Insight Matters
Winter, 2002

Candidate for OPA President-elect: Mark R. Munetz, M.D.

Position Statement
It is a great honor to be nominated by my colleagues for the position of OPA President-elect. I hope I will continue to deserve the trust the membership has indicated with this nomination.

While I believe our organization is strong and our future bright, the truth is that these are troubled times for psychiatry. While the 1990s were years of tremendous economic growth, there was no such growth for services for people with mental disorders. Today, with our focus on national defense, our stalled economy and growing deficits at all levels of government, the future for funding mental health care looks bleak. APA is in serious financial condition and continues to lose members. While OPA is one of the stronger District Branches, we too struggle, experiencing a net loss of 81 general members in the last year. Our members are being squeezed financially and pushed to "do more for less".

If times are tough for psychiatry, they are far tougher for our patients. In the private sector the proportion of health care dollars available for mental health care has been shrinking. This pushes increasing numbers of patients to the public sector, which is often stretched beyond its ability to respond effectively. OPA's advocacy is critical at such times. Our voice during the recent state budget process, along side our fellow advocates in the Coalition for Healthy Communities and its member organizations, like NAMI Ohio, was critical in the recent success in sparing the Ohio Department of Mental Health from substantial cuts.

To remain a viable organization we must attract and retain members. There is no easy way to do this. There are different reasons our colleagues may be attracted to OPA. We must identify and take advantage of each. Our smartest approach is to attract psychiatric residents early in their career; some members may be attracted to a particular committee rather than the organization as a whole; some will be drawn through their local chapter and the educational and social opportunities there; still others are interested in lobbying around particular issues, like the still unconquered issue of insurance parity or the challenges of managed care.

Using the strategic plan the Council developed last year, OPA needs to continue creatively following multiple tracks to demonstrate value to our membership. I believe new technology is one approach that can help this effort. Our new web site is a terrific step in that direction. Beyond that we need to reach out electronically to our membership rather than wait for quarterly Council meetings or annual scientific meetings. Those with interest should be encouraged to join an email list for all members modeled after one recently started for OPA leadership. Committees can revitalize themselves and expand their activities by working electronically. Our members should hear from OPA often with helpful information.

I look forward to these efforts and hope to make a continuing contribution to OPA. I also greatly appreciate the support and contribution of each of OPA's members.

Editor's note: there is no opposing candidate.

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