by Dr. Michael Foreman, R.Psych.
It’s hard to believe that we are not only into a new year, but into a new decade I hope all have enjoyed the holidays, and are looking forward to renewed pursuits. We have the prospect of new energy and input from a number of members expressing interest in expanding the grassroots involvement within the Association, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to review the various initiatives we hope to build upon as we move forward.

First, we have engaged a web design company to develop a new structure and format for our website, with the expectation that it will be operational in about six months, and that it will meet our needs in communicating with you and providing a source of information useful to the public.

Due to a reallocation of funds to build a full year’s budget in reserve, we are not as far along as we intended to be toward hiring and maintaining consultants in public relations, however, this remains an important element in our strategic plan.

We anticipate the release of the provincial “Ten Year Mental Health Plan” sometime in January, and we look forward to opportunities to respond to the practical application of the Plan in service delivery. The Mental Health Commission of Canada continues to promote the recognition of the
significance of mental health issues in the lives of many, and of the effects of mental illness on individuals, families, and communities. They anticipate the next phase of consultations to begin in March. This phase will be oriented to the further......Read More

by Vancouver staff
Dear Members,

All advocacy updates are published in our quarterly publication, the BC Psychologist. They are published as part of the Letter from the President, written by the current BCPA President and Advocacy Chair, Dr. Michael Foreman.

To download the most recent issue of the BC Psychologist, please go to Members and Affiliates > BC Psychologist.

Thank you,

The BCPA Staff

by Vancouver staff
Dear Member,

If you are interested in the activities of the Advocacy Committee and its task forces, there are several ways for you to find out more and/or get involved:

• Read the advocacy updates in the BC Psychologist. Usually, advocacy updates can be found in the Letter from the President, at the very beginning of each issue,
  
• Join one of our task forces. The ones currently operating are the MSP Task Force and the Psychopharmacology Task Force. To join one or both mailing lists, just send us an e-mail at bcpa@telus.net,
  
• If there is an issue that is not being currently addressed, but for which you would like to form an action group, please contact the BCPA Office. We can help you with the logistics, and we will make sure that the Board of BCPA is aware of you and your interests. This is very important, as the Board is fiduciarily and financially liable for all activities conducted by BCPA.
  

by Vancouver staff
Dear Members

We were informed this morning that reimbursement fees for Veterans Affairs Canada have recently changed. You can download a schedule of fee changes here (copy and paste the full URL, without spaces, in your Internet browser):

www.psychologists.bc.ca/downloads/other/BC%20Psychologists%20Benefit%20Grid%20Update%20Oct%2015,%2009%20English.pdf

For more information on these changes, please contact Blue Cross Provider Inquiry Line directly at 1-888-261-4033.

This would not have been possible if not for the patient work of the BCPA Advocacy Committee the Committee has been advocating for changes to these fees for the past eighteen months. If you are interested in more information on the work of the Advocacy Committee, please log in to our website and go to Members and Affiliates > Committees > Advocacy - we will be posting frequent updates.

Warm regards,

The BCPA Staff

by Vancouver staff
In this recently released policy paper, the BC Medical Association makes some recommendations that address mental health care access and the funding problems that affect individuals with depression.

The full text of the BCMA press release can be read here: http://tinyurl.com/lolb3j
The BCMA paper can be downloaded from this link: http://tinyurl.com/ngzgo2

The Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles (OSMV), in partnership with the British Columbia Medical Association (BCMA) is revising the BC Guide for Physicians in Determining Fitness to Drive a Motor Vehicle (the Guide) in order to ensure that it reflects changes in the case law and the best evidence available regarding medical conditions and fitness to drive. Once the Guide chapters have been revised, the OSMV will create 2 separate documents:


1. a Physicians Handbook for use by physicians, and

2. an OSMV Driver Fitness Assessment Manual for use by the OSMV

The following are chapters under review.

• To review the draft Cardiovascular Diseases and Disorders......Read More

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