The President’s Message

Dear ISPN Members:
Welcome to the ISPN community. It is my honor to serve as the President of ISPN for 2009-2011. I would like to thank Dr. Geri Pearson, our past president, for her years of service to the organization. Under her careful stewardship, the organization moved forward on many important issues.

For those unfamiliar with ISPN history, the organization formed 11 years ago with the merger of three specialty psychiatric nursing organizations; the Society for Education and Research in Psychiatric Nursing (SERPN); the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses (ACAPN) and the International Society of Psychiatric Consultation-Liaison Nurses (ISPCLN). Soon after a fourth division was formed, Adult and Geropsychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (AGPN), to address the issues of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses, particularly of those practicing in Geropsychiatry.  Each division has a section on the ISPN web page that outlines its mission and goals.  One of the core purposes of ISPN is to connect and strengthen the presence of specialty PMH nurses. We fulfill this mission via our position statements, standards of practice, alliances with other nursing organizations and the strategic initiatives of each division.

Via our division structure, we also strive to fulfill a second core purpose: to enhance the collaborative efforts of PMH nurses around major professional issues. We use various mediums for connecting ISPN members and moving concerns to initiatives: our newsletter, e-blasts, our web site and the specialty columns in Archives of Psychiatric Nursing (SERPN news) and the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing (ACAPN news) and Perspectives in Psychiatric Care. Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns or ideas for initiatives. This year we are seeking to expand our member involvement via our committees and councils. At the annual conference, several members filled out a volunteer form. We will be sending a volunteer call out again in July, please join us as we advocate for effective, collaborative mental health services at all levels of health promotion and for the Psychiatric Mental Health (PMH) nurses delivering these services.

Another core purpose of ISPN is to promote equitable mental health care for all individuals. Many of our initiatives around promotion of equitable health care are generated through our committees and councils. We have three new ISPN task forces, Social Policy, Development and the Web Editorial Board. These groups join  the rooster of seven existing committees (Awards, Bylaws, Conference, Diversity and Equity, Finance, Membership and Nominations). Several of these committees support the infrastructure of ISPN, others help formulate and disseminate ISPN positions on important matters concerned with mental health services and education. Please watch for updates on the work of these committees in Connections Newsletter and on the web. Another excellent way to become involved with ISPN is via our councils, Education, Legislative, Practice and Research, which pay particular attention to issues around these four core PMH activities. Finally, an important group that helps our organization fulfill its mission is the ISPN Foundation, which via a trust, supports ISPN around its clinical, research, and educational endeavors. Learn more about the Foundation on the ISPN web page.

Our conference and web page serve as major vehicles for a fourth core purpose of ISPN: to promote connectivity and networking opportunities. This year the annual conference convened in Greenville, South Carolina and by all measures was a stunning success. You can read more about the conference in the current issue of Connections Newsletter. Thanks to Dr Edilma Yearwood and her conference committee for all the effort to organize over 100 papers and posters presented this year. An added benefit of the annual meeting is the two day preconference, the Psychopharmacology Institute; particular thanks to Susan Krupnick and Evelyn Parrish who chaired the event this year. In April 2010, our conference will be in St. Louis, an exciting Midwest hub and a showcase for early spring weather. The specifics for submitting an abstract will be posted in June on the ISPN web site. Please consider submitting, it is an essential forum for sharing research knowledge and models of practice/education. Also through the summer watch for new features on the ISPN web page, innovations that aim to forge virtual communities around practice issues. ISPN also strives to expand its International connectivity.  We have many International members who bring knowledge and perspective that enriches our work. Several ISPN members have active collaborations around international initiatives. This year we plan to create platforms to shape these collaborations.

Finally, at ISPN we are committed to positively impacting health care policy, our fifth core purpose. We are currently involved with advocating for important issues around children's mental health, for showcasing how PMH models of service delivery fit with health care reform, by helping set the vision for how our PMH workforce supplies access to quality/safe care, and by articulating to a wider audience the quality outcomes of PMH mental health service delivery. To strengthen these efforts and increase impact, we need to bring together the leadership of our members. PMH nurses increasing realize the infrastructures that need to be in place and the alliances that need to be built so that our pivotal role in mental health service delivery is actualized. Leadership is making the commitment to doing all that you need to do to accomplish what you believe needs to be done.  Please join ISPN this year in tracking a course of commitment to its five core purposes, all of which aim towards the ultimate goal: efficient, equitable and effective services that advance the mental health of all individuals.

Kathleen R. Delaney, PhD, PMH-NP
President