Registration for the APNA 8th Annual Clinical Psychopharmacology
Institute is now open!
The 8th Annual Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute, with its reduced registration rates, will focus on complex clinical issues addressing the most current practices and insights on clinical psychopharmacology. CPI is appropriate for generalist and advanced practice psychiatric nurses - especially those who administer and/or prescribe medications. Recognizing that a person is more than a mental disorder, this institute addresses the interaction of neurobiological and genetic mechanisms, Axis I and II disorders and clinical syndromes, and current health care issues in recovery including transcultural care delivery. Complex health issues, polypharmacy, and recently approved medications will be addressed. Click here for more information.

APNA 2010 Call Abstracts Deadline is March 1
• Have you been working on an interesting new research project?
• Do you have a cutting edge teaching tool you have been using?
• Do you have best practices for running a facility to share?

Have something to share that we haven't mentioned yet? By all means, let us know!
Click here to submit a presentation proposal today.

APNA 2010 Elections - Call for Nominations Deadline is March 15
APNA is starting our 2010 Election process! If you're interested in nominating yourself or someone else, please send your contact information to Nicholas Croce Jr., APNA Executive Director, at ncroce@apna.org by Monday, March 15th. Click here for more information.

On Jan. 29th, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury released an interim final rule (IFR) providing guidance on how the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act must be implemented. Full Story The National Council has prepared a brief summary of the provisions of major interest to mental health and substance use disorder providers. Click here to view the summary. The IFR is available online by clicking here.

Mental Health America commended the Obama Administration for proposing a Fiscal Year 2011 Budget that contains increases for most of the nation's public health agencies, which highlights the need to invest in critical mental health supports and services beyond important steps that would be taken through health care reform. Full Story

President Obama signaled his determination to forge ahead with a Democratic vision of comprehensive health-care reform as he unveiled on Monday (Feb. 22) an ambitious proposal that would extend coverage to 31 million people, raise taxes on the wealthy and ratchet up regulations on insurers, reported The Washington Post. The proposal arrives in advance of Obama's bipartisan health-care summit on Thursday (Feb. 25). Full Story To see how Obama's proposal compares to the Senate bill, click here. Click here to view a letter from ANA Government Affairs urging action on Health Care Reform. If you would like to share your opinions with APNA on this matter, feel free to email ncroce@apna.org. Or, start up a blog about it in Member Bridge!

The Sixth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders will be held November 17–19, 2010 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. The conference will address the pervasive and enduring inequalities that affect the mental health of millions of people, in both rich and poor countries. Click here for more information.

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing Professor Teena McGuinness, Ph.D., CRNP, an APNA Member, has been named a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. The AAN's approximately 1,500 Fellows are nursing leaders in education, management, practice and research. Invitation to Fellowship recognizes one's accomplishments within the nursing profession, and AAN's Fellows also have a responsibility to contribute their time and energies to the academy. Full Story

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has identified ten strategic initiatives which the agency will focus on under its new administrator, Pam Hyde. The initiatives are intended to advance SAMHSA's work on improving the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services. Full Story

Publication of the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) in May 2013 will mark one the most anticipated events in the mental health field. As part of the development process, the preliminary draft revisions to the current diagnostic criteria for psychiatric diagnoses are now available for public review and comment. Click here to review the draft.

Reps. Michael McMahon, D-NY; Harry Teague, D-NM; Phil Roe, R-TN; and Tom Rooney, R-FL, announced they are the founding members of Invisible Wounds Caucus in the House of Representatives, reported ArmyTimes. The caucus, which will push for improvements in military and veterans mental health services, has two basic goals: 1. To promote more awareness of wounds like traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and mental disorders that may not be readily apparent. 2. To push for expanded government treatment programs for those suffering from these so-called "invisible" wounds. Full Story

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has committed more than $36.7 million over the next five years to support and expand its Centers on the Demography and Economics of Aging. The Centers form a network of universities and organizations leading innovative studies on the characteristics of the aging population. The awards, which include some support from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, renewed support for 11 Centers and established three new ones. Full Story