Early Bird Savings for the APNA 26th Annual Conference Ends Sept. 7
Register by Sept. 7 and save $75 on your registration to the premier event for psychiatric-mental health nursing! We've got a stellar and diverse program lined up this year: More than 110 exciting educational sessions and interactive panels are available for you to earn up to 27 continuing education contact hours. Click here for more information.

Introducing the 2012 APNA Janssen Student Scholars!
Nursing students from across the United States were invited to apply for the 2012 APNA Janssen Student Scholarship Program. The applications underwent rigorous review by the Awards & Recognition Committee who selected 15 undergraduate and 15 graduate students to receive this scholarship. Click here to view the recipients.

National Task Force on Quality Nurse Practitioner Education: Criteria for Evaluation of NP Programs
The new Criteria for Evaluation of NP Programs has been posted on the NONPF website. APNA has endorsed the new criteria and was an active participant in the process to review and revise the criteria. APNA was represented by Susie Adams, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, FAANP, current Member at Large on the Board of Directors. We recommend that you read the entire document but wish to call your attention to two particular sections that point to the support of current PMH-CNSs. APNA has and will continue to stress that the Consensus Model does not require currently certified APRNs to attain new or additional certification. Read More

APNA Member to Complete Second Fulbright Scholar Project
APNA member Sandra J. Cadena, PhD, ARNP, CS, CNE, Assistant Professor and Coordinator, Latin American Student Experiences at the University of South Florida College of Nursing, has traveled to Bucaramanga, Colombia to complete her second Fulbright Scholar project. Dr. Cadena was selected a Fulbright Scholar in 2008, and was assigned to complete two projects and remain in the Fulbright roster for five years. Her first project was in Bogota, Colombia in 2009, where she served as a Senior Scholar placed at the School of Nursing at the Universidad El Bosque. Full Story

New Psychopharm CE Available!
12 Session Podcasts from the APNA 10th Annual Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute are now available in the APNA eLearning Center.

O*Net
We have been asked to help with an important project of the U.S. Department of Labor called O*NET (Occupational Information Network, www.onetcenter.org) which is researching the work of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses. APNA worked with O*NET in 2011 to update the description of advanced practice psychiatric nurses and they would now like to have input from our expert members for the next phase of the research. Will you help with this initiative? Click here for more information.

This year's NAPHS Annual Survey shows that demand for behavioral health services has continued to increase for all levels of care. Inpatient hospital admissions increased 7.1% from 2009 to 2010 (to an average of 2,883) in facilities reporting in both years. Hospital occupancy in facilities reporting both years increased 5.5% (to an average of 73.0% in 2010). Hospital length of stay remained stable at 9.1 days. Full Story (PDF file)

The practice of prescribing atypical antipsychotics for off-label use is becoming increasingly prevalent in the U.S. A new clinician research summary from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides an overview of the evidence on the effectiveness of this practice. The summary discusses the review's findings that show there is little evidence to support the use of most atypical antipsychotic drugs for treatments other than their officially approved purposes. It also notes that evidence was strongest for the off-label use of risperidone, olanzapine and aripiprazole to treat symptoms of dementia; quetiapine to treat generalized anxiety disorder; and risperidone to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. Evidence was lacking to justify the use of risperidone, olanzapine and aripiprazole to treat substance abuse problems, eating disorders or insomnia. Click here for the full report.

Nine states will receive two-year, $300,000 grants through a program that supports the advancement of state and regional strategies aimed at creating a more highly educated, diverse nursing workforce. The program, Academic Progression in Nursing, is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The American Organization of Nurse Executives will run the two-year initiative on behalf of the Tri-Council for Nursing, which consists of the AONE, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Nurses Association and the National League for Nursing. Full Story

AF.mil profiles Maj. Brian Cunningham, a 446th Aeromedical Staging Squadron mental health nurse, who finds a sense of purpose by caring, listening and teaching mindfulness to airmen navigating life's rough patches. These trained psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioners provide comprehensive psychiatric and mental health care to include psychotherapies and psychopharmacology for patients of all ages. Full Story

The Department of Veterans Affairs launched a new mental health outpatient clinic in Salt Lake City. The state-of-the-art mental health outpatient building is a 38,000 square foot facility with 95 offices and seven group rooms. The clinic houses programs and services for comprehensive mental health case management, suicide prevention, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, homelessness, substance abuse, prolonged exposure, as well as the seamless integration of mental health into the broad spectrum of primary care. Full Story

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Administrator Pamela S. Hyde announced the award of a minority fellowship grant of up to $1.6 million to expand the behavioral health workforce in order to reduce health disparities and improve health care outcomes for traditionally underserved populations. The grant will improve health care outcomes for these populations by increasing the number of culturally competent mental health and substance abuse counselors available in the public and private non-profit service sectors. Full Story

The American Medical Association has announced that there will be significant changes for the coding and billing of almost all psychiatric services beginning on January 1, 2013. These changes will require significant modifications to behavioral health agencies' workflow and billing processes and practice management systems. Full Story

Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Volunteers Needed
The Red Cross has reached out to let us know that they are looking to recruit new Disaster Mental Health volunteers to provide support within the local community and on out-of-state relief operations. Hurricane Isaac continues to push into the Gulf Coast. The Red Cross is mobilizing in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana in preparation for the needed response. At the same time, work continues with responses to wild fires in Montana, California and other Western States. The webinar training team is attempting to train new volunteers. If you are an eligible licensed or certified mental health professional and can assist in any way by giving of your time, it will be appreciated. Click here for more info.

A recent Federal Register notice updates the prospective payment rates for Medicare inpatient hospital services provided by inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs). These changes are applicable to IPF discharges occurring during the fiscal year (FY) beginning October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013. Full Story (PDF file)

The Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) established the Academy for Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care to serve as a national coordinating and resource center that collects, analyzes, synthesizes, and disseminates information that is useful to providers, policymakers, payers, consumers, and researchers. The Academy will engage various stakeholders in primary care and behavioral health as participants who can help advance the field of integration. 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.