Advocacy Training and Panel Discussion

The Power of Psychiatric Advocacy through OCPS and SCPS:

How you can shape policy and effectively advocate for your practice and patients

Goal: To further harness the tremendous skills, credibility, and commitment of our whole membership by outlining simple, efficient, and effective ways to translate membership knowledge and ideas into advocacy that drives positive health systems change.

Presenter:

Paul Yoder, SYASL Principal, CSAP Advocacy Consultant

Moderators:

Alexis Seegan, OCPS President, CSAP GAC Chair

Rod Shaner, SCPS GAC co-chair, CSAP Board Vice-Chair

Agenda:

Part 1 (Up to 30 minutes): How busy practitioners stay informed about opportunities for, and threats to, the effectiveness of our profession and the care of our patients: Paul will discuss how he and CSAP curate the CSAP Advocacy Newsletter, communicate membership-directed policy positions to DB membership, provide links to other key resources, and provide members with the tools to directly shape our legislative efforts.

Panel Discussion 1:  Tips on how we stay informed by reading, accessing websites like leginfo.com website, decoding CSAP position statements on key bills, and knowing how decisions are made.

Panelists:

Moderators: Alexis Seegan and Rod Shaner

Panelists:

Gillian Freeman, SCPS Inland Councilor, SCPS Access to Care Committee Chair

Laura Halpin, SCPS Treasurer-elect, CSAP PPAC Chair

Tom Okamoto, OCPS Councilor

Alex Wang, OCPS RFM

Emily Wood, SCPS Treasurer, SCPS GAC Co-chair

Attendee Questions

Part 2: (Up to 30 minutes) Joining (or even starting) decision-making groups. Paul, Alexis, and Rod will discuss working within the structure of a member-directed organization to determine our position statements on key legislative bills, our overall policy foci, and where to put resources.

Panel Discussion 2: The joys and challenges of member-directed advocacy. What it means to speak out with even minority opinions, vote directly in committees or through elected representatives on issues that affect us, and jump start policy and legislative discussions in DB, advocate for resources, or start committees.

Panelists:

Moderators: Alexis Seegan and Rod Shaner

Panelists:

Vivien Chan, OCPS APA Assembly Rep

Roula Creighton, Immediate Past OCPS President, CSAP Board Member

Matt Goldenberg, Immediate Past SCPS President, CSAP Board Member

Galya Rees, SCPS President, CSAP Board Member

Attendee Questions

Paul Part 3: (Up to 45 minutes) Advocating with legislators and the public. Paul will discuss the art of writing and talking with legislators and their staffs, working on bill sponsorship, providing legislative testimony, and gaining access to mass media.

Panel Discussion 3: The two-minute terror of giving testimony and how Paul supports us. Getting into public discussion and media via referral from CSAP, writing reporters, being involved in local groups, letters to the editor, being quotable and how to train for such things.

Panelists

Moderators: Alexis Seegan and Rod Shaner

Panelists

Erick Cheung, SCPS Past President

Roula Creighton, OCPS Immediate Past President, CSAP Boad Member

Emily Wood, SCPS Treasurer, SCPS GAC co-chair

Laura Halpin, SCPS Treasurer-elect, CSAP GAC member

Attendee Questions

Wrap Up: (Up to 9 PM). Prescription for action. Thoughts from Paul, moderators, panelists, and attendees about how we might further strengthen advocacy communication, engagement, partnership, and actions in OCPS and SCPS.

Moderators: Alexis Seegan and Rod Shaner

For more information and to register – please contact Mindi at socalpsychiatric@gmail.com

For more information on Paul Yoder and the California State Association of Psychiatrists, please visit
https://www.calpsychiatrists.org/
https://syaslpartners.com/personnel/paul-yoder/