staff who are at APA meetings and events can anonymously and confidentially report incidents in which they believe they have seen or been subject to potential racism or discrimination (see box).
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New APA Foundation director: Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq., was introduced as the new APA Foundation executive director. Before joining the APA Foundation, Andrews held several progressively responsible management positions with AARP over 15 years, including most recently as a vice president and a member of the AARP national leadership team. Andrews was in the private practice of law before joining AARP. He is also president-elect of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.
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The APA Foundation Chester M. Pierce Human Rights Award Campaign Endowment Fund: This fund, which ran from April to October, exceeded its fundraising goal to endow the Chester M. Pierce Human Rights Award Lecture in perpetuity. See Psychiatric News. ■
“Position Statement on Mental Health Equity and the Social and Structural Determinants of Mental Health” is posted here.
Summaries of Board meetings can be accessed here.
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Psychiatric News
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Published online: 29 November 2021
Published in print: December 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021
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