Membership
A dues structure that is
the same as APA's was approved and will be subject to ratification by a
majority of those voting in a mail ballot. If ratified, first year residents
will not pay any dues and General Members will have a graduated dues schedule
for the first seven years after they finish residency training.
Letters
will be written to members who are considering resigning or who may be dropped
for dues delinquency and chapter presidents in their areas will receive copies
of these letters. The chapter presidents will be responsible for making
telephone calls to these members or of delegating this responsibility to
another chapter member. Chapter presidents will also be asked to contact
psychiatrists in their area who do not belong to LPMA.
A discussion of
why some members are expressing disinterest in LPMA activities brought forth
the following reasons and suggestions for remedies.
1. Their issues are
not being addressed and there is no accountability for the money they are
paying in dues.
2. Ascendancy of corporations has created divisions and
hurt collegiality among psychiatrists
3. Individual members do not
receive answers to their questions or any response to their suggestions. This
leaves impression there is no place to ask for personal help.
4. Talk
about our identity and hold a forum on the business of medicine
5.
Address hot button issues: abuses of insurance companies and psychologist
prescriptive authority. |
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6. Emphasize ways in
which LPMA can help members
7. Emphasize ways in which members can help
LPMA - involve them personally in LPMA activities
8. Our public
struggles are prolonged and tedious. We have achieved significant victories,
but the fight continues. It's a lot of work and not much fun. We need to
emphasize friendship and socialize more. David Rees, MD was elected
Psychiatrist of the Year and will be honored at the Fall Meeting in Costa Rica.
$800 will be given to Louisiana Alliance for the Mentally Ill to enable
a consumer of public mental health services in Louisiana to attend the National
Alliance for the Mentally Ill annual conference in San Diego, Ca.
LPMA
will take the necessary legal steps to establish a Political Action Committee.
LPMA will work with the Louisiana State Medical Society on a media
campaign regarding psychologists prescriptive authority issues. This initiative
will be pursued by Vera Olds, LPMA's political consultant, working with the
LSMS Governmental Affairs staff. |
