President of American Psychiatric Association Advocates for Single Payer Health Care
Psychiatrists need to “tirelessly advocate” for a single-payer, universal health care system so every American has access to care as a right, not a privilege.
That was the message that outgoing APA President Steven Sharfstein, M.D., delivered to those attending the Opening Session of APA’s 2006 annual meeting last month in Toronto.
“To advocate and to lead, we must say five simple words about the state of our health care system in the U.S. today: the emperor has no clothes,” said Sharfstein, president and CEO of the Sheppard Pratt Health System in Maryland.
Sharfstein reminded his audience that in the speech he had delivered at last year’s Opening Session, he challenged fellow APA members to become involved in advocating for patients and the profession of psychiatry at the local, state, and national levels.
His challenge did not end with his presidency, however. “We cannot slow down,” he said. “Advocacy is not just calling on others to do what we want; it is a shining light for others to follow.”