Maine DB President-Elect Prepares for Tough Times

William Matuzas, M.D., told the Board of Trustees at its March meeting that he was surprised to be voted president-elect of the Maine Psychiatric Association (MPA) just a few months after he had moved to Maine.

He said his selection after so little time in the state, and knowing only two Maine psychiatrists, was a discouraging symbol of how “amazingly disengaged” district branch members are from the business of the Association at both the state and national levels. For example, he noted that only 21 percent of the MPA’s small membership participated in any district branch activities in 2001-2002. He said he is troubled by the fact that only 8 percent of MPA members are in their 30s and that the reluctance of younger members to join “will create real problems” as the district branch tries to confront upcoming challenges. High on the list of challenges, he said, are the expected introduction in the state legislature of a bill to expand psychologists’ scope of practice and increasing demand for psychiatric services at a time when mental health care budget cuts are making access more difficult for patients.

Matuzas told the Board that he is trying to “more proactively engage” district branch members and thinking about ways to “revitalize the committee structure” to making serving on a committee a more interesting endeavor for Maine psychiatrists.