Take Action on Issues Vital to You and Your Patients!

While at APA's 2009 annual meeting, take advantage of an opportunity to contact your legislators about issues that matter to you.

When you come to the APA Member Center in the Exhibit Hall, be sure to drop by APA's Department of Government Relations Advocacy Booth and Advocacy Action Center, where you can write your legislators on issues of importance to psychiatry. This is a great way to participate in advocating on behalf of psychiatry and those with mental illness. Such advocacy, however, is not a one-shot endeavor: at other times of the year, APA members are urged to use the online Advocacy Action Center, which provides an interactive tool enabling members to respond to action alerts by communicating with their elected officials via e-mail, fax, or telephone and search for pertinent legislation at the federal and state levels. It can be accessed at<www.psych.org/MainMenu/AdvocacyGovernmentRelations/GovernmentRelations.aspx> by clicking on “Advocacy Action Center.”

Also at the Advocacy Booth will be staff to answer your questions about APA advocacy and legislative and regulatory issues related to mental health and health care reform. Also, several advocacy resources will be available to APA members:

See you at the Advocacy Booth in the APA Member Center!