Southern California Psychiatric Society Inc

The southern california phychiatrist newsletter is issued eleven times a year, september through july, electronically on its website at www.socalpsych.org. The newsletter is now available for free to the public via the web. The newsletter contains scientific, educational, & research articles, editorials, letters, and council highlights. The newsletter is emailed to all members on the publication date. The newsletter has become more and more robust and has a successful open rate.

Regions, committees and the council meet each month to develop new policies and/or improve existing programs. The newsletter committee edited 11 issues of the newsletter. The fellowship and awards committee bestowed awards to several local psychiatrists and programs working towards bettering the lives of people with mental illness. The disaster relief committee participates on the california disaster mental health coaliton. During 2024, for black history month the diversity and culture committee presented, a meeting on community psychiatry and published a special edition of the newsletter. The alternatives to incarceration committee is working with nami. The access to care committee, is looking at all types of access issues impeding patients from getting care, including the ongoing medication shortages. Other pharmacy issues and parity. The unhoused workgroup, is studying the causes leading to homelessness and is attempting to develop advocacy and/or programs which can help our community deal with the current crisis.

The government affairs committee looked at several pieces of legislation which had implications to mental and behavioral health and took positions on bills. Ga committee members represented scps at the ca state association of psychiatrists. Ga members were instrumental in reviewing care court and getting changes passed regarding riese hearings.

The public relations activities included a joint meeting of the scps board of directors along with represnetatives from the nami affiliates in the scps jurisdiction.

Scps is continuing its recruitment efforts with a focus on young psychiatrists and psychiatrists who work in the public sector and developed a recuitment video which can be used at training programs.