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TransitionsThis will be my last update as your area representative. Congratulations to Reta Floyd who will be your new representative. I am really glad to see that California has a very strong representation on the Board. In addition to Reta, there are two new At-Large representatives from California: Neal Adams and Michelle Clark. May AACP Board Meeting NotesThe board meeting began with a discussion about developing a strategic plan. This began with approval of our new mission statement:
There was much discussion about how to develop a financial plan that will ensure our financial security. Our goal is to not be overly dependent on any one source of income.
The board wondered how we can do a better job with our committees. We would like to see less reliance on board membership on the committees so that we can make committee work a way that we reach out to all the membership.
As a step, we listed the current committees and began to think about how we can clearly define the goals and tasks of the committees. The Executive Committee will work on clarifying which committees are active and how to energize them.
There was considerable interest in developing a Leadership Institute for Community Psychiatrists; Past President Charles Huffine will take responsibility for developing a program.
The next version of the directory of members will be distributed electronically.
Board member Anthony Ng, along with board member Anita Everett are going to be spearheading an effort to connect AACP more effectively to advocacy groups headquartered in Washington, DC. Members who have personal contacts with important advocates at a national level should email Tony at atn0623@aol.com.
Membership for the first time is above 700! However, those of you who have not yet renewed your membership for this year, please do so.
Hunter McQuistion presented good news that our income this year was better than expected. However, we still have a very depleted reserve fund. The board voted to contribute individually to a campaign to establish an adequate reserve for the organization. Campaign for Mental Health – An Opportunity to Finally Create a Real Community Mental Health System in CaliforniaFor the first time in decades, we have a winning chance of funding mental health care programs for children and adults adding over $600 million per year to these vital programs by passing the Mental Health Services Act in November.
The initiative is modeled after AB 34 which has been recognized as a great success not just in California, but nationally, being called a national model by the President's Commission on Mental Health.
Because of the hard work and support of thousands, the Campaign for Mental Health.org collected almost twice the number of signatures needed in order for the initiative to appear on the November ballot. This is great news.
But the work is far from over and the campaign needs your help to ensure its passage. We wanted to take this opportunity to update you and let you know how you can help.
First, the most important thing you can do today is to take a minute to go to the campaign's website and sign up for email updates. The updates will keep you connected to breaking campaign news and the small things you can do that will make a big difference in the campaign's success. Go to:
www.campaignformentalhealth.org |
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