CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
Spring 2021 Issue |
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Outgoing President's Message
Stephen Cunningham, MD
PSV Immediate Past President
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| Dr. Cunningham |
It has been an honor to serve in the role as the 2020 PSV president. Despite the many obstacles, the fall meeting was held in October 2020 in Roanoke, which was our first hybrid conference. It was wonderful to visit with many of you at that conference, and later at the hybrid spring conference in February. Attendance, both virtual and in-person, was greater than expected. We all crave direct interaction with each other, just as our patients are longing to directly interact with us and return to 'normal' in-person visits. At the same time, our patients have expressed to us their appreciation of the feeling of safety that telepsychiatry appointments afford. Many have pleaded to be able to continue to receive psychiatric treatment via telemedicine for as long as possible. To this end, the PSV and the APA are actively working to ensure that telemedicine reimbursement continues for as long as needed, and we are fighting for the continued authorization to provide treatment via telephone for our many patients who do not have access to smartphones or computers.
This past year felt as though it was in suspended animation, and it has resulted in some of the most bizarre professional experiences that most of us have ever encountered. Despite some of its safety advantages, telepsychiatry appointments have created their fair share of challenges, for psychiatrists and patients alike. It has been quite cumbersome to deliver psychiatric care when patients are simultaneously assisting their children in “zoom-school”, shopping, working from home or juggling many different tasks, while conducting their appointment with us on the phone. Providing adequate addiction treatment has been difficult for patients with whom I have had no in-person contact, and from whom obtaining bloodwork or urine samples has been rare. Additionally, the increased demands for mental health treatment has taxed our resources and scarce availability of appointments has quickly resulted in our patients being at higher risk of self-harm, addiction, and overall decompensation. Each one of us is working harder than ever to provide psychiatric treatment to our patients, but it has not been easy.
As I have written previously, hope and optimism are core components of resiliency, and we who provide psychiatric care are certainly resilient. We remain hopeful and confident in our plans to proceed with future hybrid conferences under the leadership of the current PSV president, Dr. Sherin Moideen, and in 2022, under the leadership of Dr. Michal Cieraszynksi. I wish for all of us to remain hopeful and steadfast in our personal and professional lives. We must continue to encourage these survival traits in our patients. We will persevere and survive any adversity together!
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PSV 2021
FALL MEETING
September 24-25, 2021
Hilton
Norfolk The Main
Norfolk, VA
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