James E. Smith

SSPHA President

Message from the President The Southern States Psychiatric Hospital Association (SSPHA) began with the idea that through sharing and collaboration, state psychiatric hospitals could improve patient care, effectiveness and efficiency in operations. In October of 1999 the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and its Research Institute hosted the first National Summit of State Psychiatric Hospital CEOs at the Doyle Hotel in Washington, DC. The theme of the summit, "Exploring the Changing Roles of State Psychiatric Hospitals" proved to be appropriate as it was at this meeting that a group of state psychiatric hospital CEOs from throughout the southern region of the country volunteered to "help get the ball rolling for our region" in an effort to form a regional association of state psychiatric hospitals. Approximately six weeks later this group of volunteers sent letters to all state psychiatric hospitals in the southern region of the United States outlining the dream and inviting each CEO to sign on a scheduled conference call for the purpose of discussing interest in forming an association. It was at that first meeting on January 28, 2000 that representatives from hospitals throughout the south decided to move forward toward the creation of a non-profit organization to include processes for bylaws development, identification of tasks to be done and corresponding assignments along with the development of a future meeting schedule. Over the next two years numerous conference calls were held, board members from the southern region were selected and start up money secured through the efforts of NASMHPD and a grant it received from Eli Lilly, Inc. The first formal Board of Directors Meeting was held in Atlanta, GA on January 31, 2002 at which time bylaws were ratified, Articles of Incorporation approved and an election of officers held, making the SSPHA a private, not for profit organization. We had come a long distance in a short time. Today, the SSPHA is a vibrant organization with 61 member hospitals from 13 southern states. Our organization works to assist member state hospitals to carry out their missions more effectively in the mental health system by addressing issues involving treatment, administration, standards and systems. We believe that state psychiatric hospitals provide high quality services to severely mentally ill individuals and we believe these hospitals are an essential component in the continuum of care offered in each state's mental health delivery system. As part of our organization's philosophy it is emphasized that services to our consumers should be accessible, acceptable, accountable and provided in the least restrictive setting. The aim of the SSPHA is to provide leadership and focus on policy, management, and service issues in state psychiatric hospitals in the region and to propose new approaches and models for more effective and efficient operation of state psychiatric hospitals. Our association works to promote a mental health service delivery system that is sensitive and responsive to the diverse cultures of the people we serve and where possible, we strive to facilitate collaboration with higher education, mental health training programs, professional associations, consumer organizations, and other groups to improve the quality and appropriateness of administration of and services provided by state psychiatric hospitals. Our association does a number of things to promote and support the success of its member hospitals. The association publishes a quarterly newsletter and periodically holds "Meet Me Calls" in which relevant educational programs are offered via conference call. Additionally, every other year a regional conference is sponsored by the association. The two conferences previously held have been highly rated by participants and included presentations by experts from throughout the country on topics our members reported to be of greatest interest to them. However, perhaps the greatest benefit of membership in the SSPHA are the opportunities it provides to network with people throughout the southern part of the country who are likewise challenged by the realities facing all of us in this field and who likewise share the commitment to provide excellent inpatient psychiatric services to the persons entrusted to our care. If you are a state hospital administrator and are interested in SSPHA membership for your facility, please contact the Board of Directors member from your state for information. Dues for membership are low and the benefits of membership are many. James E. Smith, Texas