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By Marc D. Graff, M.D.
When people in other parts of the United States are turning their thoughts to tramping through falling leaves and sipping hot apple cider, APA members and their guests can be in California enjoying sun and surf.
They'll be attending APA's 1998 Institute on Psychiatric Services, being held October 2 to 6 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
What makes this year's institute particularly special is that it will be cosponsored by the California Psychiatric Association (CPA), which will conduct Council and component meetings in conjunction with the institute.
Los Angeles has bounced back from difficult times and is now in a full-scale boom. The movie and television industry has supplanted the aerospace industry as the new growth engine.
Home to just under 10 million people, Los Angeles county offers world-class sightseeing opportunities including Universal Studios, Venice Beach, Hollywood and Beverly Hills, and is a short drive away from Disneyland.
Surprisingly to many, L.A. boasts the world's largest collection of museums, including the new Getty, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the brand new ScienCenter, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History, and the just-opened Long Beach aquarium.
Los Angeles is the second largest port of entry in the United States, and one-third of its population is foreign-born. As a consequence L.A. has restaurants of every description, and stores and boutiques for every taste. The weather is guaranteed to be sunny, and the locals are friendly.
The institute will be in the heart of downtown Los Angeles where Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, and Chinatown collide with the Civic Center, the Music Center, the fashion and jewelry districts, and the business core.
This year's program offers Californians a special chance to attend sessions that are highly relevant to the political, social, and cultural changes now taking place. Several dozen sessions have been highlighted as being "of interest to members of the California Psychiatric Association."
Outstanding sessions abound. Special presentations about managed care (Robert Hales, M.D.), organized systems of care (Robert Cabaj, M.D.), and reflections about the 1995 LAC and USC health care crisis (Milton Miller, M.D., and others) will update attendees, as will a number of sessions focusing on ethnic and cultural diversity (Keh-Ming Lin, M.D., Susan Downs, M.D, Dan Fast, M.D., and many others). There will be presentations about working with communities (Russell Lim, M.D., Elizabeth Galton, M.D.) and cutting-edge presentations about such diseases as Alzheimer's and bipolar disorder, now at the forefront of research endeavors (Gary Small, M.D., Michael Gitlin, M.D., and Lori Altshuler, M.D.).
Moreover, there will be chances to meet and dine at several social events, including the APA reception "Hooray for Hollywood" on October 5. Other social events are now being planned and will be announced in future issues of Psychiatric News.
In short, the meeting promises to be educationally exciting and a chance to learn in a dynamic and multicultural environment.
Dr. Graff is the local arrangements consultant for APA's 1998 Institute on Psychiatric Services.