Insight Matters
Spring 2005

Past President Comments

Herman A. Tolbert, M.D., OPA Past President

As we approach the end of my term as your President, I find myself reflecting on the year and its events. I have been gratified by the level of cooperation I have received from so many members around the state in our efforts to leave organized psychiatry in Ohio in a better position than it was when we began. I am pleased to report that we have made progress, but also want to caution you that we have more hurdles ahead of us.

One of the joys of this past year has been the opportunity to work with a dedicated and hard-working Council. The Council is composed of the elected officers and Chairs of the organizational committees. We were blessed to have a great group this year. They all worked hard and volunteered their private time to further the goals of the OPA. They deserve your appreciation, and I hope that many of you will write to them expressing such. At our Annual Meeting, I had the pleasure of officially recognizing some of them for their hard work and dedication. They were:

Marilynn Peters, MD, for her outstanding services and leadership as Chair of the Membership Committee, and for her growing the OPA's membership in 2004. The committee's record of 100% acceptance of OPA nominations for APA Distinguished Fellowship is also significant and noteworthy.

Kenneth Miller, MD, for continued outstanding contributions and leadership as Chair of the Government Relations Committee, which has resulted in significantly helping to raise awareness of issues important to psychiatry with Ohio's policymakers. Also, for his continued commitment on behalf of the OPA as Representative for National Government Relations, and for serving as OPA delegate to the Ohio State Medical Association.

Melodie Morgan-Minott, MD, for outstanding service and leadership as APA Representative and for her contributions to various committees to further the mission and objectives of OPA.

Joseph Locala, MD, for his outstanding service as Chair of the Program and Continuing Education Committee. As a result of his efforts, the OPA annual scientific meeting continues to result in excellent clinical education and as a primary source of non-dues revenue for OPA.

S.R. Thorward, MD, for his outstanding service to OPA as chair of the OPA Public Information and Liaison Committee. As a result of his efforts, the OPA has forged new relationships and strengthened existing ones with other professional groups in support of the practice of psychiatry.

Brooke Wolf, MD, for her energy, dedication and perseverance in identifying and working to address the economic and access concerns created by managed care companies which severely impact Ohio's mental health system. And, notably, for her initiation of dialogue with Ohio's director of Insurance, who has made a commitment to investigate the ever-increasing problems.

The Ohio State University Department of Psychiatry, and the MetroHealth Department of Psychiatry were recognized for helping to assure the future of the profession of psychiatry by obtaining 100% membership of residents in their programs.

We have made strides this year in formalizing and strengthening our relationship with several other physician and consumer groups in hopes of being able to provide better care for our patients and their families as well as presenting a more united front with other physicians. These include the Ohio Academy of Pediatrics in their Behavioral Health Initiative, the Ohio Association of Free Clinics, the Ohio Coalition of Primary Care Physicians, Ohio Physicians Health Program, Ohio Advocates for Health Care Access, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Ohio Department of Mental Health in their efforts to address the shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists in Ohio, the Ohio Coalition for Healthy Communities, the Campaign for the Mind of America, and NAMI of Ohio.

As you can see, we have been busy and hope to harvest the fruits of our labors in the future. I encourage all the OPA membership to get involved at some level in these efforts. They will ensure our survival and greatly benefit our patients. Again, I thank you for your support this past year and I wish you well in the future.

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