Candidates for President-Elect Respond

I appreciate your confidence in me as your trustee-at-large, secretary, and vice president as I have worked to move APA forward in the transition to a new era of activism. I am now asking for your vote as president-elect. I look forward to leading APA as we refine our central mission and develop new programs to support our patients and our profession.

We must have outstanding leadership as we work together to determine our future, focusing on the many external and powerful forces that seek to deprive our patients of excellent care from psychiatrists. It is easy for us to feel overwhelmed and distracted by world events that terrorize us and our children. It is easy for us to feel dumbfounded and angry that legislators in New Mexico would support psychologists’ prescribing. Some respond to these stresses by turning inward; we must act with strength and resolution, and I say, let’s begin anew.

We must organize ourselves better as an APA—think smarter, fight harder, and work together with all our specialty groups, allied organizations, colleagues at all stages of their careers, and advocacy friends in developing winning strategies. Our patients cannot fight their medical, social, and fiscal battles without a strong, united APA. Nor can our colleagues succeed in delivering the highest-quality care without an effective, member-oriented APA. In these times of fiscal constraint, we must clearly define our priorities, yet act even more decisively than in the past.

How do we stay strong and united? Our best resource is our membership. We have thoughtful, smart, and energetic members who are asking how they can help. Every APA member must have a role in making us effective advocates for our patients and for a mental health system that is not fragmented and does not discriminate based on ability to pay. We need strong and visionary leadership to translate good ideas into effective action. We must do more, for the sake of those we work with side by side, and those whose care we provide with compassion and concern.

Thank you for your support.

The Web addresses of the candidates in APA’s 2003 election sponsoring Web sites this year are posted at APA’s Web site at www.psych.org/governance/election2003/_howtocontactcandidates12602.cfm.