Ends June 3rd: Save $75 on CPI
At the APNA 11th Annual Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute you'll learn about:
- Legal issues surrounding electronic health records
- Recent research findings in schizophrenia and autism
- Evidence regarding current traditional use of psychotropics with the elderly
- Unique mechanisms of action, side effects, and drug interactions of the 6 FDA approved serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications
- Changes in the DSM-5 related to the diagnosis of Disruptive Mood Regulation Disorder

Register by Monday, June 3rd to save! Register Now  |  Program Info

3 days left to earn free CE!
Celebrate mental health month, earn contact hours, and learn anti-stigma strategies with this free podcast:
Social Stigma: The Conundrum of Mental Health Care
45 minutes / 0.75 contact hours
FREE for APNA Members throughout the month of May
Target Audience: RN, APRN
Rhonda Schwindt, RN, MSN, PMHCNS-BC
Click here for more information.

Counseling Points: Shedding the Label of Schizophrenia through the Recovery Model Digital Publication
Incorporating new content with information originally presented by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association at the APNA 26th Annual Conference, this digital publication will inform psychiatric-mental health nurses about the value and benefits of the recovery model in supporting persons with schizophrenia. In its new digital format, this publication can be read like an eBook - bookmark sections, search by keyword, and make notes - all online. Or, you can print the booklet out to read and use as a paper publication. In addition, a new pre-test will help you assess the knowledge you gain through this continuing education activity. Click here to access the publication.

APNA 2013 Elections: Cast your vote!
Voting is now open for the APNA 2013 Elections! APNA members, this is your opportunity to exercise the privilege and responsibility of selecting the association's new board members and 2014 Nominating Committee. For more information, visit www.apna.org/elections. All ballots must be submitted online or postmarked no later than July 5, 2013.

The Joint Commission has launched a new Speak Up campaign during Mental Health Awareness Month to help people become better informed about the common warning signs of adult depression, how to get the most out of treatments for depression, and advice for how to speak up if they or a loved one needs help. The campaign, "Speak Up:  What you should know about adult depression," centers on a new brochure and poster which were developed in collaboration with the American Psychiatric Association, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Mental Health America, NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems, National Association of Social Workers,National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, and National Institute of Mental Health. Full Story 

Joint Commission-accredited behavioral health care organizations that are establishing behavior health homes as part of nationwide efforts to expand and improve health services will soon have a certification option. Beginning in January 2014, The Joint Commission will begin offering a new Behavioral Health Home Certification option. Behavioral health homes integrate physical health care services and behavioral health care to provide treatment that addresses the needs of the whole person. The certification program will provide a framework to better meet the needs of individuals served by emphasizing care coordination and quality. Behavioral health homes integrate physical health care services with behavioral health care to provide treatment that addresses the needs of the whole person. Health home providers do not need to provide all the services themselves, but must ensure that the full array of primary and behavioral health care services is available and coordinated. Full Story

In Australia, CQUniversity researchers are part-way through a six-month trial of a specialist nurse position focused on the physical health of people with a mental illness, reported HealthCanal.com. The trial of a 'cardiometabolic health nurse' has been developed in light of figures indicating that people with a mental illness face a lifespan almost three decades shorter than those from the general population. Full Story

A recent Nurse.com article discusses the thought of treating returning psychiatric patients like airline "frequent flyers" in the true sense of the term, instead of experiencing the negative connotation created by healthcare. Full Story

The HRSA Faculty Loan Repayment Program supports health professions educators who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and serve a vital role in preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals. The financial assistance offered through the Faculty Loan Repayment Program decreases the economic barriers associated with pursuing a career as a health professions educator preparing the next generation of health professionals. The Application Deadline is June 27, 2013 at 7:30 pm EST. Click here for more information and to begin the application process

The SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions (CIHS) has released a new document to share insights and perspectives from addiction providers that are ‘early adopters’ of integrated primary care services. Innovations in Addictions Treatment: Addiction Treatment Providers Working with Integrated Primary Care Services encapsulates the experiences and knowledge of addiction providers, and their partners, as gathered in a meeting CIHS convened to understand the current climate surrounding addiction-primary care integration around the country and the experiences of addiction providers that have integrated primary care services. Click here to read the report. (PDF file)

A new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests Americans are overdiagnosed and overtreated for depression. Researchers examined adults with depression identified by a doctor or other medical professional, and individuals who experienced major depressive episodes within a 12-month period. Investigators found that when these individuals were assessed for major depressive episodes using a structured interview, only 38.4% of adults with clinician-identified depression met the 12-month criteria for depression - despite the fact that a majority of participants were prescribed and were using psychiatric medications, reported PsychCentral.com. Full Story

The Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2013, recently introduced by Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) and cosponsored by Representative David Joyce (R-OH), aims to improve both patient safety and quality of care by enhancing the voice of nurses in hospital staffing decisions. Full Story

The Rhode Island Senate passed legislation sponsored by Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Joshua Miller allowing nurses with advanced degrees to practice to the fullest extent of their qualifications, reported CranstonPatch.com. Currently, advanced practice registered nurses - who have master's degrees as nurse practitioners, clinical nursing specialists or nurse anesthetists - are not allowed under Rhode Island law to use some of the skills they must master for those degrees unless they are supervised by a doctor. Full Story

Federal authorities approved a Nevada hospital's proposal for correcting deficiencies that led to newly discharged psychiatric patients being bused out of state without adequate plans for continued care. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also said it would conduct unannounced inspections of Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas to ensure that procedures are in place and working to prevent further instances of so-called patient dumping. Full Story

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mental Health Surveillance Among Children —United States, 2005–2011, describes federal efforts on monitoring mental disorders, and presents estimates of the number of children with specific mental disorders. The report was developed in collaboration with key federal partners, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Full Story

Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, released the 2013 National Drug Control Strategy, the Obama Administration’s primary blueprint for drug policy in the United States. The science-based plan for reform contains a series of over 100 specific actions to reduce drug use and its consequences and expand prevention, treatment, and alternatives to incarceration. Full Story

The Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), Defense (DoD) and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the progress made to date on initiatives called for in President Obama’s August 31, 2012, Executive Order to Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and their families. Click here to read the interim report. (PDF file)

Primary care physicians and nurse practitioners significantly disagree about some proposed changes to the scope of nurse practitioners’ responsibilities, reported Nurse.com. Specific points of disagreement revealed in a survey of healthcare providers centered on appropriate leadership roles for NPs, reimbursement levels and the overall quality of services they provide, reported investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Institute for Medicine and Public Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Full Story

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is Accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the
American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.