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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