President's Message: Moving Forward, Together
As psychiatric mental health nurses, we understand the importance of connection in the nurse-patient relationship. As professionals, connecting and engaging with each other is essential. It's what keeps us resilient and constantly growing both individually and as a group. Almost a year ago in my first President's Message I wrote that, "We truly do stand on the shoulders of giants... but we are just beginning."  Since then, we as a membership have grown not only taller, but also closer together. It has been so wonderful to take part in the giant leaps and bounds forward we have made together in promoting quality and safety... Cont'd

Member Profile: Suzane Wilbur at the 2011 Voice Awards
"It was a heartwarming event that served to raise awareness of behavioral health issues as well as recovery from trauma," says APNA member Suzane Wilbur, MS, PMHCNS-BC, of the SAMHSA 2011 Voice Awards. Wilbur represented APNA, who was a program partner of the Awards, at the event. They were held at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California on August 24th. The inspiring ceremony celebrated consumers/peer leaders who promote social inclusion and offer hope, as well as writers and producers whose film and tv shows incorporate dignified, respectful, and accurate portrayals of those with mental illness... Cont'd

2011 APNA Annual Awards Recipients will each be honored at specific times throughout the conference. Take a minute to get to know the recipients, read about their achievements, and find out when during the conference they will be recognized. 2011 APNA Awards Recipients

Annual Conference
The APNA 25th Annual Conference is less than a month away! If you have already registered, we look forward to seeing you there! If you have not yet done so, be sure to do so soon - you don't want to miss out on the opportunity to earn up to 28 contact hours, enjoy fun networking events, and celebrate 25 years of APNA with your PMHN friends and peers. Pre-registration closes October 12th.

More Savings: An individual healthcare provider who attends 6 hours of approved conference sessions is eligible for a 10%, non-cumulative credit to their base professional liability premium. The 10% credit can be applied for three consecutive policy years. If you are an existing customer, the credit will be activated at your next renewal and last for 3 years. If you are a new customer, the credit will be applied immediately. 33 sessions at the APNA Annual Conference have been approved for this discount, including all pre-conference sessions and most interactive panels. More Information

Program Updates: There have been a few additions to the program since registration opened in June...Now earn up to 28 contact hours! A new session (1.0 contact hours) has been added to the Saturday morning program. In addition, there are now four product theaters: Wednesday lunch, Thursday breakfast and dinner, and Friday breakfast. Thursday's symposium luncheon will offer up to 1.5 contact hours. Also, join us Wednesday at 8:30 pm for the recently announced Foundation Reception!

Call for Volunteers: Because there are so many of you coming (and so many exciting events and presentations planned), we are going to need a little help in monitoring the sessions at the conference. So, we are asking conference attendees to volunteer! Please click here by October 3rd to volunteer to help out during a couple (or more!) of the sessions you'll be attending.

Bridge to Recovery: Consumer Violet Taylor on Peer Bridging
In honor of National Recovery Month, we recently spoke with MC Violet Taylor, CPS, Regional Peer Bridger, a consumer in recovery who works as a peer specialist in Northern Virginia. She recently participated on the Consumer Panel "Recovery Perspectives on Medications" at the APNA 9th Annual Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute and currently holds the Community Bridger position as an adjunct to the Nursing Department at Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute. She generously took the time to answer a couple of questions and tell us more about her work as a Peer Bridger... Cont'd

Position Statement: Staffing on Inpatient Psychiatric Units
Earlier this month, the Board of Directors adopted a position statement on staffing inpatient psychiatric units. The full position paper is expected to be published in the January/February issue of JAPNA. In advance of the issue's publication, the position statement has been made public and is posted on the APNA website. At the bottom of the page is a link for feedback, which will take you to a brief survey where you can provide us with your comments and thoughts on the statement. Read the Position Statement

National Recovery Month: Celebrate with Free CE!
In honor of National Recovery Month, the APNA webinar, An American Resurrection: A Journey of Trauma and Triumph, is available for FREE to all members throughout the entire month of September in the APNA eLearning Center. Hurry, there are just a couple days left to take advantage of the opportunity to earn up to 0.9 Contact Hours of CE for free! Order the Webinar for Free!

2011 Elections: The Results are In...
With a record number of votes cast, this year's elections saw enthusiastic member participation. Thank you to everyone who voted! Please join us in welcoming the following members to their new positions on the APNA Board of Directors and 2012 Nominating Committee: 2011 Elections Results

Update: Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Quality Reporting Measures
The Board of Directors, after reviewing all of the responses submitted by members and the councils, formulated an organizational response on the inpatient psychiatric quality reporting measures proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The comments represent a collaboration between our membership, our councils, and our Board of Directors. Read the Organizational Response

New Members: 444 new APNA members since July 2011!

A new study discovers American adults are reporting an increase in mental health disability compared to prior decades. Ramin Mojtabai, M.D., Ph.D, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health also found that the prevalence of disability attributed to other chronic conditions decreased while the prevalence of significant mental distress remained unchanged, reported PsychCentral.com. Full Story

This dual understanding of personality as a stable construct and of personality pathology as varying in degree of impairment is reflected in newly proposed criteria for personality disorders (PD), a hybrid dimensional-categorical model for personality assessment and PD diagnosis now being field-tested for inclusion in DSM-5, reported Psychiatric News. The proposed criteria describe six specific personality disorder types - antisocial, avoidant, borderline, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive, and schizotypal - as well as an additional diagnosis for personality disorder trait specified (PDTS). All of these diagnoses require impairment in personality functioning and the appearance of pathological personality traits in one or more trait domains. Full Story

The Coalition for Whole Health, a national coalition of addictions and mental health organizations, has submitted recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) outlining the comprehensive substance use and mental health benefits that should be included in the essential benefits package under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The essential benefits package is a minimum standard set of covered benefits that insurance plans must offer as a condition of participating in the state-based Health Insurance Exchanges. Medicaid expansion plans must also provide at least the essential benefits. Under the ACA, essential benefits must include substance use and mental health benefits - but the law did not specify exact services to be covered. Full Story (PDF file)

Major health insurance companies have been charging sharply higher premiums this year, outstripping any growth in workers' wages. A study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that the average annual premium for family coverage through an employer reached $15,073 in 2011 - 9% higher than in the previous year, reported the New York Times on the Web. Full Story

Results of a pilot clinical trial show a nasal-spray form of insulin delayed memory loss and preserved cognition in people with cognitive deficits that range from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle led the trial, which was sponsored in large part by the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Full Story

Off-label use of atypical antipsychotics may do more harm than good, a new meta-analysis suggests. A combined analysis of more than 150 efficacy trials showed significant increases in behavioral symptom scores for dementia in the elderly after they were treated with aripiprazole, olanzapine, or risperidone; benefits for nonelderly patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) after they received quetiapine; and benefits for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) after receiving risperidone augmentation. However, analysis of more than 200 adverse outcome studies showed that treatment-related adverse events, including death, were common in these patient groups, reported MedScape.com. Full Story

The U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit reversed a lower court decision and ruled that under the California Mental Health Parity Act, Blue Shield of California must pay for a residential treatment facility for a patient with anorexia even though the health plan specifically excludes coverage of residential treatment facilities. The court ruled that because the California Mental Health Parity Act requires coverage of all "medically necessary treatment" for specified mental illnesses, including anorexia nervosa, Blue Shield must pay for the treatment. Full Story

From September 15-October 14, 2011, all parties are invited to comment on a proposed set of measures that focus on people with schizophrenia. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and Mathematica Policy Research have developed candidate measures of medical care provided to people with schizophrenia for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Evaluation (ASPE). The measures address pharmacologic and physical health needs of this population. They use claims/encounter data and focus on treatment of schizophrenia in outpatient settings, and are intended for reporting by state Medicaid programs. Full Story

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced 46 grant awards for $22.5 million over the next year to help states, tribes and territories enhance their substance abuse prevention efforts. These new grants will help states conduct planning activities for the future that focus on new emerging challenges in preventing substance abuse and new opportunities for enhancing data collection, analysis and reporting systems, coordinating services, and providing technical assistance and training. 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.