Mardi Gras is February 16 and this year will be a real challenge for Louisianians to keep the carnival spirit alive during the pandemic shutdown. For this issue, our reporter came across a fascinating effort going around – decorating "home floats." We are also sharing memories reported in a better year, “What are you doing for Mardi Gras,” 2016. Hopefully next year we will be back to 100% Fat. by Samantha Dooley
New Orleans is known for it’s over-the-top parades, floats, and king cakes. So what to do when Coronavirus restrictions shut down traditional Mardi Gras celebrations? Decorate houses, of course! The idea for Krewe Of House Floats began as a joke on Twitter, after city restrictions canceled Mardi Gras parades. The group now has a website, a map, and nearly 40 participating neighborhood “sub-krewes.”
"It started off as a Twitter joke and now everyone wants to participate," said Megan Boudreaux. "We look forward to this not only being a way for people to safely celebrate Carnival season, but also as an opportunity to help our city’s culture bearers."
Krewe of House Floats not only brings Marti Gras spirit to New Orleans, but also donates money to help artists, float builders, musicians, small business owners, and other culture bearers who are struggling because of the pandemic, said the organizers.
The Krewe will also make donations to struggling families, and other charities. “We never want to have a family choose between buying groceries and paying rent, so $25,000 of our campaign will support ten Culture Aid NOLA food distribution sites…" Another $25,000 of the Krewe's campaign will support Grace at the Green Light’s Meals with Love and Going Home programs.
The organizers recommend joining the sub-krewe for your neighborhood. As for decorating homes, the website at Krewe of House Floats, offers many ideas. The group has “art pantries” which are like little free libraries for decorating supplies, and also a list of local artists who can decorate houses for those who are unable. For a map of locations or more information, visit Krewe of House Floats.
Baton Rouges has joined in. Mid-City Gras will keep the carnival spirit alive in Baton Rouge. The organization is sponsoring a unique event on Sunday February 7, 2021— one that allows participants to walk, bike, run, or drive past creatively adorned locations throughout Mid-City, Baton Rouge.
A map listing the participating krewes will be available at midcitygras.org so people will be able to drive around Mid- City and look at the decorations.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 2. Source pages: 2.
by Julie Nelson The psychology board is in need of our help. They have serious financial and organizational problems and are trying to fix these issues by passing new laws that create more regulations, more red tape, and more costs for psychologists.
Last week the board acknowledged that they will exhaust their financial reserves and be unable to pay their bills by 2022. The chair, Dr. Amy Henke, said the board must find ways to "raise revenues." It now seems clear that some part, maybe the largest part, of their motivation for putting forth new legislation is to help solve their financial problems.
They want to create a new, fee-based program for registering assistants, add new fees for miscellaneous services, start providing and selling continuing education, and raise psychologists’ licensing fees. While they’re at it – creating and lobbying for changes in the law which is not a good idea because it centralizes their power – they are also rewriting the scope of practice, expanding their own charter, giving more authority to the complaints subcommittee, changing the composition of the board, and exempting their investigations from Open Meetings Law, so reducing transparency.
It won't work. They are treating the symptoms. What is needed is a full analysis and reform of procedures and outcomes. Einstein said it like this: “We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
A piecemeal approach, using legislation as a change tool, is not the correct approach. The board has not located the correct problems to be solved. As Irv Lane is famous for saying, "They are enthusiastically running around solving the wrong problem."
Nor do any of these false remedies address the hidden issues that constantly plague Louisiana psychologists pulled into the compliant process. A prime example is that it now requires about $30,000 to defend yourself against a minor complaint that it Is ultimately dismissed. Recall that the base rate for disciplinary actions has remained stable over the years with an extremely low rate of two or three in 1000 psychologists. There are no increased dangers to the public, no one requires new regulations or restrictions. Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to impact a base rate that low– –but who cares about psychological science?
The board is developing new procedures for the sole purpose of maintaining old procedures. Personnel and material are expanding and consume resources without a clear picture of how these changes result in better outcomes.
A comprehensive organizational diagnosis and reengineering effort is probably needed. As far as I can recall, no comprehensive reform has been done since the origin of the board, in the 1960s. Modern challenges call for modern organizational designs. A reengineering effort is long-overdue.
The good news is that the board’s problems could be solved effectively with the right evidence-based, organizational analysis and design methods, which would include innovations and truly effective solutions.
How many psychologists does it take to change a light-bulb? Only one but the light bulb really has to want to change.
In this case it's the reverse––How many light-bulbs do you need in order to change a psychologist?
[Julie Nelson is a licensed psychologist, journalist, consultant, and publisher of the Times. She also holds other positions in the community. However, her opinions here are those of her own, and do not represent any group or association. She and the Times receive no compensation other than paid advertising. Email her at drj@drjulienelson.com, ––she welcomes feedback.]
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
January 6th, 2021 is being viewed by some as the date of a watershed. On one side, a bitter grievance culture leveraged by the 45th President of the United States into a chaotic mob invasion of the country’s capital. Therein the certification was underway of his successor’s election, a process which the insurrection was intended to disrupt.
The nation’s eyes were riveted on their television screens while news cameras broadcast a motley crowd costumed in a mélange of cosplay costumes, jeans, and quasi-military gear surge past barriers, batter down doors, shatter windows and invade chambers.
The scene was carnivalesque, but not a carnival. There were deaths, injuries, explosions. We saw Congress persons and their staffs fleeing to hide under desks and to barricade doors.
Many hours elapsed before the building was emptied of invaders, order restored, and the certification completed.
As I write, two days later, there is a plethora of telecast, and doubtless more private, expressions of shock, dismay, and disbelief at the event. How could this happen? Who and what is to blame? What are to be the consequences, immediate and longer term? Is the sitting president to be removed before the few days remaining in his term expire? How is a recurrence—at his successor’s inauguration or later—to be forestalled?
What follows is an essay, a writing meant not as a pronouncement, but as an effort at understanding, a contribution to the larger conversation now underway about these questions.
Let me begin with Thomas Jefferson’s words in his inaugural address after the bitterly fought presidential campaign in which our nation’s second president, John Adams, was denied a second term by Jefferson’s election:
“If there be any among us who wish to dissolve this union, or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated, where reason is left free to combat it.”
I confess to great affection for that quotation; I have cited it frequently. But in the context of the events of January 6th, they seem not to apply, Jefferson was reacting to the 1798 Alien and Sedition Act, passed during his predecessor’s, Adam’s, administration, which led to the imprisonment of a newspaper editor who expressed opinions critical of then President Adams and his policies. But it seems to me that despite our nation’s being born of a revolution, Jefferson had in mind differences of stated opinions, verbal contests, not physical assaults. The 2021 mob did not come to argue or persuade; they came to disrupt and worse.
A critical difference, cultural in nature, between Jefferson’s time and ours is what Kavanaugh and Rich described in their recent book, Truth Decay. Their book describes the diminishing role of facts in forming opinions in our society. Former President Barack Obama criticized his successor, Donald Trump, for accelerating the decay of truth by defending what Trump described as “honest hyperbole,” a form of promotion. It is worth remembering that Trump saw the trope’s appeal as residing in listeners’ love of extremes, extravagance. One has to keep in mind not just Trump’s style, but it seems crucial to look for the basis of its broad appeal.
Captured in the heat of the moment, the televised images of those rampaging through the Capitol provide a clue. If I read their expressions and behavior correctly, many were taking pleasure in the act of defiling a place of grandeur and opulence, a space in which they did not belong and to which they would not be welcomed. Their forcing their way in was the remedy for a sense of grievance against an Other who looks down on them.
Using hyperbolic exaggeration, Trump has leveraged a grievance into a fulminating threat to our democracy. The core of the grievance is the accelerating collapse of our society’s Eurocentric male caste system. The increased pace of that collapse is experienced as an exquisitely painful, vertiginous deprivation of a grounding based on someone to look down upon. When that pain explodes into rageful action, as was the case in the eighteenth century French revolution, the guillotine comes into play.
A related element is a rejection of conventional authority. As a concept, authority has two meanings, linked by the element of compulsion. The first authority based on physical compulsion. The Capitol invaders were defying the police. More, with some carrying weapons and plastic restraints to tie potential captives, they were arrogating physical authority to themselves.
A second form of compulsion is not physical compulsion but one based on compelling voluntary belief. The art of rhetoric, persuading others to adopt a position is an effort to shape belief on the basis of argument, At other times, authority is voluntarily granted based on a need for special skills or abilities—as in doctor’s orders.
A striking social consequence of the disorientation stemming from collapse of our grounding caste system is the proliferation of conspiracy theories, Qanon, the Elders of Zion, and the like. They can be understood as an effort to restore order and balance, to reduce confusion by having an explanation for what has caused the confusion. These fictions also represent a rejection of the authority of clerisy, the mainstream press and educated elite who presume to tell them what is true. The paranoid sensitivity to what is really going on helps assuage the disorientation in a very special way. It replaces disorientation with specialized “insider” understanding, providing a focus for rage. It also provides a brotherhood, a reassuring union to wage war on a common, albeit imagined, enemy. And in totalitarian states or cults, it also provides a charismatic savior with whom one can psychologically merge.
I began with a metaphor of a watershed, leaving open the question of what is on the other side. No one can be certain. One danger is a totalitarian response, the guillotine. We can remember how well that worked in France.
It may well be that evil cannot be rooted out, eliminated. The core premise of psychoanalysis is that conflict is inherent in human nature, which has ugly elements. Immanuel Kant1, Isaiah Berlin2, and Ernest Becker3, remind us that human nature and the moral universe are inherently flawed. The Enlightenment hope that all true statements might cohere died with Hegel. Some moral imperatives contradict others.
In the aftermath of January 6th, there have been calls for national “unity.” If by that is meant lack of conflict, given human nature, it is an unattainable goal and an appeal for it can be a totalitarian device. Perhaps the best we can do is to stumble along, trying not to lose our balance, persisting, struggling in on- going though not unified civil efforts, not to make a revolution, but to make things a little better.
____________ 1 "Out of the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing can be built." 2 “The world that we encounter in ordinary experience is one in which we are faced by choices equally absolute, the realisation of some of which must inevitably mean the sacrifice of others." 3 "We are angels who s–t."
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 2. Source pages: 5.
Gov. Edwards announced on January 26 that he has requested additional federal funding from the White House to address Louisiana's $3 billion in unmet hurricane recovery needs in Louisiana communities affected by hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta last year.
"As in previous times of difficulty, Louisianans have once again risen to meet the challenges of rebuilding by helping their friends, neighbors and even total strangers begin the process of starting anew," Gov. Edwards wrote. "While we do not doubt the ability of our citizens to recover, we need the help of the federal government to make that recovery complete."
Hurricane Laura struck southwest Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on August 27, 2020 and it was followed by Hurricane Delta, a Category 2 storm, on October 9, 2020. On October 28, 2020, Hurricane Zeta struck the southeast portion of the state.
Louisiana has unmet needs totaling $3 billion for hurricanes Laura and Delta alone. These include $396.3 million in homeowner needs, $481.7 million in renter needs, $130 million in non- federal FEMA Public Assistance cost share, $50 million in non-federal FEMA Hazard Mitigation cost share, $25 million in transportation damages, $576.4 million in estimated crop losses and $1.397 billion in estimated timber losses.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 2. Source pages: 6.
Gov. Edwards Extends Louisiana's Phase 2 Measures, Strongly Recommends Businesses Move to Remote Work for Employees
On January 12, the Gov. announced that he has extended his modified Phase 2 order, keeping COVID mitigation measures in place for another 28 days, and strongly recommended that all businesses in Louisiana move to remote work for as many employees as possible, as COVID cases and hospitalizations surge in Louisiana. The Governor's statewide mask mandate also stays in place.
"What we are seeing is a huge spike in COVID cases and hospitalizations across the state, putting us in a dangerous position where we are seeing major stress on our health care systems. These continued mitigation measures are completely necessary, but they only work if people follow them. Informal social gatherings are the biggest culprit right now and people need to understand that you should not be spending time with those outside of your household unless it is absolutely necessary," Gov. Edwards said. "We also strongly recommend that any employer who can should have their employees work from home whenever possible. We are very fortunate to live in a time when we have the technology to do many things from the safety of our own home that wouldn't have been possible just a few years ago. Let's take advantage of that technology in order to slow the spread.
"These are the things we were doing at the start of the pandemic. But as things have gone on, people have gotten more lax. It's time to buckle down with what we know works, and that's wearing masks, social distancing, staying at home when you are ill and keeping to your own household."
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 2. Source pages: 6.
On January 6, William Mallory Kent, counsel for Dr. Rodney Hesson, requested a 30-day extension for filing the reply to the government's response, regarding Hesson’s U.S.C. §2255. Hesson is at the center of the high profile Medicare fraud case that affected psychologists in Louisiana in 2017.
Dr. Hesson's 2255 appeal is based on his view that he was not adequately represented in the original trial. Kent related that his legal secretary’s husband had been struck by Covid, and was in the ICU, making it impossible for his secretary to assist Kent with several critical cases which involved short windows. Kent explained that there were issues on case with a 20-year litigation history and that he was having to do all his own legal secretary work.
The judge granted the request which is now moved to mid-February.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 2. Source pages: 6.
In a January 16 press release, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed the state's first identified case of the COVID-19 variant, SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7., frequently referred to as the U.K. variant because it is prevalent in the United Kingdom, in an individual in the Greater New Orleans area.
This variant spreads more easily from one person to another than other viral strains currently circulating in the United States, though It has not been shown to cause more severe disease. Health experts believe current COVID-19 vaccines are effective against the variant strain.
"LDH has confirmed the state's first case of the more contagious COVID-19 variant that has been identified in the United Kingdom, and it is urgent that everyone double down on the mitigation measures that we know are effective in reducing the spread of the virus," said Gov. Edwards.
"It was always a matter of time before this new strain of the virus would reach Louisiana, which is why our state health experts have been monitoring cases and working with the CDC to prepare. There is no such thing as taking this too seriously. Our case counts and hospitalizations are increasing daily and deaths from COVID have reached an alarming rate. I implore everyone to wear a mask, avoid people and places that are not implementing the mask mandate, social distance, wash your hands frequently and do not go around anyone if you are sick. Even with the vaccines available, controlling our behavior with the measures that are proven to help keep us safe is our best defense against spreading this virus to our family, friends and throughout our communities."
The Department conducted a case investigation and contact tracing to identify, inform and monitor anyone who was in close contact with the individual, who has a reported history of travel outside of Louisiana. However, the variant strain has been detected in at least 15 other states and is likely circulating in Louisiana as well.
The Department has been preparing for this variant strain by participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's national SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance Program and has been sending bi-weekly samples to the CDC for sequencing since November 2020. The State Public Health Laboratory is also working with clinical laboratories throughout Louisiana to conduct targeted surveillance for suspect variant strains.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 2. Source pages: 7.
Children's Hospitals Report Wave of Mental Illness
According to Kaiser Health
In a report by Kaiser Health's Carmen Rodriguez in January, Rodriguez said that government figures show the proportion of children who arrived in emergency departments with mental health issues increased 24% from mid- March through mid-October, compared with the same period in 2019. Among preteens and adolescents, it rose by 31%. Anecdotally, some hospitals said they are seeing more cases of severe depression and suicidal thoughts among children, particularly attempts to overdose, according to the report.
The increased demand for intensive mental health care that has accompanied the pandemic has worsened issues that have long plagued the system, noted Rodriguez.
In some hospitals, the number of children unable to immediately get a bed in the psychiatric unit rose. Others reduced the number of beds or closed psychiatric units altogether to reduce the spread of covid-19, she said.
"It's only a matter of time before a tsunami sort of reaches the shore of our service system, and it's going to be overwhelmed with the mental health needs of kids," said Jason Williams, a psychologist and director of operations of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children's Hospital Colorado.
"I think we're just starting to see the tip of the iceberg, to be honest with you."
Before covid, more than 8 million kids between ages 3 and 17 were diagnosed with a mental or behavioral health condition, according to the most recent National Survey of Children's Health.
A separate survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 1 in 3 high school students in 2019 reported feeling persistently sad and hopeless — a 40% increase from 2009.
For the full report, see Kaiser Health News online.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 2. Source pages: 7.
Vynca, a national leader in advance care planning, in partnership with the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum (Quality Forum), announced in Jan. that Ochsner Health, Louisiana's largest non-profit academic healthcare system, is the first hospital network to go-live on Vynca’s EHR- integrated advance care planning solution. This partnership will make Louisiana Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (LaPOST) forms in the statewide LaPOST Registry available. The partnership between the Quality Forum and Vynca enables healthcare providers in all care settings across Louisiana to electronically complete and access patients' LaPOST forms.
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From the Minutes Selected Items from 2020 Minutes of the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP)
September 11, 2020 Discussion Items 1. 2020-21 Budget Review – a. Fee Considerations – Dr. Henke presented this discussion item in continuation of the previous meeting discussion. Dr. Henke reported that Mr. McNeely, Ms. Monic and herself met to focus on the budget and consider recommendations for the Board. Dr. Henke noted the group also communicated with Erin Reuther at LPA. Dr. Henke reported that she has spent a lot of time reviewing the board’s finances and delving into the work that is required to run a board. A draft budget was again reviewed by the Board. Dr. Henke made recommendations to increase license renewal fees from $350 to $400, which would automatically impact the reduced fee for individuals 65+ from $175 – $200, and automatically impact the reinstatement fee, increasing that from $550 to $600; increase the Temporary Registration Application fee from $125 to $200; and increase the paper processing fee from $15 to $50. Mr. McNeely moved in favor of approving the increases. The Board discussed the motion. The motion passed by roll call vote as follows: In favor:(6) Henke, Gormanous, Gibson, Moore, McNeely, Harness; Against: (0); Abstained: (0); Absent: (0)
Employee/Contract Restructuring – Ms. Monic presented contract information for Monique Marino noting that the contract was not being utilized as hoped and therefore the board should give consideration to continuing the contract; with the CERTEMY contract in place, the board would begin phasing out the need for the contract with Sparkhound; the Board should consider availability of funding for annual cost of living raises for employees; and also review the contract for Attorney Courtney Newton, noting that this contract was depleted however there is still 9 months remaining in this fiscal year with many complaints still open, and new complaints being filed monthly as evidenced by Mr. Owen’s monthly report. Ms. Monic noted that it is difficult to control spending once a matter requires an attorney, and most do. The Board again discussed the option of an in-house attorney. Ms. Monic noted that both unclassified positions that the Board is constitutionally entitled to were filled, noting the added responsibility and potential liability of having to manage an employee in accordance with Civil Service rules and requirements to adhere to their fee schedule, pay raises, etc. Mr. McNeely moved in favor of proceeding with in-house counsel. The Board discussed the motion. The motion passed by roll call vote as follows: In favor:(6) Henke, Gormanous, Gibson, Moore, McNeely, Harness; Against: (0); Abstained: (0); Absent: (0)
Further, Mr. McNeely moved in favor of empowering Ms. Monic to explore and initiate requesting an exemption from the classified service in creating a new unclassified position to employ in house counsel, and in order to reduce contracts, reduce Ms. Monic’s workload, increase productivity and position the board for continuity should there be a loss of the board’s current workforce. The Board discussed the motion. The motion passed by roll call vote as follows: In favor:(6) Henke, Gormanous, Gibson, Moore, McNeely, Harness; Against: (0); Abstained: (0); Absent: (0)
b. Review Summary Suspension Procedures – Ms. Monic expanded on the complaint/hearing process and explained Summary Suspension Procedures prior to the litigated matters referenced herein, and the interim procedures established during the period of the litigated matters. Following presentation and review, Dr. Henke moved that the Board revise its policies and procedures related to Summary Suspension to delegate to the Complaints Committee, the authority to issue a temporary summary suspension, pending hearing in accordance with its authority to delegate as affirmed by the decisions of the Louisiana First Circuit Court […]
“1. The Complaints Committee comprised at least four (4) persons shall be delegated the authority to order the summary suspension of a license pending proceedings for revocation or other action, when it has been determined, by the four (4) members of the designated Complaints Committee defined herein, that public health, safety, or welfare imperatively requires emergency action, and incorporates a finding to that effect in its order. 2. The Complaints Committee issuing an order of summary suspension shall include the Board Chairperson, or if the Chairperson is recused, another appointed Board Member. The remaining persons shall be a combination of at least three (3) additional persons who are the Complaints Coordinator, Board Attorney, Compliance Officer and/or the Executive Director of the Board. 3. In accordance with the La. Admin. Procedures Act, La. Revised Statutes Title 37, Chapter 28. Psychologists, the Louisiana Administrative Code (Rules) Title 46, Part LXIII. Psychologists, when a summary suspension has been ordered by the Complaints Committee, the Executive Director (or in the absence of the Executive Director, other able-bodied member of the designated Complaints Committee) shall immediately set a date for formal hearing proceedings within a period not to exceed 14-days, before the appointed members of the Board. Extensions to the formal hearing date may be granted beyond the 14-day period at the request of the Respondent.”
The Board discussed the motion. The motion passed by roll call vote as follows: In favor:(6) Henke, Gormanous, Gibson, Moore, McNeely, Harness; Against: (0); Abstained: (0); Absent: (0)
Dawn Sharpless – Petition/Email for consideration of statutory/regulatory amendment related to forensic practice by retired psychologists. Public Protection and Safety – The Board reviewed the email petition from Dr. Dawn Sharpless for consideration of the following statutory or regulatory amendment to allow “A retired psychologist who once qualified as an expert witness and who no longer maintains a license to practice psychology in Louisiana is still considered to be an expert witness in terms of testifying on reports written while he/she was duly licensed for a period of two years following the date the license lapsed. However, once retired, such individuals are prohibited from any other psychological practice.” The Board discussed this matter thoroughly. Following discussion, finding that it would not be in the interest of public protection to enable unlicensed practice by individuals, including a provision to allow expert testimony, where such practice will likely have a substantial impact on an individual’s freedom, property, parental rights and/or other rights, Dr. Gormanous moved in favor of declining the petition of Dr. Sharpless. The Board discussed the motion. The motion passed by roll call vote as follows: In favor:(6) Henke, Gormanous, Gibson, Moore, McNeely, Harness; Against: (0); Abstained: (0); Absent: (0)
Dr. Gormanous further moved that the Board thank Dr. Sharpless for bringing this matter to the Board for consideration and reaffirm the guidance originally issued by Ms. Monic […]
Mr. McNeely moved in favor of the following three budgetary items impacting salary: 1. To grant Ms. Monic a $5,000 raise effective immediately. The Board discussed the motion. The motion passed by roll call vote as follows: In favor:(6) Henke, Gormanous, Gibson, Moore, McNeely, Harness; Against: (0); Abstained: (0); Absent: (0) Ms. Monic was not present for this discussion. 2. To grant the authority to Ms. Monic to provide up to a 1% raise to Mr. Justin Owens to be split with the Louisiana Behavior Analyst Board, following satisfactory employee performance evaluation after his one year anniversary. The Board discussed the motion. The motion passed by roll call vote as follows: In favor:(6) Henke, Gormanous, Gibson, Moore, McNeely, Harness; Against: (0); Abstained: (0); Absent: (0)
October 9, 2020 3. Complaints Committee (AH/GGi) – a. Hearing in the Matter of Eric Cerwonka, Psy.D., License No. 1020 LSBEP Complaint Number: P16-17-14C (Consolidated with P17-18-11C) – Dr. Henke reported that the hearing of this matter was conducted as noticed on Thursday, September 24, 2020 […]
Discussion Items 1. 2020-21 Budget Review and Approval – b. Fee Considerations – The board reviewed the budget with approved fee structure discussed and outlined during the September 11, 2020 meeting which included: increase license renewal fees from $350 to $400 and which increase would automatically impact the reduced fee for individuals 65+ from $175 – $200 and automatically impact the reinstatement fee from $550 to $600; increase the Temporary Registration Application fee from $125 to $200; and increase the paper processing fee from $15 to $50. Ms. Monic also presented a detailed report as requested to show all items listed in the budgetary category, “Other Operating (Variable)” which includes bank interest/fees, miscellaneous costs of investigations like subpoenas, board meeting security, credit card processing fees, association dues (ASPPB, FARB, CLEAR), furniture and equipment purchases, board election, board photos, secure document destruction, postage, postage machine lease, stationary, office supplies, computer software. The Board also discussed revenue development including a continuing education training program in the area of ethics and law related to the practice of psychology to be developed and offered by the board; and potentially a process to review and pre-approve continuing education activities.
Committee Reports a. In the matter of: Richard A. Marksbury, Ph.D., Plaintiff, Pro Se vs. Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, 19th Judicial District, Parish Of East Baton Rouge, State of Louisiana No. 682294 DIV 21/D – the Plaintiff filed a writ of mandamus asking the First Circuit to compel Judge Clark to rule on our exception. The Board filed a response to this writ. Mr. Marksbury’s writ was denied […]
November 20, 2020 [Committee Reports] :1.Executive Committee Report–Ms. Monic reportedthe following: •that an opinion from the Board of Ethics was requested related to one of the nominee’sability to serve given a previous appointment. Due to the Board of Ethics timeline on responding, nominations would not be opened until the LSBEP meeting on December11, 2020 •that two matters remain in litigation in the 19thJDC, East Baton Rouge: Richard A. Marksbury, Ph.D. vs LSBEP and Glenn W. Ahava, Ph.D. v. LSBEP •that Jennifer L. Callahan, Ph.D. ABPP President, Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (APA Division 29) sent a letter to the LSBEP related to their objections to theEPPP and EPPP2.2.Finance
1.2020-21 Budget Review – a.Public Comment: Email letter from Mike Chafetz to Amy Henke Re Board Finances: The Board received public comments from Dr. Mike Chafetz. Dr. Chafetz commented that he believed the board could do better on the money spent on rent; Dr. Chafetz suggested reviewing how Medical Psychologists are regulated in relation to the portion of their practice that is purely psychological; Dr. Chafetz suggested that the complaints process potentially involve a volunteer committee composed of forensic psychologists to review complaints involving custody/forensic evaluations prior to the board opening an investigation in these matters. The board thanked Dr. Chafetz and took his recommendations under advisement.
Members of the state psychology board, Drs. Koren Boggs (L) and Amy Henke at a past meeting, before Covid. The board is crafting legislative changes for the 2021 session but is also struggling with its own financial challenges.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 1. Source pages: 4.
In a December press release, Gov. Edwards highlighted Ochsner Health's plans to develop a super clinic of comprehensive health care services in the former Sears location at Clearview City Center in Metairie. Ochsner Health President and CEO Warner L. Thomas and Clearview City Center Managing Partner Thomas Richards announced plans to convert the 185,000-square-foot former retail store into a super clinic and micro-hospital at Clearview City Center, which is being redeveloped from a traditional shopping mall to a mixed-use site of more than 1 million square feet of residential, office, retail, grocery, hotel and entertainment space.
Opening in two years, the Ochsner Health facility will serve as an anchor for the $100 million Clearview City Center redevelopment, said the announcement. The super clinic will create 200 new direct jobs, with an average annual salary of $70,000, plus benefits, and result in an estimated 209 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 400 new jobs in Louisiana's Southeast Region. A key element will be patient-safety features built into the design, including socially distanced waiting areas, virtual doctor visits and patient check-in via phone.
The new Ochsner facility will be known as a super clinic due to the breadth of health care services provided. Women's services, men's health and behavioral health will be joined by a sinus center; sports medicine and physical therapy; digestive health and gastroenterology; neurology and brain health; pain management; cardiology; and ophthalmology and vision services. The facility will also feature a 10-bed micro-hospital to accommodate overnight stays.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 1. Source pages: 8.
The psychologists at OCD Louisiana are accomplishing wonderful things, despite the shutdowns. This year they worked around the Covid-19 crisis and organized an OCD/OC Spectrum Disorders Consultation Group for mental health practitioners and trainees to discuss topics and learn about relevant resources to provide evidence-based treatment to individuals with OC spectrum disorders. Last year was their "Walk for Awareness." Dealing with obstacles effectively, these professionals deserve our kudos – Kristin Fitch, PhD, Leslie Higgins, PsyD, Michele Carroll, PsyD, Melissa Dufrene, PsyD., Suzanne Chabaud, PhD and Gail Pesses, MSW.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 1. Source pages: 9.
“How are we as psychologists to regard a discipline that succeeds primarily in speaking to itself?” This was a 1995 comment by Gergen, repeated by Sommer in his 2006 APA article about getting the word out. Novelist Doris Lessing said, “It is one of the paradoxes of our time that ideas capable of transforming our societies, full of insights about how the human animal actually behaves and thinks, are often presented in unreadable language.” Dr. Katie Cherry, LSU Professor, is doing her best to get the word out in an understandable way with her newest book, The Other Side of Suffering. Dr. Cherry crafted the book to be helpful for the general public by sharing her academic and experiential knowledge. We are thankful for her continuing effort to educate the public how about psychology!
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 1. Source pages: 11.
One of the most serious problems in health and mental health is the science–practice gap, the divide between research literature and applied interventions. The gap is everywhere and believed to be responsible for the finding that a large proportion of clinicians do not use evidenced-based treatments. Dr. Amanda Raines, Clinical Investigator at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System and Assistant Professor at LSU, is reducing that gap with her community connections and involvement efforts. A distinguished scientist herself, she directed and promoted training programs through the Louisiana Psychological Association, connecting practitioners with research scientists from across the state, and obtained rave reviews for her efforts. Well done!
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 1. Source pages: 12.
It takes vision and the entrepreneurial spirit to begin to talk about how to adapt to the new social and business environment caused by the virus. That is exactly what the industrial organizational psychology team of Dr. Costello and Mr. Stood did when they focused on how to make changes in occupational choices, for both readers and their clients. Thanks to these visionaries for keeping us at the transformational view of the world––and for supporting the optimism that comes with that perspective!
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.