Southern California Psychiatric Society

Continuing education is offered to all members. Topic-focused meetings are now offered througout the year by the various committees. All educational meetings are held virtually so that they are universally accessible to all members. The advances in psychiatry conference was held in january as was a meeting on substance use trends.

Regions, committees and the council meet each month to develop new policies and/or improve existing programs. The newsletter committee edited 11 issues of the newsletter. The fellowship and awards committee bestowed awards to several local psychiatrists and programs working towards bettering the lives of people with mental illness. The disaster relief committee participates on the California disaster mental health coaliton. During 2023, for black history month the diversity and culture committee presented, a viewing and discussion of the 9 part docuseries they produced on psyhiatry in marginalized communities. The next month they presented a meeting on war, trauma, and bias. The diveristy and culture committee also presented its docuseries at the american Psychiatric associations annual meeting. The alternative crisis response committee became the alternatives to incarceration committee and is working with nami. The access to care committee, is looking at all types of access issues impeding patients from getting care, including the ongoing medication shortages and other pharmacy issues. The private partice committee which is looking at similar issues and how they effect private prcatice. A new committee was formed, the unhoused workgroup, which is studying the causes leading to homelessness and is attempting to develop advocacy and/or programs which can help our community deal with the current crisis.

The Southern California phychiatrist newsletter is issued eleven times a year, september through july, electronically on its website at www.socalpsych.org. The newsletter is now available for free to the public via the web. The newsletter contains scientific, educational, & research articles, editorials, letters, and council highlights. The newsletter is emailed to all members on the publication date. The newsletter has become more and more robust and has a successful open rate.