Report from the Assembly
by Mary Helen Davis M.D., Nat Sandler M.D.

The assembly met at the APA in Philadelphia under the capable leadership of Nada Stotland, speaker of the assembly. Kentucky was represented by Gary Weinstein M.D., as deputy representative to Area V, Nat Sandler assembly representative, Mary Helen Davis M.D. deputy representative as well as Mark Wright, KPA president and Theresa Walton, executive director.

The assembly meets for three days prior to the opening of the APA meeting. The assembly represents all district branches, minority and underrepresented group caucuses, residents and early career psychiatrists and psychiatric subspecialty organizations. Reports were heard on issues important to our membership, including the status of the APA endorsed malpractice situation (please see Mark Wrights update elsewhere in the newsletter), the restructuring of the components, the status of the search for a new medical director and updates on the APA's current financial situation. Prakash Desai, M.D. was elected Speaker-elect and James Nininger, M.D. was elected Recorder.

The responses to the assembly meeting included anger, disappointment, indifference, excitement, and elation. These are the same reactions seen within any group. The major threat to the APA remains the loss of members. This in turn leads to the current financial cutbacks necessary to be taken. The move to a new office at lower cost is a result of the cutbacks. The major political issue remains the prescribing by psychologists.

A number of action papers were introduced and passed on topics such as prescriptive authority, addressing potential actions in the aftermath of New Mexico's psychologist prescribing bill, ways to enhance recruitment and membership, promotion of psychiatric leadership in state medical societies, expansion of practice guidelines, and issues related to advocacy in the public and private sector. A Bill of Rights for the seriously and persistently mentally ill was supported.

Some papers that did not pass or were withdrawn included elimination of contested APA elections, an APA name change, and reducing the size of the assembly. Any member of the KPA can submit an action paper by working with our district branch or assembly representatives.

Further information on action papers can be found on the APA website at www.psych.org. APA members can go to the Members only Section of the APA web site to peruse those reports. There's also a lot of other reading material. Members not involved in governance can learn a much about what their national organization does for them as well as how it works from these reports.

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