The APA Board of Trustees voted in March to phase out industry-supported symposia along with industry supplied meals at its annual meetings.

With this move APA remains at the leading edge of a trend throughout medicine to increase transparency and reduce potential financial conflicts of interest. Symposia at major medical meetings that supply doctors with continuing medical education credits are sometimes funded by pharmaceutical companies, a practice that has invited a concern that the sessions may be biased in favor of the sponsoring company’s medications.

“Although we took great care to avoid biased reporting at all our symposia, we came to the conclusion that the only way to totally eliminate the risk is to have the symposia supported by the APA alone,” said Nada L. Stotland, M.D.D., M.P.H., president of the APA.

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Distant hospital can’t take NOAH’s place

Katrina wiped out Charity Hospital’s 100 adult beds for the mentally ill. In response, the New Orleans Adolescent Home opened 20 beds for adults and 15 for children and adolescents. Clearly that was not enough, but it was the best the state could do at the time. In the meantime, mental health professionals worked tirelessly on the ground, ramping up community-based programs to serve an evergrowing population of chronically mentally ill youth and adults. They took whatever resources were available, strung them together and made them work. In the three years post-Katrina, the gaps were being filled. Those of us in the mental health community began to see the positive results of our labor. And then out of nowhere, the state came down with a decision to close the mental health beds at NOAH and move them 40 miles to Southeast Hospital in Mandeville.

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Dan Winstead Assumes
Presidency of LPMA

Dan Winstead, M.D. assumed the presidency of LPMA on May 21. Officers elected to work with him are Ken Roy, President-Elect, Lee Stevens, Secretary, and Kaleem Arshad, Treasurer. Hal Ginzburg and Mary Jo Fitz-Gerald were elected Representative and Deputy Representative to APA.

2009 Fall Meeting Scheduled
Cathy Thompson, Executive Director

LPMA has had many wonderful meetings at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa and is planning another one with the Southern Psychiatric Association September 23-27, 2009. It is anticipated that a minimum of 13 continuing medical education credits will be offered. Arthur Freeman, M.D. chairs the program planning committee, which consists of Daniel Winstead, M.D., Richard Harding, M.D., Armando Favazza, M.D. and Patrick O’Neill M.D. Scientific sessions are 12:30-5:00 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25 and 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. Social events include a President’s Reception on Wednesday, Sept. 23 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. and a Joint Cocktail Reception Thursday evening.

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LPMA Returns to Sandestin

My wife Jenny and I first heard of the wonderful beaches of Destin in the late 60’s, although it was the early 70’s before we first visited. We were most impressed with the fine sugar white sand and the lovely gulf water. Once we moved to New Orleans, we made regular trips there every summer to let our kids frolic in the waves.

Many of the members of the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association had the same experiences with their families and were eager to use it as a site for our semi-annual meetings. As it turned out, we met there from 1988-1992, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2004. That record should speak volumes about the popularity of the site and success of our meetings there.

The area has grown and developed over the years. Some of us old-timers miss the “little fishing village”, but now you can find excellent restaurants, shopping, recreation areas and entertainment, if you grow tired of the beach. Or you can just stay on the grounds of the Sandestin resort and relax with a massage at Hilton’s Serenity Spa and have a fine dining experience onsite at Seagar’s, a AAA four-diamond restaurant featuring an 800-label wine cellar.

Our meeting dates should be perfect. The high school and college kids will be back in school, the weather will be less hot and humid, while the water temperatures will remain warm. The worst of the hurricane season will have passed and we ought to be able to meet and party without a care! Please join us for a wonderful meeting and great time!

Contributions Welcome

Contributions to the LPMA Newsletter are welcome. Both personal and professional items of interest in written or photograph form are sought. Every effort will be made to preserve the spirit and intent of the author when it is necessary to shorten or edit an article. Authors’ opinions do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association. Letters to the editor and responses to those letters are also welcome.

Mail: LPMA,
P.O. Box 15765
New Orleans, LA 70175
E-mail: ccmccs@bellsouth.net