Wondering what you can do to help advocate for your profession? Get involved with the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS). One arm of APAGS advocacy structure is in health care reform. The APA’s Practice Directorate has identified eight priorities for such reform, and with your support we can make these changes happen:
1. Integrate mental and behavioral health care into primary and other health care services.
2. Ensure access to quality mental and behavioral health promotion, screening and referral, prevention, early intervention, and wellness services.
3. Develop and maintain a diverse psychology workforce that is competent to develop and apply evidence-based behavioral and psychosocial assessments and interventions to address the current needs and changing demographics of our nation's population.
4. Ensure that quality mental and behavioral health care and access to psychologist providers are included in benefit plans.
5. Eliminate disparities in mental health status and mental health care through the use of psychological and behavioral research and services that are culturally and linguistically competent.
6. Increase federal funding for basic and translational psychological and behavioral research and training to develop and evaluate empirically based treatments.
7. Include strong privacy and security records protections in the development of health information technology, with special attention to mental health records.
8. Enhance the involvement of psychologists and other health care professionals with consumers, families, and caregivers in planning, implementing, and evaluating health care initiatives.
Source: "Health Care Reform Priorities" (2009, February). American Psychology Association. Submitted by Ben Campbell.