CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
Summer 2017 Issue |
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Legislative Update
By James Pickral
PSV Lobbyist
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James Pickral |
Primary elections were held on Tuesday, June 13, 2017. In the gubernatorial nominating contests, Democratic Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam, a physician, defeated former Congressman Tom Perriello. Northam will face Republican Ed Gillespie, who won a slim victory over second-place finisher Corey Stewart, the Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, and state Senator Frank Wagner who came in third.
For the Lieutenant Governor nomination, former federal prosecutor Justin Fairfax prevailed over Susan Platt and Gene Rossi to become the Democratic nominee. On the GOP side, state Senator Jill Vogel defeated another state Senator, Bryce Reeves, as well as Delegate Glen Davis.
Neither party held a primary for Attorney General as current Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring and Republican John Adams, a lawyer in private practice, ran unopposed for their party’s nomination.
On March 23, the Board of Medicine promulgated regulations on the prescribing of opioids and buprenorphine. These regulations deal substantively with prescribing for pain and for treatment of substance use disorder. We encourage you to read the regulations in their entirety. You can find them on the Board of Medicine website. This link will take you to a downloadable copy: Regulations Governing the Prescribing of Opioids and Buprenorphine.
PSYCHMD PAC Needs Your Support!
PSYCHMD PAC has a current balance of $5,769. The PAC raised $3,875 in 2017 to date. Thank you to all our donors!
For the past few years, we’ve had a successful PAC that has allowed us to compete for attention in a crowded and contentious political environment. Our PAC has provided us opportunities to engage directly with policy leaders in Virginia. Recently, we have seen a decline in the number of members contributing to our PAC and we do not have the resources we once had.
The PsychMD-PAC is a critical tool in our advocacy program. It allows us to support legislators who are friendly to our profession and issues in the General Assembly. Every year, the legislature considers bills that could potentially impact our profession and patients. It is imperative that we have a seat at the table when these decisions are being discussed. A strong PAC provides us that opportunity. Our PAC enables us to support legislators who support psychiatry. Political contributions support legislators’ and candidates’ election efforts. It is our goal to keep Delegates and Senators who are friendly to our issues in the legislature.
This year is another important election year in Virginia. Voters will elect a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General. In addition, all 100 seats in the House of Delegates are up for election. It’s a crucial time to support our PsychMD-PAC and to raise the visibility and profile of psychiatrists, connect you to legislators and candidates in your district, and continue to build productive relationships with key General Assembly members and staff.
CLICK HERE to contribute to PsychMD-PAC.
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PSV 2017
FALL MEETING
October 27-28, 2017
Virginia Beach Resort Hotel
& Conference Center
Virginia Beach, Virginia
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
APA Find a Psychiatrist
Are you accepting new patients?
Opt into APA’s “Find A Psychiatrist” database. To view the functionality or opt-in, CLICK HERE
FYI: A link for this option has been added to the PSV website so the public can find you when they are looking for help.