Insight Matters
Spring, 2004

Will we meet the challenge?
by Herman A. Tolbert, M.D.

I am proud to have been selected by our membership to serve as President of OPA for the coming year. I approach this task carrying the experience of involvement with the OPA Council over the past ten years as Editor of Insight Matters, during which time I have had the opportunity to work with a succession of talented leaders with brilliant ideas and visions of what OPA can be. They have set the example of working hard to fulfill their goals and visions. The energy and cooperation of the membership and executive director have enabled our district branch to maintain our high status within APA. My intention is that we continue in that tradition.

No President and Executive Council can accomplish any of our gals without the support and active involvement of an energized and enlightened membership. To be complacent and/or involved in other pursuits, thinking that someone else will take care of our needs will not lead to success. I challenge the membership to give up that fantasy and become more actively involved in the process of determining where our profession and organization will be in the years to come.

We have challenges ahead of us and miles to go before we sleep. As psychiatrists we have access to many new pharmaceutical agents and research continues to fine-tune our knowledge of new strategies to combine medication and therapies to diminish the illnesses we find flourishing in our complex society. Our ongoing struggle to abolish the stigma associated with mental illness is paying off, and more and more people are coming forward to share their stories of pain and healing they have gotten from treatment. This has been wonderful for society. However, we still have mountains to climb. There is a drastic shortage of us, and a significant proportion of us are aging and moving toward the time when we will retire. If the progress made is to continue, we must actively participate in efforts to recruit new physicians into psychiatry and show them how fulfilling it can be to heal the wounds of a damaged psyche. If we do not do so, others are waiting in the wings to take over the task. Psychologists and others will continue beating down the doors to gain prescriptive privileges without the medical training which would allow them to safely managed such powerful agents. We cannot let this happen and we must all be part of the campaign to stop it.

Coverage for treatment by insurance companies and managed care entities is still less than adequate for many who need care. The public and the legislature need ongoing education to the problems patients and their families face in obtaining treatment. Who better to highlight the obstacles than those of us who are equipped and waiting to provide the care that is needed? This is an issue for the complete age spectrum, but is especially so for children.

As a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, I am acutely aware of the shortage of child practitioners in comparison to the many children and their families who need us. This is a national problem for which no ready solution has been implemented. Some creative and effective strategies must be put in place if today's children are to have the skills and resources to lead full lives.

With these issues in mind, I have set the following goals for myself and OPA during the coming year:

Membership numbers and involvement
I plan to urge our membership committee to develop a plan for increasing our membership and to recruit and energize new members who can in turn recruit others. We need to find out why people are not members currently and then we must clearly demonstrate the collective power we can have when we are working together. That may mean creating additional membership categories for those with special circumstances and/or limited funds. It is mandatory for our ranks to be strong and growing so that every psychiatrist will want to be involved in the process of guaranteeing our own survival.

Services for children & their families
Not only is there a shortage of C & A psychiatrists, but we are poorly distributed, which often makes it difficult for us to provide the services that will insure that children and families develop what they need to have fulfilled lives. Parenting skills are at an all time low, and social systems further erode their development. Social and medical systems need to work together to evaluate and support positive mental health practices in our society and to be sure that there is ready access to them. The Coalition for Healthy Communities has recently written to the Governor about one part of this issue and I am pleased that OPA is among that chorus of voices. I will be working with our Child & Adolescent Committee to further this effort and to identify others of its kinds.

Alliances/coalitions with others
OPA must continue to be a trendsetter in demonstrating the benefits of working together toward common goals. We have done this in the past and will continue to do so during this next year. NAMI has been, and continues to be a valuable ally. I will seek out additional ways for us to work together. Development of an active Child & Adolescent network is one way we can change the system and bring together areas of focus.

Mental health parity
We have been making strides at the state and national levels in obtaining parity. This fight must continue. Several initiatives are already in process and I will work to keep them active and to keep you informed as to how you can aid the momentum.

Advocacy for our membership
A recent meeting of presidents of Ohio Specialty Societies convened by the OSMA revealed that something we all have in common is a change in what the memberships want from the organizations. Continuing educational programs, which was once the primary focus, has been replaced by political advocacy for the memberships. OPA must join with APA and other specialty organizations in highlighting such efforts and be sure that the membership as well as non-members can see the activity and its dividends.

Improving our public image
Lastly, as an organization we must be more visible to the public and the general membership in speaking out about what is affecting our society and taking public positions about steps needed in solving problems. For too long we have been invisible to the public while other speak openly. Let's no longer hide our lights under a bushel. Let's be more verbal and vocal. I want to work with our Public Information Committee in developing a program of regular communication with the public and the media about topical issues affecting our society and demonstrate not only that we care, but also that we have something valuable to add to the debate.

With your help and support, I have no doubt that we can accomplish these goals and more. I look forward to a productive year in which we continue the tradition of excellence for OPA. My door, phone line and e-mail box are open to you at all ties for your ideas, concerns and availability to volunteer.

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