Happy Holidays from Your Psych Nursing Family
Here’s a quick holiday video card just for you - psychiatric-mental health nurses - because no one can do what you do quite like you: Watch Now

Share your Superhero Story
Tell APNA about your experiences as a psychiatric-mental health nurse to be highlighted in newsletters, social media, posts, and the website. Click here to learn more.

November/December 2017 Edition of JAPNA
A new issue of the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association is available online by clicking here. APNA members can access the online content (including CE articles) of the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (JAPNA), which consists of access to the entire JAPNA archive on the SAGE Journals website.

APNA Bylaws Changes - Cast Your Vote
You – the APNA members – told us that you want more opportunities to be involved in leadership roles at the National level. You also told us that you would like more services to support APNA Chapters in advancing the goals of APNA on a local level. That’s why the Board of Directors has proposed several amendments to the APNA bylaws. If approved, they will give the organization the ability to meet these requests.

Click here for a full explanation of the amendments and instructions on how to vote.

Register Now for CPI West: March 17-18 in San Diego
Save 20% when you register by February 20th for the newest expansion of the APNA Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute, CPI West! Get away to sunny San Diego March 17-18 for two days of psychopharmacology continuing education planned for nurses, by nurses alongside enriching interactions with psychiatric-mental health nurses. Register now!

People in the U.S. who experience serious mental illness and serious emotional disturbances need greater access to quality, affordable health care, according to a report released by the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC). APNA President Linda Beeber serves on the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC), who developed this report. The report, The Way Forward: Federal Action for a System That Works for All People Living with SMI and SED and Their Families and Caregivers, was delivered to Congress on December 13. This first report from the ISMICC provides a roadmap for improving mental health services for adults living with serious mental illness and children and youth who experience serious emotional disturbances. Full Story To download the full report click here.

Despite the federal parity law, people lack the same access to mental health providers as they have for other medical providers according to NAMI's third nationwide parity report, The Doctor is Out. . More than 1 out of 3 respondents (34%) with private insurance had difficulty finding a mental health therapist, compared to only 13% reporting difficulty finding a medical specialist. Full Story To download the report click here.

Individuals with behavioral health conditions are more likely than those with physical health conditions to use higher-cost, out-of-network care, and their providers are paid less than primary care providers for similar services, according to a recent report from Milliman, Inc. Full Story To download the full report click here.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Sublocade, the first once-monthly injectable buprenorphine product for the treatment of moderate-to-severe opioid use disorder (OUD) in adult patients who have initiated treatment with a transmucosal (absorbed through mucus membrane) buprenorphine-containing product. It is indicated for patients that have been on a stable dose of buprenorphine treatment for a minimum of seven days. Buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD is currently approved to administer as a tablet or film that dissolves in the mouth, or as an implant. Sublocade provides a new treatment option for patients in recovery who may value the benefits of a once-monthly injection compared to other forms of buprenorphine, such as reducing the burden of taking medication daily as prescribed. Full Story

A new study has found that ketamine is significantly more effective than a commonly used sedative in reducing suicidal thoughts in depressed patients. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) also found that ketamine’s anti-suicidal effects occurred within hours after its administration, reported PsychCentral.com. Full Story

A new clinical trials consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health is expected to accelerate and expand studies for therapies in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The infrastructure of 35 sites across the U.S. – called the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial Consortium (ACTC) – will address the timeframe, complexity and expense of the recruitment process and site activation for Alzheimer’s trials to find new and effective ways to treat or prevent these devastating disorders. Full Story

Even if researchers were to find a groundbreaking new treatment for Alzheimer's disease, millions of people might not benefit from it, reported HealthDay.com. That's because the U.S. health care system doesn't have the ability to quickly implement a newly approved treatment on a widespread scale, according to a report from the RAND Corporation. Full Story

When people search for "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder," “PTSD” or related queries on Google on mobile, they will see a Knowledge Panel that will provide the option to tap “check if you may have PTSD”, which will link to PC-PTSD-5, a clinically validated screening questionnaire to assess the likelihood of having the condition. Full Story

For almost 30 years, crisis intervention team (CIT) programs have brought together police, mental health advocates and mental health professionals to change community responses to crisis situations. In a recent webinar Major Sam Cochran talks about the key role these partnerships play in creating sustainable change over the long term. The webinar also provides a sneak peek of a new NAMI resource that lays out the key steps for developing a successful CIT program. Click here to watch a replay of the webinar or here to download the presentation.

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