With the New APA due to begin operation on January 1, 2001, a new era is dawning for us as members of APA and of organized psychiatry. With your support, in my past APA elections, I worked diligently as your Trustee-at-Large for REAL APA CHANGE. As your APA Treasurer during the APA RESTRUCURING and REORGANIZATION, I worked to give us a new partnership throughout APA, with DB financial support for ECP dues reduction, held dues frozen for the rest of us members, set up non-dues revenue sharing by the New APA with DB/State Associations, demanded fiscal accountability and openness in APA finances and brought us a balanced budget with budgeting by priorities and reallocated funds to support advocacy, public affairs and legislative action for both APA and its DBs/State Associations. Additionally, I worked to ensure prudent APA investment policies and high returns for APA investments and helped in the effort to set up our NEW APA as powerhouse for ACTION. Now, I want to put my considerable experience and solid record of leadership to work for my home state of California. I believe that I can help us here in California do the urgently needed Restructuring and Reorganization of our CPA so, UNITED, we can FIGHT BETTER/HARDER for our profession and our patients. Our survival as a field is at stake. Leadership is essential in these trying times. I know how to get things done. As the Founder and President of the Psychiatric Education and Research Foundation, I have worked to bring the Journey of Hope (now the NAMI Family-to-Family education program) in California and worked to fund a pilot research program by UCLA Child Psychiatry which will provide real data about the critical unmet psychiatric needs of the children housed in LA County's Juvenile Hall. California is the state of innovation and change. It is a major economic force in the world, yet our patients and our members are still suffering from years of managed care abuses. As a foreign-born and US educated psychiatrist with over 30 years of experience in clinical practice, I know intimately how a career in psychiatry can help one achieve an enriching personal growth combining marriage and parenthood with a solid clinical practice through work in our APA at all levels. I want to preserve this for future generations of psychiatrists. I am known in California, not only for my years of work as State Legislative and Public Affairs Representative, but for my pioneering work in Ethics, specifically on Sexual Misconduct and Boundaries as well as for my participation as a plaintiff in the first national suit against managed care (Holstein et al. v. Greenspring). I fight for quality psychiatric care and choice for our patients and us as physicians. As your Area VI Trustee I will: 1. strengthen our legislative and advocacy work in CPA/APA 2. reorganize and restructure CPA for increased VALUE for our members and even more powerful, cost effective, legislative and advocacy work for California psychiatry and patients 3. insist on a reliable statewide communications system for DBs/CPA and APA. 4. support an effective membership recruitment and retention campaign in California and work to implement real parity, correct managed care abuses and stop attempts by psychologists to practice medicine by legislative action. 5. demand fiscal accountability and efficiency in DB/CPA and APA functioning, ensuring no dues increases. 6. work for a CPA consensus on integrating DB/CPA functions for improved effectiveness, cost savings and membership involvement until we reorganize and restructure our CPA. 7. ensure quality psychiatric care, including psychotherapy, regardless of practice setting, especially in the California prisons/jails, juvenile halls and throughout the California public sector and managed care settings. 8. advocate for realistic fees for psychiatric care, especially in the public sector and managed care settings. 9. restore morale among our members and pride in being a psychiatrist. 10. seek non-dues funding, without compromises of our integrity, for advocacy and public education efforts. 11. demand fairness, accountability and openness throughout APA and in CPA. 12. embrace choice, diversity and inclusiveness as an APA/CPA organizational value. While the challenges remain awesome, our wisdom, energy, teamwork and persistence will get us results. I am ready and will be honored to serve you as your Trustee. Together we can get the job done and make a difference. Thanks for your vote.
Email: maria@lymberis.com Fax: 310-454-1039 Ph: 310-451-3152 |
