Chair’s Message
By Linda Bosma
Greetings from the Chair, February 2011
Since assuming the role of chair at the end of the meeting in Denver, I continue to be impressed with the great energy and expertise of the ATOD Section members. First, I want to thank our outgoing chair, Ann Mahony, for her leadership for the past two years. Ann contributed much to the Section these past two years — including bringing in new active leaders, encouraging student participation and development opportunities, and leading a fantastic celebration of the 25th anniversary of the ATOD Section. I know all of you join me in thanking Ann for her hard work and leadership these past two years! Ann will continue as immediate past chair for the coming two years, ensuring continuity in our leadership transition.
As we begin our next 25 years, the ATOD Section is engaged in many efforts, many of which are detailed in this edition of the newsletter. A major focus, led by our program chair Lawrence Brown, is launching activities to plan next year’s program. Abstracts are under review as we go to press, and the program planning meeting will soon take place in Washington, D.C. —i f you are interested in helping with the program planning meeting, contact Lawrence at LBrown@artcny.org to learn more about joining us on Sunday, March 27. It is a full day of planning, approving abstracts, and compiling our final 2011 ATOD Scientific Program.
Other news you’ll read about in this edition is the ATOD’s efforts to ensure that behavioral health issues relating to substance use/abuse are sufficiently addressed as the Affordable Care Act is implemented. We continue to stay in touch with Dr. Benjamin and other staff to be sure the expertise of our many members is utilized in this discussion and that ATOD concerns are included. To that end, a Health Reform Workgroup has been established on behalf of the Section, to help keep us informed. Thank you to Kathye Gorosh, (kgorosh@sbcglobal.net) our ATOD Section Council Member who is coordinating this effort!
We anticipate introducing a policy related to use of Naloxone in treatment. Several Section members are currently working on this issue, which was identified as a concern at our business meeting in Denver. Ann Mahony is taking the lead on drafting the policy and keeping the Section informed, so keep an eye out for future developments in this area. Feel free to contact Ann at agmpublichealth@gmail.com if you have comments or questions or can assist. Introducing the policy will only be the start — we will need people to speak on behalf of it at the upcoming annual meeting in D.C. and show support.
This is a small sample of Section activities. Our Midyear Business meeting will be at APHA headquarters in D.C. on Monday, March 28. While the Section's elected leaders all attend this meeting, it is open to all members who are interested in becoming more involved in the Section. We will spend time planning for the Annual Meeting next fall, identifying Section priorities, and health reform, just to name a few topics. If you are interested in attending or have questions, please contact me at aphalinda@bosmaconsulting.com or Cynthia Hallett, our new chair-elect, at atodcynthia@gmail.com – we look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks to everyone — I’m looking forward to the next two years!
Linda M. Bosma, PhD
ATOD Section Chair