News and Notes for APA District Branches/State Associations
February 2022
What’s New at the APA
- Four articles published in the American Journal of Psychiatry were honored by the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation as 2021 Leading Research Achievements for notable contributions to research on mental illness and the biology of the brain. The American Journal of Psychiatry is the most widely read psychiatric journal in the world. You can see the full list of articles honored by the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation and access them at PsychiatryOnline.org here.
- The APA Foundation (APAF) has joined the Mental Health Coalition, a group of mental health organizations, brands and individuals dedicated to ending stigma and changing the conversation around mental health. As part of the Mental Health Coalition, APAF will actively work with other Coalition members to develop a strategy for fighting stigma and assist in the creation of materials for its resource library and contribute to their educational materials found in their knowledge bank. You can learn more about the APAF and their role in the Mental Health Coalition here.
Key Dates and Observances
APA Communications staff maintains a calendar of key dates, observances and events at APA and in the world of mental health in general. The calendar is kept up to date a few months in advance. You can view the calendar and keep track of important mental health dates and observances here.
NEW: Social Media Assets for DBs & SAs
APA is sharing infographics on disorders and its new monthly polls for District Branches and State Associations to use on social media. Take a look at what’s available here.
Structural Racism Accountability Committee
The APA BOT Structural Racism Accountability Committee (SRAC) was formed in 2021 to ensure the recommendations of the 2020-2021 APA Presidential Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry (TFSR) are carried out.
APA’s Board of Trustees (BOT) approved 18 actions recommended by the TFSR along with six directives on issues that need to be updated and monitored by the SRAC. The SRAC will evaluate their success, make recommendations for improvements, and accomplish the other objectives that were noted in the final task force report (.pdf).
You can read more about the Structural Racism Accountability Committee here.
Briefs for Your Newsletter
February Course of the Month – Friend, Frenemy, or Foe: The Role of Adolescent Social Media Use in Race Based Trauma
Recent studies have found that social media viewers can be exposed to high volumes of discriminatory content which may lead to trauma, stress, and internalized racism. This course will discuss themes of systemic racism, social media activism and collective and vicarious trauma, describe a framework for the risk-benefits-analysis of adolescent social media use during a trauma fueled race-based pandemic, and more.
Click here to access the Course of the Month and sign up for updates about this free member benefit.
Register Now for the 2022 APA Annual Meeting
APA is gathering in-person for the first time since 2019, in the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans! Join APA in-person May 21-25 for the 2022 Annual Meeting , the premier psychiatry event of the year. With more than 300 educational sessions covering 50+ topics, and up to 30 CME, APA’s Annual Meeting is the best place to connect with colleagues, get the latest in scientific advances, explore new exhibitor products and services, and meet your certification and licensure requirements.
This year's in-person program includes:
- 3 plenary sessions featuring distinguished keynote speakers
- 300 scientific sessions with live Q&A with presenters
- A new Clinical Updates Track featuring renowned experts presenting on the clinical issues within the field of psychiatry
- Online Poster Hall with up to 1,000 posters
You can learn more about the 2022 Annual Meeting and register today here.
Join AMNet: An Addiction Medicine Practice-Based Research Network
Join APA, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Friends Research Institute, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse in creating AMNet, an addiction medicine practice-based research network. By joining, you will get free access to PsychPRO, APA’s patient portal, to generate patient-reported outcomes data. You can virtually engage with your patients, track their successes, inform quality improvement efforts, and create reports for your stakeholders. You will also receive a $1,000 honorarium; a tablet computer; and free CME courses. https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/registry/amnet
Mental Health & Burnout in Frontline Healthcare Workers [Mentally Healthy Nation]
Burnout has been an issue for healthcare workers far before the COVID-19 pandemic. So, how are our frontline healthcare workers, who often didn't have good mental health to begin with, coping amidst all of this trauma?
Joining us is psychiatrist Dr. Jessica ("Jessi") Gold, MD, MS. Dr. Gold is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, specializing in physician wellness, medical education, and college mental health. In this episode, she talks about healthcare workers' mental health and steps health systems and mental health professionals can take to support them better.
https://apafdn.org/news-events/mentally-healthy-nation-podcast
No Surprises Act: What Psychiatrists Need to Know
The “No Surprises Act” allows for patient financial protections that impact health plans, physicians, and facilities, and will apply to psychiatrists in certain circumstances. Regulations have been recently finalized that require certain patient protections to address concerns about surprise bills. These protections not only address emergency care but include disclosure requirements for all uninsured or self-pay services, and will, at some point in the future also include patients with insurance. These regulations formalize some of what most psychiatrists do when communicating fees to patients seeking care or to those they are already treating.
APA’s “No Surprises Act” implementation page contains a summary of the key requirements along with links to templates. An update including a summary of the key requirements along with templates can be found here: https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/practice-management/no-surprises-act-implementation .
Members with specific questions about the “No Surprises Act” and how it affects their practice are encouraged to contact practicemanagement@psych.org.
Exhibition of the Central Lunatic Asylum for Colored Insane archives, circa 1870
The project will display, describe, and discuss primary source documents, photographs, public laws, news articles, admission, and treatment data from the first mental hospital in the US exclusively for African Americans circa 1870. The effort is to increase public and professional knowledge of the evolution of residential care for African Americans and the impact of structural racial bias.
Launching Next month through the APAF Library & Archives – learn more at www.coloredinsaneasylums.org.
SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Application Deadline Approaching
The 2021-22 recruitment season for APA/APAF Fellowship applications is now open, with applications accepted through Monday, February 14, 2022, for the SAMHSA Minority Fellowships. Those interested in applying for these fellowships can do so at the fellowship application page.
The APA/APAF fellowships remain an integral part of building the pipeline for innovative psychiatrists interested in organized medicine. They also support APA’s strategic initiatives to advance the integration of psychiatry in the evolving healthcare delivery system and supports and increases diversity in the field.
If you have any questions about APA/APAF fellowships, please contact fellowships@psych.org.
New Language Guide Promoting Positive, Inclusive Conversations Around Mental Health
Well Beings, a public media campaign addressing the critical health needs in America, has created the Mental Health Language Guide that helps find the right words when having conversations about mental health. The APA Foundation is a supporter of the initiative and a contributor to the guide.
Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health are Now Open – Apply by March 1st
The Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health were established to recognize community organizations that have undertaken innovative and supportive efforts to raise awareness in underserved minority communities, increase access to quality mental health services, and improve quality of care. The Awards include a financial contribution of $5,000 given to the recipient organization.