Graduate Psychology Education Program Grantees Participate in the BHPr's First All-Grantee Conference

APA Public Policy Office: July 26, 2005

GRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAM GRANTEES PARTICIPATE IN THE BHPR'S FIRST ALL-GRANTEE CONFERENCE

The Health Resources Services Administration's (HRSA) Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr) held its first all-grantee conference June 1st - 3rd in Washington DC. The conference offered the grantees an opportunity to hear from many presenters, most notably Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary, US Department of Health and Human Services and former Secretary, Louis Sullivan, MD. Included among the over 1000 participants were the 27 Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) grantees. The inclusion of psychology reflected the importance of recognizing mental and behavioral health needs of Americans within the context of the conference theme: “Health Professions: Working for a Healthier America”. The conference offered BHPr officials the opportunity to highlight the GPE Program and hold a session on integrating mental and behavioral health into primary health care. The GPE grantees who participated in the three day meeting were also able to meet and interact with each other as well as other directors of other health profession programs funded by BHPr.

The BHPr demonstrated its commitment to mental and behavioral health by inviting Cynthia Belar, PhD, Executive Director for the APA Education Directorate, along with GPE grantees, Hal Lewis, PhD, and Deborah Seymour, PsyD, University of Colorado, Catherine Campbell, PhD, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, and Doug Tynan, PhD, A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children, to present on integrating primary and mental/behavioral health care. Over 50 people from a variety of health profession came to hear Dr. Belar and the four grantees give very thorough and convincing presentations on the critical connections between behavior and health, and how an interdisciplinary approach to health care can benefit patients in a variety of settings, including clinics, children's hospitals, schools, Indian reservations, and prisons.

One goal of the conference was to introduce a newly revised strategic plan and performance measurement system to the grantees. Under the guidance of Captain Kerry Paige Nesseler, MS, RN, Associate Administrator for Health Professions, the BHPr developed a performance measurement system to document the impact of the BHPr programs on the health of the American people. The performance measures presented were created through a partnership the BHPr formed with states, communities, organizations and the health sector. The American Psychological Association (APA) had earlier participated in the BHPr Strategic Planning Forums on April 12th-13th in Washington, DC . Education Directorate staff, Nina Levitt, EdD, Director of Education Public Policy, and Paul Nelson, PhD, Director for Graduate and Postgraduate Education, worked with BHPr staff and representatives from various health professions associations to develop three levels of performance measures - core, program specific, and national outcome measurements. Drs. Levitt and Nelson were significantly involved in shaping the performance measures for the GPE Program. The goal of the BHPr is to use these performance measures to illustrate the significant impact the health professions programs have on the health of all Americans.

O'Neal Walker, PhD, Chief of Dentistry, Psychology and Special Programs Branch, Division of Medicine and Dentistry, and GPE Program administrator Christopher J. McLaughlin , Public Health Analyst, Division of Medicine and Dentistry, hosted a roundtable discussion to acquaint non-psychology health professionals with the GPE Program The GPE Program is a relatively new addition to the BHPr and is one of only a few programs within the Bureau that requires the grantees to train students to work with other health professionals (in an interdisciplinary fashion) in the treatment of underserved populations. In fact, the GPE Program was designed to address concerns that the Bureau's programs were not adequately addressing the workforce needs of underserved communities.

As a way to provide support and promote collaboration among GPE grantees, the Education Directorate hosted a special dinner during the BHPr conference. Drs. Belar and Nelson applauded the grantees for their state-of-the-art programs which serve so many people, and spoke about the importance of demonstrating to Congress the long term significance of these programs. Amanda Ring, Legislative Assistant for Education Policy thanked the grantees for their communications to Congress to promote the GPE Program and garner support for increased funding.

The 2005 BHPr all grantee conference offered unique opportunities for psychologists and other health professionals to present their programs and develop partnerships. The inclusion of psychology at this conference illustrated the impact of the GPE Program and the importance of mental and behavioral health in meeting the health care needs of all Americans. The APA will continue to work with the BHPr in their goal of fostering collaboration among the health professions.

APA Education Directorate staff successfully advocated in 2002 for the establishment of the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program within the Bureau of Health Professions. The only federal program solely dedicated to the education and training of psychologists, GPE awards funds through a competitive grant process to APA accredited doctoral, internship and postdoctoral programs for training to work with other health professionals in the provision of mental and behavioral health services to underserved populations including the elderly, children, chronically ill persons, and victims of trauma or abuse. The GPE Program was funded in 2002 for $2 million, then $4.5 million for 2003 and then flat-funded at $4.5 million for 2004 and 2005. Since the first grants were awarded in FY 2002, a total of 52 programs in 27 states have received GPE funding.