Free to Credentialed Journalists-AACAP Program Shows Road Ahead for Policy and Practice
For Immediate Release
Sep 28, 2006
Contact:
Denise Espie, Director, Development and Communications, ext. 120, despie@aacap.org
Erin Baker, Communication Manager, ext. 119, ebaker@aacap.org
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 28, 2006-- At the AACAP Special Program on Monday, October 23, 2006, from 8:00 –5:00 p.m., “The Road Ahead for Policy and Practice,” at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina, experts will show how systems of care are evolving, and what the changes mean for physicians, families, and other mental health professionals.
In a system of care, mental health, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and other agencies work together to ensure that children with mental illnesses and their families have access to the services they need to succeed.
Experts will also explore a major trend in systems of care service delivery: the emphasis on parent and caregiver partnership. “Parents need to share expertise and power, and parents should take the lead in treatment, planning, implementation, and monitoring,” says Gordon Hodas, M.D., a child and adolescent psychiatrist and leader in systems of care work.
This program will bring national and state experts together to define best systems of care and will focus on: government policies, the role of advocacy at the political and clinical level, challenges for mental health providers working within systems of care, and data on their impact. The program will include:
- A two-part presentation on policy changes led by Gary Blau, Ph.D, Chief of the Child, Adolescent, and Family Branch of the Center for Mental Health Services and Penelope Knapp, M.D., Medical Director for California's Department of Mental Health;
- A session by Rusty Selix, J.D., organizer of California's Proposition 63 to fund mental health services in California and Darcy Gruttadaro, J.D., of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, that will discuss how advocacy can make a difference;
- A presentation for mental health professionals on how to hold a successful Child Family Team meeting;
- And, a review of how well systems of care really work, with special emphasis on San Diego.
If you are interested in attending the program and are a member of the media, please contact Erin Baker at ebaker@aacap.org. Others may register for the meeting at www.aacap.org.
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The AACAP Annual Meeting Press Room will be located in the Chicago Room of the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina. Press Room hours are Tuesday, October 24-Friday, October 27, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday, October 28, 8:00 a.m. to noon. The meeting is open to members of the media and credentialed public relations staff of nonprofit, allied mental health organizations.
