March 2009 CPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMMITTEE REPORT By Jennifer Garbarino, Ph.D.
CPA Board Representative
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Hello again to all MBPA members. The following is a report of the happenings of our CPA board since our last newsletter. Our CPA board is continuing with business, in spite of the economic upheavals our state is going through. They are asking our members to vote to approve the final slate of officers for 2010 and the additional Silver Psi Awardee. Please take just a few seconds to vote. Just use this link…it will take you directly to the short electronic ballot. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=CbuMTXTOMJMbtgKNWp_2b_2bYA_3d_3d The CPA Convention registration is open, but our numbers are lower this year than they were last year at this time. Please plan to attend. It’s going to be a great conference, with excellent speakers and a chance to earn a bunch of CE credits while you have a good time. Please support this event; we are not in a position to lose revenue on this convention. All the information is on the CPA website: http://www.cpapsych.org/associations/6414/files/events/convention09/index.htm We had a very good board meeting in Los Angeles. Our membership renewal campaign is picking up a bit. Our success with this campaign will drive our operational budget, and thus our activities, during this year. The Board voted at the meeting to institute some new listserv policies that do two main things. (1) Add an Ethics statement to the policies to emphasize that ethical principles also apply to personal behavior on a listserv, and (2) Provide a process for suspension or termination from the listserv if the postings to the list are deemed to be in conflict with the policies we have established. There are new requirements from the IRS regarding the need for each chapter to apply for their own Tax ID number. The Leadership and Advocacy Conference will be held on March 22-24th. Our CPA is able to provide funding to support the attendance of Chapter Presidents, Division Chairs, and the GAC representatives for the full conference. Lobby Day itself will be Tuesday, March 24th. Our board is asking as many members as possible to come. Our goal, again, is to have every CPA board member here that day to go to the Capitol and speak on behalf of psychology. And bring others…we want to storm the Capitol! This is a valuable event for you as CPA leaders, so please make an effort to come. If you have questions, please look at the details on our website at: http://www.cpapsych.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=182 Through its Advocacy Program, CPA represents California psychologists before the Governor's Administration and the California Legislature and keeps its members informed of proposed legislation and government regulations that affect the practice of psychology. CPA’s government affairs and advocacy program strives to adopt laws and regulations that respect and advance the practice of psychology and the well-being of those we serve. The program protects our license and scope of practice and the confidentiality of the psychologist-patient relationship. It seeks to advance our opportunities for practice and employment without discrimination, develop and preserve critically needed mental health and psychological services in California, and enhance access to psychologists' services by the public. We have many things going on in Sacramento, as well as nationwide, regarding the role of psychologists in relation to the provision of health care services. Dr. Blanton wrote a letter on behalf of CPA’s Division of I/O Psychology, SIOP, and the APA Division of Consulting Psychology in opposition to the Governor’s creation of a Board of Mental Health. The letter accurately pointed out that a Board of Mental Health was inappropriate since many psychologists do NOT provide any mental health services. In a letter of response, the Governor confirmed that the BOP elimination was not in the budget he recently signed. He leaves the door open for implementation of the proposal later on. There will be a May revision to the budget after the May 19th Special Election. If all the ballot measures do not pass, the State will have another $6 billion in revenue to make up… so everything will be back on the table. This issue is far from over. President Obama has identified electronic health information technology (HIT) systems as a cornerstone of his health care reform plan. Congress, following the President’s leadership, recently enacted the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act as part of the economic stimulus package to encourage the development of a national, interoperable electronic health records network to provide better care to patients and introduce cost-saving efficiencies. APAPO’s advocacy efforts are guided by the principles for reform approved by the APA Council in 2007: - Everyone should have coverage that provides affordable health care for all basic services..
- Basic health care services eliminate the artificial distinction between “mental” and “physical” health, recognize the inseparable relationship between mental and physical well-being, and offer access to treatment for “mental health conditions” equivalent in all respects to access for “physical health conditions.”
- Basic health care services include the psychological treatment of physical conditions in order to maximize rehabilitation and quality of life,
- Basic health care services include appropriate prevention services that address the role that behavior plays in seven of the ten leading causes of mortality and morbidity.
As health care reform continues to take shape, APAPO is advocating for Practice in several ways. As primary care is given prominence, we want to be sure that psychologists are fully authorized to participate in the delivery of these services, and that the legislation integrates mental and behavioral services within primary care. And, as preventive services are envisioned as a way to reduce costs, we must make sure that screening for depression and other key mental health services will be included. Also, we want to make sure that mental health benefits are included and covered at parity in the national insurance pool envisioned in the reform plan. Small market reform may also emerge as a key issue. APAPO is participating in a coalition that is working to preserve state laws on consumer protections and mandated benefits like mental health parity, as we did in the 2006 debate on “HIMMA,” the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act. Psychology leaders from throughout the country will participate in the APAPO State Leadership Conference and take messages about health care reform to over 300 meetings on Capitol Hill. Our Government Relations Team has prepared two fact sheets on the issue: The APA Presidential Summit on the Future of Psychology Practice scheduled for May 14 –17, 2009, is focused on positioning psychology strategically to meet the needs of practitioners, the marketplace and the people we serve. Two broad considerations have driven our thinking and actions in designing the Summit: - To develop a greater voice and visibility for APA members so that the broader public and public policymakers will better understand how the work we do can play an even greater role in solving serious social issues.
- To develop a roadmap from current practices to new innovations so that APA members have state-of-the-art practice options.
That’s all I have for now, folks. We are living in interesting times, with many opportunities for growth and change (which, as we all know, is never an easy process).
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