PENNSYLVANIA
OCTOBER 2020
P S YC H I A T R I S T NEWSLETTER OF THE PENNSYLVANIA PSYCHIATRIC SOCIETY
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
By Richard R. Silbert, MD, DLFAPA PaPS President
Dear fellow members of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society, I would never have imagined over the past five years that my term as president would be a stay at home one, foregoing meeting many of you at your chapter meetings or at the national conference in Philadelphia. As an addictions psychiatrist and a believer there should be zero suicide, I thought the opioid and suicide epidemic would be in need of professional lifting, heavy enough to occupy all the hours working outside and inside our state society. Instead, I join all of you both trying to serve those adversely affected by the COVID pandemic and navigating its effect hopefully in a manner that stress isn’t so severe that it prevents us from self-caring and caring for our families. Many of you joined our efforts both statewide and nationally at learning, then understanding, of the harms caused by structural/systemic racism. Having been raised and educated in psychoanalytic and psychodynamic Philadelphia programs, I should have, but did not, realize I too had unconscious biases. PaPS has joined the efforts of the PPLC (PA Psychiatric Leadership Council) in active efforts to make our training programs and our profession more diverse, responsive, and welcoming. Council and I will continue to be vigilant and proactive to your concerns as we move forward this year. This includes but is not limited to advocating against psychologist prescriptive rights, easing MOC burdens and providing access to the CME you need to meet your licensing requirements. Meeting our mission of providing advocacy, education and collegiality for our psychiatric profession will need to be done in an atypical format this year. It would be a win-win situation if you join us by attending our two virtual educational events this year on October 31st (Philadelphia chapter’s annual Addictions Symposium) and November 14th (state’s annual Patient Safety and Risk Management scientific program). I look forward to attending them and joining you all, conjointly meeting my professional requirements but also helping my profession stay strong by supporting our Society’s efforts. Please stay safe and healthy,
Richard
TABLE OF CONTENTS
License renewals due this fall
2 | Banding Together for COVID
Medical licensure must be renewed biennially, in even-numbered years. All current licenses issued by the Board of Medicine will expire December 31, 2020, and licenses issued by the Board of Osteopathic Medicine will expire October 31. Visit the Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS) (https://www.pals.pa.gov) to apply, renew and check your professional license.
3 | Editor’s Column 4 | Activity Update 5 | Resident Update 6 | Executive Director Update
Please note that paper renewals are no longer being sent by the Pennsylvania Department of State. Renewals will be available on the PALS website approximately 45 days prior to your current license expiration date
8 | PaPS Virtual Education Meeting 9 | Legislative Review 11 | New Members
For more information on the State Board of Medicine and the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine Regulations visit our website.
13 | Addictions Symposium
Don’t miss what PaPS is working on for you!
Dues Renewal Reminder! Renew today to maintain access to valuable benefits including: • APA Learning Center – more than 100 free CME activities for members, including the Course of the Month • Meetings and Events – registration discounts on APA Meetings • Journals and Publications – including Psychiatric News and The American Journal of Psychiatry
Four easy ways to renew:
Stay connected with PaPS and follow us
1. Renew online now through your my.psychiatry.org account (login required) or email a request to membership@psych.org for a direct payment link to be sent to you via email (no login required).
@PA_PsychSociety
2. Pay by phone: 202-559-3900
3. Pay in monthly, quarterly, or biannual installments. Complete the Scheduled Payment Plan form https:// www.psychiatry.org/join-apa/scheduled-payment-plan or speak with our membership department by calling 202-559-3900.
4. Renew by mail or fax using the paper invoice received in the mail.
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E D I T O R ’S C O L U M N Second, Do No Harm by Edward C. Leonard, Jr., MD, DLFAPA
I was taught that physicians are personally responsible for their acts, even when following orders. Therefore, I was startled by an elegantly clever MRI study reporting that the brains of research subjects who were ordered to harm someone showed activity decreases in areas associated with empathy and guilt. The last sentence of this article shocked me: “These results highlight how obeying an order relaxes our aversion against harming others, despite still being the author of the action that led to the pain.” Does receiving orders decrease psychiatrists’ abilities to control their acts? This study (Obeying Orders Reduces Vicarious Brain Activation Towards Victims’ Pain) increases my concern that the goodness of psychiatrists was not improved by calling physician wrongdoing malfeasance. For countless years non-malfeasance was summarized in the pithy admonition, “First, Do No Harm.” Today, when accused of hurting patients, doctors may claim they were only following employers’ orders, the instructions of their patients’ insurance plans, or the consensus of teams of clinicians. This article is a preprint scheduled for publication in November’s issue of NeuroImage. It is one in a series of studies co-authored by Emilie Caspar, PhD, a social and cognitive neuroscientist at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam. The institute’s website, provides several interesting videos about their work. Researchers there, led by Christian Keysers, PhD and Valeria Gazzola, PhD, amplified studies that show when humans hurt, their anterior insula and rostral cingulate cortexes become active. Since the same areas activate when witnessing others’ pain, perhaps attempts to prevent harm to others is proportional to the strength of that activation.
The article’s highlights couldn’t be clearer. “Participants inflict more shocks when obeying orders than when freely deciding. Empathyrelated regions are less active when obeying orders compared to acting freely. Coercion reduced neurocognitive processes associated with guilt. Reduced empathy- and guilt-related activations could facilitate harming under orders.” Do they clearly lead to the conclusion that only those who accept personal ethical responsibility to the patients involved should be allowed to give evaluation and treatment orders to psychiatrists? At any rate, this study can encourage us to rethink our responsibilities to patients. If Hippocratic physicians knew what happens in our brains when we receive orders, might they have admonished First, Maintain Personal Responsibility for Medical Decisions and Second, Do No Harm?
Everyone interested in how psychiatry got to where it is today must read Susannah Cahalan’s Great Pretender.
Caspar and her co-authors recruited 40 volunteers to form 20 pairs. One was chosen from each pair to be the “agent” inflicting the pain. The partner served as “victim” and was given increasingly strong electric shocks until she experienced pain and a muscle twitched. This setting was then used for all subsequent shocks. Each volunteer was paid a small sum to start work. Then the agent was put into an MRI machine and given a small amount from the victim’s pay for each shock the victim received. The experimenter, who functioned as employer, either told the agent to decide herself whether to shock or commanded the agent to give the shock. Later the victim and agent switched roles.
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ACTIVITY UPDATE
by Deborah Shoemaker, Lobbyist and Ethics Specialist
Who is a hero? What makes them a hero? Depends on who you ask… As we enter the fall, our lives are still not back to normal. The leaves have begun to change, but many things are yet to be decided including state and federal election results and if the US Senate will confirm a Supreme Court justice prior to the presidential election. So, in these trying times what do we need? Heroes of course. Finding a hero is easier said than done. It is not like you snap your fingers and they are here, ready to jump into action. Heroes come when we least expect them, and in the most unlikely of places. And remember, heroes often have altered egos—whether it is their “regular day job” or some type of concealment of their identity. Lastly, all heroes possess some type of superpower, or extraordinary ability to move people toward greatness, instilling hope, and positivity for the future. Over the past few months, we have lost some huge heroes, all for different reasons. I would like to highlight some of them below, including how I think they have shaped our world and what we can do to keep their memory alive.
The Notorious RBG: unrelentless in fighting gender equality and protection for all Americans Before Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg became “the Notorious RBG”, she was just little Ruth “Kiki” Bader, a Jewish girl born in Brooklyn, New York. She was one of only nine women in her class of 500 at Harvard Law School. During law school, she nursed a husband with cancer and a three-year-old child while still studying full time to be an attorney. Prior to her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court under President Bill Clinton, she fought for gender equality (and not just for women). In her 27 years on the nation’s top court, she fought to override onerous policies that would mandate DREAMers to be deported. She was also the dissenting vote on allowing women to be admitted to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and a fierce supporter of keeping Roe v. Wade intact. All the while, RBG fought numerous bouts with cancer, burying her husband from the illness that later took her life in September. She never complained. Even those of her colleagues that disagreed with her had nothing but kind words to say about her. Former Justice Antonin Scalia (the most conservative justice on the court during his tenure) was her best friend. Until her last breath, she fought. To me, that is a true hero.
Chadwick Boseman: not just Black Panther, but an example of true humility and silent pain Yes, he was the superhero Black Panther. He portrayed the Godfather of Soul, Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall … just to name a few. Boseman automatically became a superhero because of his role as Black Panther, so why would I mention him?
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There are so many things people did not know about him. He was born in South Carolina in the late 70’s, experiencing racism first-hand. He went to Howard University, where he was exposed to his future craft. While awaiting the fame that would later beset him, he volunteered in Harlem as a drama instructor at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. His parents raised him to be humble, to be grateful for all that he had, putting himself last. In that vein, he kept his four-year fight with colon cancer a secret until he succumbed to the disease. During those four years, he arranged his surgeries and chemotherapy/radiation treatments around filming, visiting hospitals to see pediatric cancer patients, and dedicating himself to numerous charities. His legacy will live on past the 43 years he spent on this earth. Black Panther became a beacon of hope for not just Black children, but for the principles he held dear in his life: silent service and a quiet strength with a moral compass that spoke volumes without speaking a word.
Congressman John Lewis: stalwart fighter for civil injustice and for a better world for everyone To call this man a hero is an understatement. Born in 1940 in Alabama, his entire life was a struggle: as a son of a sharecropper fighting to have enough to eat, as a child living in segregation, as one of the original Freedom Riders, and as one of the “Big Six” leaders with Martin Luther King, Jr. organizing the March on Washington. His skull got bashed in on “Bloody Sunday” at the Edmund Pettis Bridge in 1965. When he saw that the Civil Rights Movement needed expansion beyond Alabama, he ran for United States Congress. Lewis was elected and served from 1986 until his death. His platform went beyond just civil rights, by addressing criminal justice reforms, voting rights and necessary gun reforms. Lewis was not afraid to take on injustice regardless if you were the president of the United States. Ironically, on the day of his death, an opinion piece ran in the New York Times on redemption. Trained as an ordained minister, his heroism went beyond just telling you what to do but living it.
Camille Paglia, MD, JD: unsung hero for individuals in crisis, unrelentless amidst personal adversity Dr. Paglia and I met over ten years ago. My first interaction with her was at a Philadelphia chapter Benjamin Rush event. Her first words to me were, “first off, call me Camille. My consumers call me Camille and so should you. I have heard so many good things about you, Deb. It is my pleasure to meet you finally.” From that day, we became fast friends. She came into psychiatry later in life after being an attorney. Her passion for healthcare went beyond a profession, rather her life’s work. She delved into community psychiatry, laboring at Temple Episcopal’s Crisis Response Center in Kensington. Often she would tell me how she loved being there, treating people that she knew by name, in her words
“repeat customers that no one else wanted to treat, in a place people were afraid to go.” What was most heroic to me was that she kept fighting amidst getting knocked down by every health crisis known to man, and still wanted to keep working. I would ask her why she kept doing it and she said that her patients were in crisis and they needed her. She told me it would always be worse for other people. My friend Camille passed suddenly at the age of 59 on August 6, 2020. Her husband Vernon Francis and her two sons, Anthony and Nicolas, were her life. What made her a hero to me was that she gave of herself even at times when she did not have enough to give. She did it without wanting to be acknowledged. The world has lost another nameless warrior dedicated to causes bigger than herself until her last breath. I will miss her dearly. My biggest hero has and always will be my father. Although he will never be a household name, he instilled all of the values that you look for in a hero: fierceness and loyal, morally sound, dedicated
to doing what is right, regardless if he took flack for it. He told us to “do it right the first time” and not to shortchange ourselves, regardless of how people treated us. Family was always his top priority, doing whatever it took to put food on the table or to ensure we had whatever we “needed” not necessarily wanted. Most importantly, he taught us to abide by a few key principles including: 1) try to be kind to everyone (regardless how they treat you); 2) stand up for yourself because it is not guaranteed others will do it for you; 3) stand up for those who will not stand up for themselves; 4) carry your weight; and 5) always, always, always tell those you love that you love them before you get off the phone or leave them. In closing, I admit we are experiencing trying times, with issues that will not change as quickly as the leaves turn red and fall to the ground. But if we can collectively stand together, and practice kindness, civility, acceptance, honesty, humility, and respect for each other, we can all be heroes. For those wanting to go the extra mile by joining the Government Relations or Clinical Committees, contributing to our PAC, or even willing to be called on to provide your clinical expertise at the state or chapter level can contact me at dshoemaker@pamedsoc.org.
RESIDENT UPDATE Luke D. Piper, MD PGY-3, Penn State Health Department of Psychiatry A particularly remarkable transition that we have seen with the arrival of COVID-19 is an expeditious increase in the usage and availability of telepsychiatry. As a field, I think we have long theorized the potential benefits (and challenges) of this modality, but for several reasons, its implementation – at least on a large scale – has not gained much traction. That is, until a global pandemic forced us into action. I have written previously on how I view this as a good thing, and not simply for preserving the safety of providers and residents (though this is certainly a worthy ideal). I think it is a good thing that training residents have had a more involved opportunity to work with telepsychiatry as a mode of communication. Perhaps in the end, it isn’t a significant hurdle compared to our clinical practice as usual, but I suspect a lot of residents would affirm some initial growing pains in communicating with a computer monitor, or in some cases, a disembodied voice. But I am thankful for the opportunity, and I suspect that it will work to the benefit of residents in years to come. With Pennsylvania’s state of emergency extended yet again, and the virus showing no indication of departing, it seems likely that telepsychiatry will remain an ideal method of care delivery for at least the next several months. But what comes after? One concern I have heard going around is that it may prove more difficult to halt telepsychiatry services than it was to engage them in the first place. Indeed, for many of my patients, particularly those who are on more simple regimens and whose concerns have been nicely stabilized, telepsychiatry has been not simply acceptable, but palatable. This leads me to ponder a couple thoughts. One: if insurance companies elect not to pay for telepsychiatry after the state of emergency passes, how will our patients respond? Two, and perhaps more thought provoking: would it be in the interest of the state and insurance companies to sustain this momentum and carry telepsychiatry past the pandemic and into an expanded role in our delivery of mental health care? I will hasten to note that I recognize some notable weaknesses of telepsychiatry, including its reliance on technical literacy, stable internet connections, and intact power grids, as well as the reduced ability of a clinician to comprehensively assess a patient’s presentation. But for many patients, telepsychiatry may represent our best chance of enhancing appointment compliance, or of being able to deliver care to them in the first place. We’ve also seen it already gaining steam for its applications in integrated or collaborative care models, and I am cautiously optimistic that it will see an expanded role in this respect, ideally allowing our limited supply of psychiatrists to provide as much support as possible to primary care settings. I further wonder if this may allow for more residency programs to expose their trainees to collaborative care in the first place. The year thus far has been anything but routine, but with great challenge comes great opportunity. I will be very interested to see if the vital role of telepsychiatry during this pandemic gives it the escape velocity needed to enter a more stable orbit around the globe of mental health care.
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE As I write my first update for the Pennsylvania Psychiatrist, I find myself looking back to the beginning of 2020. We were preparing for spring meeting season. The 2020 APA Annual Meeting was to be held in Philadelphia and planning had begun for the PaPS reception. Then COVID-19 hit the United States, and no one knew exactly what that would mean to our daily lives. PaPS hosts many educational and networking meetings throughout the year. In the month of March, the Society had five CME events scheduled. We heard from our members that certain institutions were banning travel for their physicians. But an emergency order had not come from the government and we were still moving forward with registrations for the events. Staff and committee chairs were in discussions on scenarios of still moving forward with a live meeting, postponing, canceling, or going to a virtual platform. I was searching stores looking for hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes for the meeting managers to take to the meetings. Meeting managers were changing their menus so there were no buffets, adjusting meeting room set-ups so there would be enough social distancing and making sure that the hotels had sanitizing stations. Communications were going out daily to members, exhibitors, and venue staff trying to stay on top on what seemed like hourly changes. The difficult decisions to cancel the March meetings took place days before the meetings with one literally hours from the start of the meeting. All committee chairs and staff had the health and safety of members in mind as those decisions were made.
I do not know when we will get back to “normal” as “normal” has been changed forever. I still see virtual meetings in 2021 and beyond, utilizing technology to better serve our membership. If the pandemic has reinforced one thing to me it is the quote by Henry Ford,
“ If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”
Jenn at home working with some help from her pup!
In mid-March, PAMED closes the office and all staff is required to work from home. Luckily for the staff, PAMED was already set up for remote work so the transition seemed easy for most. I thought, well, it will only be for a few weeks or a month, right? It is now October and I am still working from home as many of you are now doing telepsychiatry. While I am on a Microsoft Teams meeting with staff members, my kids are on Zoom learning geometry or human anatomy. For PaPS, CME meetings, resident events, council meetings, and annual business meetings are virtual. Advocacy is happening through Zoom meetings with coalition members, key legislative staffers and/or legislators themselves on occasion. As I write this, PaPS has hosted two virtual CME meetings, state council orientation and two virtual resident events with more to come. I am proud of how Society leadership and staff have pulled together and managed to pivot from planning in-person meetings to planning virtual meetings.
Jill Bennish working from home, enjoys glancing out at her yard.
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Jennifer Redmond PaPS Executive Director
We have immediate openings at
Horizon House, Inc., is a nationally recognized provider of services to adults with support needs due to developmental disabilities, behavioral health issues, and substance abuse.
Dawn always has a smile and work on her screens.
Horizon House is Pennsylvania’s oldest psychiatric rehabilitation agency. Since 1952, we have been dedicated to helping people with mental illness, drug and alcohol addictions, developmental/intellectual disabilities, and homelessness to stabilize their lives and to help them live as independently as possible in the community. With over 100 locations throughout South and Northeastern Pennsylvania and the state of Delaware, Horizon House provides services to a diverse population focusing on individual strength and choice. We have immediate openings for full-time psychiatrists to work with an adult population supported by established Assertive Community Treatment teams in Delaware, Montgomery, and Bucks counties with crisis and residential services situated in those Pennsylvania counties. We also anticipate other openings over the next few months. The ideal candidate will have experience working with people with severe and persistent mental illnesses (including ‘dual diagnoses’) and their families; enjoy collaboration with other professionals as a key leader of a multi-disciplinary team; and embrace recovery principles. Board eligibility and Pennsylvania licensure required. We offer competitive compensation and an excellent benefit package. Academic appointment is possible through the agency’s affiliation with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. If you are interested in a stimulating and supportive work environment within which to practice community-based psychiatry, please send your CV with cover letter to:
Lawrence A Real, MD, Medical Director Horizon House 120 S 30th Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 Larry.Real@hhinc.org (email preferred) Fax: 267-571-5560
Horizon House is an Equal Opportunity Employer: M/F/Veteran Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Jessica and Dawn team up for the Small Chapter Coalition CME webinar. P E N N SY LVA N I A PSYC H I AT R I ST | O C TO B E R 2 02 0
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PaPS 2020 V irtual
Patient Safety & Risk Management
EDUCATION
M E E T I N G
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14
2020
VIRTUAL
Join us for the 14th Annual Patient Safety & Risk Management Virtual Program The 14th Annual Patient Safety and Risk Management Program will be held via Zoom Webinar on Saturday, November 14th from 8:15 AM to 5 PM.
Program Chair Dr. Rajnish Mago and the state education committee have put together yet another program that will provide relevant, up-to-date information that can be immediately used in your daily practice. This year’s focus is on how to adjust to our “new normal” during this time of uncertainty. Speakers and presentations include: Clinician Wellbeing, Burnout and Depression. will be presented by Richard F. Summers, MD, from Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Mental Health Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic. presented by Maria A. Oquendo, MD, PhD, from Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. An Update on Psychotropic Medicals and Pregnancy. will be provided by Marlene P. Freeman, MD. Dr. Freeman is from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Risk Management: Practicing Telepsychiatry in the Age of COVID-19, will be presented by Donna Vanderpool, MBA, JD, Director of Risk Management at PRMS. We hope you will join us virtually on Saturday, November 14th! The full agenda and registration information can be found on our website. The APA designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. As determined by the program committee, 6.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits of this program may qualify for patient safety/risk management licensure requirements.
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PAPS LEGISLATIVE YEAR IN REVIEW: 2020 IN FOCUS As we move toward the end of the 2019-2020 legislative session, we thought it would be beneficial to highlight key grassroots advocacy efforts our members and our lobbyist have embarked on this year on your behalf. Collaboration with APA Highlights • Participation in APA’s State Issues Advocacy conference • Participation in APA Assembly and Area 3 meetings, providing input/drafting numerous Action Papers (including issues on structural racism; organizational transparency, non-physician prescribing, MOC, telemedicine and COVIDrelated changes to mental health and substance use treatment) • Working closely with APA’s Division of Government Relations (DGR) on mental health parity legislation, collaborative care legislation, scope of practice and telemedicine initiatives • Solicited PaPS member input on revised practice guidelines for schizophrenia; 42 CFR Part 2 revised changes; the CMS 2021 proposed Physician Fee Schedule and other related topics • Affirmed APA’s request for grassroots lobbying campaigns in areas of federal psychological prescribing expansion within the VA system and expansion of their scope within the Medicare system, and continuance of telemedicine coverage after the pandemic • Signed onto letters with APA related to telemedicine; continued mental health funding within Medicare system; and to support additional prior authorization revisions • Closely monitoring APA’s task force on structural racism, including soliciting members’ participation in member surveys Collaboration with Pennsylvania Medical Society and our medical specialty colleagues • PaPS representative participation in quarterly PAMED Specialty Leadership Cabinet meetings, PAMED Board of Trustee meetings and Annual House of Delegates • Review and providing input on House of Delegate resolutions • Monthly participation in provider coalition group meetings on Surprise/Out of Network Billing grassroots lobbying efforts • Participation on regularly scheduled PA Provider Coalition meetings (originated by Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania) to discuss a variety of legislative and regulatory issues affecting organized medicine • Supporting medical specialty colleagues on mutual areas of interest, including medical malpractice/change of venue reforms; prior authorization; telemedicine; and opposition to CRNP scope of practice expansion/related scope of practice expansions for non-MD providers • Monitored and disseminated PAMED information on COVID-19, including up to date resources Collaboration with behavioral health advocates/Society-led initiatives • Worked closely with Representative Stephens and Senator Killion to advance Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO/ Red-Flag) legislation • Monitor and Vehemently Oppose continued expansion of mental health and substance use conditions under PA Medical Marijuana Program • Monitor and provide additional resources via website and communications on COVID
Collaborate with our colleagues at Pennsylvania Psychiatric Leadership Council (PPLC): • COVID-19: bimonthly zoom calls; work with APA and other media resources on drafting op-ed pieces; developing resources/initiatives and other related projects • Task Force on Structural Racism: overall project co-chaired by PaPS member and lobbyist, two subcommittees formed with member participation to focus on recruitment/retention and education/training/curriculum for black psychiatrists; task force overview calls on a bi-monthly basis • Coalition for the CommonHealth: serve on steering committee; meeting monthly to discuss grassroots advocacy and crucial dialogue with key members of Pennsylvania Departments of Corrections, Drug/Alcohol Programs, Health, Human Services, and key staffers within Wolf Administration • PaPS lobbyist representation for Society in quarterly Forensic Interagency Task Force • PaPS members and PaPS lobbyist representation on key advisory committees and advisory boards within state’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency where our voice is heard. • PaPS lobbyist holds leadership positions in two key advisory boards within DHS that serve to guide Wolf Administration on issues affecting Medicaid enrollees. • PaPS lobbyist drafted guidance on revised Minor Consent Act (now Act 65 of 2020) and member correspondence detailing changes • Worked closely PA Department of Insurance and APA to draft letter of support for House Bill 1696 (Mental Health Parity) as written to members of PA Senate and key Wolf administration officials. As a result, House Bill 1696 passed both chambers, awaiting governor’s signature. • PaPS and APA signed onto joint letter to Governor Wolf on COVID protections and support for additional funding • PaPS lobbyist invitation to attend 2020 Budget Briefing by Governor Wolf and budget luncheon • PaPS sign onto amicus brief to support additional liability protections for physicians regarding duty to warn and involuntary commitment • PaPS signed onto joint letter supporting safe syringe exchange programs across commonwealth • PaPS participation in interviews by PA Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs on proposed changes to 255.1 Regulations • Continued support of Wolf Administration’s expansion of Medication Assisted Treatment, Reach Out PA: Mental Health Matters campaign and related initiatives that encourage reduction of mental health stigma, expanded access to care and expanded coverage for evidence-based substance use and mental health treatment/services without scope of practice expansion for non-MD practitioners. • Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) Report on House Resolution 515: PaPS solicited to provide comments/returned input prior to report creation • PaPS monitors and review all proposed legislation introduced related to substance use and mental health, creating a legislative watch list. Additional details on these and other grassroots initiatives can be obtained by contacting PaPS lobbyist Deb Shoemaker at dshoemaker@ pamedsoc.org P E N N SY LVA N I A PSYC H I AT R I ST | O C TO B E R 2 02 0
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PaPS New Members —January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020 Central
Pittsburgh
Western (Continued)
Members in Training Omar Elmarasi, MD Mostafa Z. Khalil, MD Elizabeth Kim, DO Connie L. Koons, MD Meghan M. McAliney, DO Sean Nutting, MD Michael V. Pinter, MD Humza Salim, MD Rabia Salman, MD Nirmal Singh, MBBS Benjamin J. Swanson, DO Tauhid Zaman, MD
Members in Training Gaukhar Amandossova, DO Jaclyn M. Bala, MD Shinn-Yi Chou, MD Eric R. Cusick, DO Christopher M. Diehl, MD Charles A. Hall, MD Kevin Horey, MD Katya Lebedev, DO Victoria R. Mustovic, MD Samantha Sahi, MD Alfredo L. Sklar, MD Krista Ulisse, DO
Distinguished Life Fellow James F.T. Corcoran, MD
General Members Mitchell Crawford, DO Thomas Foley, MD Ashli M. Gamber, MD Taranjeet S. Jolly, MD Dinara Triantafyllou, MD
General Members Maria Del Carmen Lopez-Santiago, MD Craid Riccelli, MD
Fellow M. Justin Coffey, MD
Life Member Anantha Shekhar, MD, PhD
Lehigh Valley
Western
Members in Training Jeffrey Burdette, DO Khushbu Gandhi, DO Radha R. Saha, MBBS
Members in Training Jenna Cheng, DO Clarice M. Dixson, DO Katherine J. Hubert, DO Brandon R. Madura, DO Patrick Mingledorff, DO
General Members Adesanmi Ojo, MD Pramod Pilania, MD Kaushik Roy, MD Life Fellow Marsha W. Snyder, MD
Northeastern Members in Training Brian Grady, DO Noha Hafez, MD Shadia Maria Ibanez, MD Rohit R. Kavuri, MD Bilal Ali Khan, DO Erica Schmidt, MD Mansi R. Shah, MD Angelina Singh, DO Joseph G. Venditto, DO General Member Vinod Sharma, MD
Fellow Michelle S. Horner, DO
General Members Angela T. Anderson, MD Eleanor Anderson, MD Jessica Bayner, MD Alexis Beattie, MD Joshua M. Cohen, MD Stephanie M. Davidson, MD Beatrice Desir, DO Willie R. Earley, MD Eguono Eduvie, DO Cecelia D. Johnson-Dunlap, DO, MBA Sachidanand D. Kamtam, MD Gauhar Khurshid, MD Liudmila Lobach, MD Meredith MacGregor, MD Jenny P. Rodriguez, MD Timothy C. Smith, MD James Yi, MD Fellow Vishesh Agarwal, MD Distinguished Fellow Yolanda P. Graham, MD Marc Howard Zisselman, MD
Life Member Roger L. Cambor, MD
Philadelphia Members in Training Adeshewa Adekunbi, MD Mohammed Ali, DO Angel M. Augustin, MD Daniel J .Bahalo, MD Andie R. Belkoff, MD Holly Betterly, MD Sharon Chaing, MD Hyowon Choi, MD, PhD Timothy DeRosa, MD Sarah A. Friedrich, DO Katherine C. Gao, MD Marianela Rosales Gerpe, MD Robert M. Gordon, DO Tamoor Ilyas, DO Caesar Imperio, MD Sonia Jacob, DO Axeline Johnson, MD Tina Joseph, DO Rian Kabir, MD Busra Karademir, MD Jamie Karasin, MD Paulina Khodak, DO Navneet Kaur Khroud, MD Adam A. Kiejdan, MD Arooj Latif, DO Alison M. Liss, MD Alexander Lopez, MD Matthew Lu, MD Maryssa Lyons, MD Sara Mateo, MD Lindsay Michel, DO Chase E. Ossenkop, MD Allen Vu Phan, MD Shaun Plotnick, MD Nicholas D. Prewett, DO Alexandra Rowan, DO Evgenia Royter, DO Martin J. Schardt, DO Ryan Serdenes, DO Yelena Shabelnik, DO Sheila Shanmugan, MD Phillip Shwae, MD Michael Stein, DO Naomi Stewart, DO Nicholas W. Talamonti, DO Ayyappan Venkatraman, MD Dasylia C. Willoughby, DO Tarik Y. Zeid, DO
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Thank you for your PAC Contribution! On behalf of the Society, thanks to the following members who answered the call to support our PAC with our recent fundraiser campaign, “20 Reasons to Donate $20 to the PPP-PAC in 2020”. Without you, the legislative work we do on behalf of you and your patients would more difficult.
Gold Level Donor
Edward C. Leonard, Jr., MD
Silver Level Donor Scott A. Fleischer, MD Sheila Judge, MD Kenneth J. Weiss, MD
Bronze Level Donor Vishesh Agarwal, MD Kimberly Best, MD Lester Bolanovich, MD Peter M. Hartmann, MD Muhammad Ikram, MD Frederick R. Maue, MD Francisco F. Santos, MD Edwin L. Tan, MD
Friend of Psychiatry Paul D. Brettschneider, MD Violet A. Henighan, DO Robert F. McFadden, MD J. Martin Myers, Jr., MD Jeffrey A. Okamoto, MD
You can still assist our efforts. Please thoughtfully consider sending a personal donation today, made payable to the PPP-PAC. Personal donations can also be made via credit card by completing the donation portion below. It is an investment in your future. We have enclosed a copy of our donation form here so that you can send the donation today. Name: (if using a credit card, please print name as it appears on the card) Personal (not corporate) check for $
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Card’s Billing Address: Signature Return to PA Psychiatric Society, Attention: Dawn Losiewicz, P. O. Box 8820, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8820 (Contributions to PPP-PAC are not deductible for income tax purposes.)
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P E N N SY LVA N I A PSYC H I AT R I ST | O C TO B E R 2 02 0
The Philadelphia chapter’s Addictions Committee invites you to join their 6th Annual Addictions Symposium being held on Saturday, October 31, 2020. Like so many other events this year, the Symposium will be held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions. The committee has planned a full agenda filled with timely topics presented by Philadelphia experts. The committee is excited to welcome back Frank Leone, MD, MS as the Keynote speaker. Dr. Leone directs Penn’s Comprehensive Smoking Treatment Program, a clinical program of the Penn Lung Center. He will be speaking on the topic Tobacco Addiction. Sosunmolu Shoyinka, MD, is Chief Medical Officer for the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS). Dr. Shoyinka will be joining us to present a talk on Disparities in Addiction. William Santoro, MD, FSAM, DABAM is Chief, Section of Substance Use Disorder in the Department of Psychiatry at Reading Hospital & Medical Center. He will be speaking on Opioid Use Disorder. The Treatment of Alcohol, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine Use Disorders will be presented by Kyle Kampman, MD. Dr. Kampman served as a medical officer in the United States Navy from 1985 to 1990. He is currently a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. The day will conclude with a panel discussion on Practicing Addiction Medicine in the Pandemic. Our panelists are Fred Baurer, MD; Lara Weinstein, MD, MPH, DrPH; and Margaret Jarvis, MD. Dr. Baurer maintains a private practice in addiction psychiatry and psychotherapy, utilizing a recovery-oriented approach to psychotherapy. Dr. Baurer currently serves as President of the Pennsylvania Society of Addiction Medicine (PSAM). Dr. Weinstein is a family medicine specialist in Philadelphia, PA. She currently practices in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Jefferson Family Medicine Associates. Dr. Jarvis is the Medical Director at Marworth, a residential addiction treatment center for Geisinger Health System located in Waverly, PA. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Penn State University College of Medicine in Hershey, PA
J oin us virtually on Saturday, October 31, 2020 for another exciting and informative educational event! To learn more about our speakers and to register for the event, visit our website or our registration portal.
P E N N SY LVA N I A PSYC H I AT R I ST | O C TO B E R 2 02 0
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