Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 2. Source pages: 3.
On January 12, just one day after he took office, Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order to expand Medicaid, creating health coverage for nearly 300,000 Louisiana citizens.
The Medicaid expansion, set to begin by July 1, 2016, will cover uninsured adults who have income at or below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, which is currently $16,242 a year. This coverage will include the people who fell between the cracks of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) eligibility and state Medicaid eligibility.
According to the state’s Legislative Fiscal Office, 298,000 uninsured adults will be eligible for Medicaid under the new expansion. Also, 224,000 adults who now have private insurance will be eligible, according to the Fiscal Office.
Insured people moving from private insurance onto the state’s rolls was sighted by the Jindal administration as one of the reasons for opposing Medicaid expansion. Another reason was that the state could not afford the costs as the percentage paid by the federal government declined.
Federal funding of the expansion is 100 percent in start-up years and drops to 90 percent in 2020.
On January 14 Gov. Edwards welcomed news from President Obama that additional federal money was available to the states expanding their programs.
“With Louisiana’s finances in disarray, this is welcome news…” said Gov. Edwards.
With the change in Louisiana, 31 states and the District of Columbia have now expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 2. Source pages: 4.
President of the Society for Military Psychology, Division 19 of the American Psychological Association (APA), Thomas Williams, PhD, wrote to the APA Board of Directors in November, and provided a review by the Division’s task force listing factual and procedural errors in the Hoffman Report. Williams called for corrective actions by APA, which had banned all psychologists’ work in national security interrogations.
The Hoffman Report rocked APA last year when attorney David Hoffman found what he viewed as “collusion” between APA officials, military psychologists members, and the Department of Defense.
Dr. Williams and the Division 19 task force members said that Hoffman’s approach set the stage for “confirmation bias, cognitive dissonance, and motivated reasoning.”
The Division 19 reviewers also said that the Hoffman team did not understand military behavior or the military culture, and that statements by some that would have refuted Hoffman’s conclusions, were “discounted or mischaracterized because they did not correspond with the central conclusions made in the report.”
The task force pointed out that the timeline shows that the 2005 PENS Task Force was attempting to stop abuse in interrogations, not support it. But they said, this evidence was ignored. Also ignored, they said, were thousands of hours of work in interrogations that were conducted without incident, and also with proactive intent to prevent abuse and to report human rights violations.
The reviewers said that Hoffman’s conclusion that the safety roles of military psychologists being viewed as “naïve or intentionally disingenuous,” indicates “… how little the Hoffman team learned about how effective interrogations actually work and the safeguards that are employed.”
“Rather than acknowledge that there could be genuine, honest differences of opinion on how the PENS Report and subsequent APA policy should be written, the Hoffman Report takes differences of opinion and turns them into condemnations. The Hoffman team never acknowledges what it is doing.”
The Division 19 task force members also criticized the APA ban on all interrogations, pointing out that ethics have to do with behaviors, not setting. They called the move reactionary and aggressive, and one which denies psychologists the right to serve in efforts to reduce risks to “our homeland.”
Along with the list of criticisms, the task force said that the fee paid to Hoffman, originally to fall at $400,000, was increased to $800,000, “and is now approximately $5,000,000.”
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 2. Source pages: 4.
The Medical Psychology Advisory Committee, a committee under the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, announced on Jan. 13 that it would meet on January 20, at the Lafayette Psychotherapy Group, in Lafayette.
The notice included statements the group would review minutes, consider old and new business, and then enter executive session to review Medical Psychology applications and also applications for Advanced Practice. No information was included in the agenda about the substance of any of these topics.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 2. Source pages: 4.
On January 7 the Governor’s Transition Committee on Healthcare reported, “The overall state of healthcare in Louisiana is dire.” The group of leaders from medicine and the healthcare industry provided 33 recommendations to the new Governor, including expanding Medicaid. Louisiana ranks at the bottom in health outcomes, in disease treatment, and in disease prevention.
The team suggested the state retool existing DHH Healthy Communities initiative;” increase the statewide telehealth network; and “explore a partnership between DHH and DOE to maximize existing programs.”
The team also said to expand models of delivery for community-based primary care and mental health services and to pursue a “rigorous independent and internal review of the public-private partnerships.” They suggested, “Convene a Health Summit among experts from all healthcare arenas.”
On January 8, members of the study group formed last year in response to the HCR 170 and directed to study the state’s problems, reported their findings.
Dr. James Hussey, Director of Medicaid program with Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH), said to the committee that serious problems were being solved, and the state was very close to matching the “benchmarks” of other states.
During his report, he said that the state was working on its program of Applied Behavior Analysis for Autism Spectrum Disorders, noting that the state now had 82 providers for 958 patients, and had treated nearly a 1,000 individuals for about $10 million. He also pointed to the state’s ADHD Task Force, and to a focus on ADHD/Stimulant misdiagnosis and misuse of medications.
Hussey noted that the Medical-Behavioral Health integration “went live on” December, 1 2015, and that DHH was coordinating Medicaid Eligibility with the Department of Corrections and Pre- Release Programs.
He also said there was better linkage to local community services, and the work on Health Homes care for people with chronic conditions, with a starting date of July 2016.
State Medicaid Director, Dr. James Hussey, reports for the HCR 170 committee last month.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 2. Source pages: 5.
James Eugene “Jim” Canfield, a “Founding Father” of the Louisiana School Psychological Association, died January 1, at the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in Reserve. He was 68.
Canfield’s long career included work as a district- level school psychologist for the Louisiana public school system and then serving as a School Psychological Services Consultant for the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE).
In his work he advised legislators and leaders in the LDOE and with the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education about the best practices of school psychology for children and school systems. He also helped state leaders, including serving on boards and committees, to design policies regarding assessment for students with disabilities.
He was a key figure and founder of the Louisiana School Psychological Association (LSPA) and served as the first president, and then again for a second term.
In 2013 Canfield was honored with LSPA President’s Award, and named “Founding Father.”
Long-time friend and colleague, Robert Hinton, LSPA member and school psychologist, said that Jim was a key figure in the school psychology community.
“Jim was very instrumental in getting our state association going in 1980,” said Hinton. “He was able to take what was broken from the different parts of other groups and put them back together. He later served as president.”
“Jim and I were in graduate school together, 40 years ago, and we stayed friends all the years,” Hinton said. We hunted, fished, and hung out together for 40 years.”
Jim’s health declined in the last year, but he was very independent and productive for much of this time, going into the Veterans home at the end, explained Hinton.
Current President of the Louisiana School Psychological Association, Amber Boykin, told the Times, “The passing of James Canfield and the subsequent regaling of tales from our early years as an organization has given me pause to really stop and contemplate where we began, what we have accomplished, and where do we want to go from here.”
“Although I did not know James personally, I have a great appreciation for him and his unquenchable determination to see this organization established so that school psychologists in the state of Louisiana had and continue to have a collective voice and opportunities through our annual conferences to collaborate and grow professionally,” Boykin said. “Each member of the organization must honor his memory and thank him for paving the way for us today.”
Jim Canfield was born in Bastrop, Louisiana. He was a veteran of the United States Navy and served with distinction as a Navy Corpsman with the First Marine Division in Vietnam. He was a graduate of Northeast Louisiana University and took graduate studies at Louisiana State University. He is survived by his children, James Blake Canfield and Brittany Comeaux, and grandchildren Audrey Canfield, and Hudson, and Holland Comeaux.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 2. Source pages: 10.
Johnny L. Matson, Editor Springer, 2016 Autism and Child Psychopathology Series Series Editor: Johnny L. Matson
In the second text, Comorbid Conditions Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Matson brings together experts to present the intersection between Autism Spectrum Disorders and the numerous conditions that can contribute to the complexity of the clinical picture for these youngsters. The authors note that problems occur in conjunction with Autism serve to obscure and complicate diagnosis. The danger is that clinicians can miss appropriate treatments and engage in inappropriate ones, Matson explains.
Contributors include Paige Cervantes and Jina Jang from Louisiana State University.
In Part I and introductory chapters, authors point out that it is important for clinicians to understand the scope and range of comorbidity in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), because of co-occurring disorders exacerbate symptoms of ASD.
Sleep problems co-occur at 66 percent, epilepsy at 7 to 30 percent, gastro intestinal problems range from 9 to 84 percent, the authors point out. ADD/ADHD occurs at rates of 30 to 80 percent, anxiety disorders from 25 to 50 percent, and depression from 1 to 52 percent, note the authors.
The field is experiencing rapid and continual changes due to the dramatic increase in the prevalence of autism over the last years, write the authors. The changes include major advances in diagnostic concepts and classification, fueled by new findings but also because of the “marked heterogeneity in clinical presentation of autism.”
These changes are seen in the severity, type, and number of “core impairments” and also co-occurring conditions.
Part II is “Assessment,” covers “Methods and Procedures for Measuring Comorbid Disorders: Psychological,” and “Methods and Procedures for Measuring Comorbid Disorders: Medical.”
Authors cover disruptive behavior disorders, which include ADHD, conduct disorders, anxiety disorders which then include reviews for social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and review depression, tic disorders, psychosis, eating and sleep problems, learning disabilities and dysgraphia.
In the chapter on medical conditions, Cervantes and Jang note that appropriate assessment is imperative for these issues, but also often challenging. They cover the available approaches to gastrointestinal issues, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability.
A final chapter in this section provides, “Methods and Procedures for Measuring Comorbid Disorders: Motor Movement and Activity.”
Part III of the text is “Psychological Disorders.” Seven comprehensive chapters lay out for the reader the fundamental issues in the current scientific questions for “Challenging Behaviors,” “Psychopathology,” and “Feeding Disorders.”
In “Challenging Behaviors,” the authors review problems with aggression, self-injurious behavior, stereotypy and elopement. The authors explain risk factors and when these behaviors are likely to emerge, and review assessment procedures and behavioral interventions.
Psychopathology topics include sections on anxiety disorders and mood disorders. The text also includes a chapter on Feeding Disorders where authors explain the complex skill development involved in feeding. Disorders of avoidance/restrictive food intake, pica, rumination, food refusual, feeding skills problems, and obesity are covered.
Also included are “Sleep Disorders,” “Epilepsy,” and “Gastrointestinal Disorders.”
Authors review the normal sleep patterns and development and the multiple and overlapping factors affecting sleep and interventions.
Authors look at the occurrence of epilepsy and epileptiform abnormalities co-occurring with autism, reviewing the current research and treatment information.
In Gastrointestinal Disorders, the authors note that this is a relatively new area of study and write that the GI symptoms are seen as being part of ASD, instead of being recognized as a separate comorbid condition.
They site prevalence of 9 percent to 91 percent and variability in frequency, duration, severity and type of problem, all contributing to a confused picture. The authors review 2013 and 2014 studies, the Mouse Model Studies by Hsiao, which implicate the immune system and microbiota. Authors also reviewed Campbell’s 2009 work on genetic and environmental risk factors, and the role of microbiota in social behavior.
The section concludes with “Intellectual Disability.”
A final chapter in Part IV, “Motor Movement and Activity,” and describes “Developmental Coordination Disorder.”
Dr. Johnny Matson was recently named a member of the research team supported by the Organization of Autism Research, who will study predictors of adult outcomes of those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The team will study “Comorbidities in ASD: Developmental Trajectories and Predictors of Adult Outcomes.”
In 2014, Dr. Matson was named as one of the “Most Influential Scientific Minds of Our Time.” The honor comes from Thomson Reuters, who use their Web of Science platform, a search and discovery environment for the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities, along with InCites, a web-based scientific evaluation and benchmarking platform, to identify the most highly cited researchers in the world. Thomson Reuters is a multinational corporation serving clients in the scientific information industry.
Matson falls into the group of researchers who published the greatest number of highly cited papers in one of the major fields of scientific endeavor, during the years from 2002 to 2012.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 2. Source pages: 14.
Dr. Constance Patterson attended the Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs (CDSPP) in January. The meeting was held in Hollywood, Florida and attendees learned about the new Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology.
The Council’s mission is to support the exchange of ideas and information concerning the doctoral training of school psychologists.
Patterson took over the Tulane Director position last year.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 2. Source pages: 14.
The Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists announced at their January 22 meeting that Dr. Chris Garner would take on the duties of Complaints Coordinator.
According to the board’s minutes, “Dr. Zimmermann reported that he and Dr. Lambert interviewed 3 very well qualified applicants: Dr. Erica Meyers, Dr. Chris Garner and Dr. Jill Hayes…”
The board reviewed the candidates in executive session and afterward Zimmermann and Lambert recommended Dr. Garner to fill the position. The board members agreed by unanimous vote.
According to the state contracts reporting, the consulting contract for the position is $4,000 per year.
Outgoing Coordinator is Dr. Gary Pettigrew, who announced last year that he would be retiring but who agreed to stay on to help the new Coordinator.
Dr. Chris Garner (center) was recently selected by the state psychology board to serve as complaints coordinator. Here, he speaks at a previous conference on panel regarding placebo effects. Dr. Darlyne Nemeth (L) and Social Worker Bob Waggener also spoke.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 2. Source pages: 15.
Licensed psychologist Dr. John Simoneaux will offer training about Impulse Control Disorders for psychologists, social workers, licensed professional counselors, psychiatrists and others, through his educational organization, Professional Training Resources, based in Pineville.
Simoneaux will cover changes in the DSM-5 approach to disruptive, impulse control, and conduct disorders, and also intermittent explosive disorder, pyromania, kleptomania, and oppositional defiant disorder.
Workshops are offered this month in Lafayette on February 12, and in Kenner, on February 19, in Shreveport on February 26 and in Baton Rouge, on March 18.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 2. Source pages: 16.
SEPA In New Orleans Louisiana Presenters Preparing for Southeastern Psychological Association, March 30 to April 2
The Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA), an affiliated regional group of the American Psychological Association, will hold it’s 62nd Annual Meeting in New Orleans from March 30 to April 2. The conference will be at the New Orleans Sheraton and will include invited addresses and invited symposiums, continuing education workshops, poster sessions, exhibits, receptions and business meetings of the association.
Among the many offerings, Louisiana State University Psychology Professor, Julia Buckner, PhD, will present “Integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Comorbid Cannabis Use and Anxiety Disorders.” Attendees will learn techniques used in this integrated treatment which includes transdiagnostic CBT for anxiety disorders, known as False Safety Behavior Elimination Therapy for cannabis use disorders.
Lee Matthews, PhD, from Grief Resource Center, will Chair a Symposium, “Reminiscence 10 Years after the Hurricanes: Application of Elder Therapy.” Participants are Janet Matthews, PhD, from Loyola University; Shiva Akula, MD and Laura Philips, LCSW, Akula Foundation; Theresa Wozencraft, PhD, and Emily Sandoz, PhD, both from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Megan Alsop, PsyD, from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Xavier University of Louisiana will be the discussant.
Presenters will review the development and application of “Reminiscence Therapy” groups in over 100 nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the greater New Orleans area, the Mississippi gulf coast, and Baton Rouge following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2006.
Janet Matthews, PhD, will also participate in a history symposium, “Eminent Psychologists of the Southeast Series” A Special Symposium in Honor of Raymond D. Fowler,” which is a special tribute to Ray Fowler.
Oscar Barbarin, PhD, previously at Tulane and now at the University of Maryland, will deliver the Rosecrans Invited Address II, in a workshop, “Socio-emotional Development of African American Boys and Young Men.”
Emily Sandoz, PhD, and Professor of Psychology, will present, “Behaviorism Isn't Dead: Research in a Behavioral Approach to Cognition.” She will be joined by Madison Gamble, Garret Cantu, Nolan Williams, Gina Boullion, all from University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Researchers presenting include those from University of Louisiana at Lafayette, LSU, Xavier, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Southeastern Louisiana University, Northwestern State University, and from Louisiana Tech.
Drs. Jerome Tobacyk and Mary Livingston, and students Elizabeth Dixon, and Quinn Warner, will present a poster, “Paranormal Beliefs of Latvian and American Students: Support for Motivational-Control.”
Dr. Tobacyk explained, “Our group presentation at SEPA concerns a cross-cultural comparison of paranormal beliefs of Latvian and American students. The theoretical rationale that informs our comparison is Keinan's motivational control model.”
LSU’s Dr. Julia Buckner will present a CE workshop at SEPA on therapy techniques to help those with anxiety and addiction. SEPA is in New Orleans this year.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 1. Source pages: 12.
We are very impressed with the Lake Charles Research Group, an open, free-standing group of local psychologists, interns, post-doctoral fellows, practicum students, and “pretty much anybody else who’s just interested in publishing journal articles and doing presentations at conferences,” according to one of the organizers, Dr. Larry Dilks. The group gets people involved in psychological research and provides key support to them. The proof is in the pudding, since the members are very productive, presenting work at regional and national conferences.
Getting people involved in applied research for over 15 years, with very little or no red tape––we were delighted to give them our 2015 Award for Involvement.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 1. Source pages: 13.
This year our Innovation Award recognizes a creative application of findings that have far-reaching usefulness. Dr. Tiffany Stewart, clinical psychologist, inventor and entrepreneur, and Associate Professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, has been spearheading large multisite prevention work in the health behavior change area and finding new ways to help people. Her work was acknowledged by the state legislature and she was named “Woman of Excellence” by the Women’s Caucus. Her use of technology and business approaches to advance the health goals of those she hopes to serve is a example of the how psychologists can make more of less through innovation. She was recently named the Dudley and Beverly Coates Endowed Professorship at Pennington Biomedical. She is also Founder of CSO, Body Evolution Technologies, Inc.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 1. Source pages: 14.
This year’s Altruism Award goes to those who gave their time and efforts to help Katrina victims still suffering after 10 years, psychologists from the Louisiana Psychological Association and organizer Dr. Darlyne Nemeth. The group included Kerritt Saintal, B.S.,Drs. Gail Gillespie, Beverley Stubblefield, Fernando Pastrana, Kim VanGeffen, Carolyn Weyand, Janet Matthews, Lee Matthews, Lucinda DeGrange, and Joseph Tramontana, and also Kathleen Randall. For their unselfish concern for others, they have our esteem.
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Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 1. Source pages: 16.
We weren’t sure how anyone could get more hands-on community involvement than we saw when we reported on what Dr. Stacy Overstreet had pulled together for the study on “trauma informed schools.” She is working with those from the New Orleans Health Department, from Project Fleur-de-lis, from the Children’s Bureau of New Orleans, from Maternal & Child Health at the Louisiana Health Institute, and Tulane colleague Dr. Courtney Baker. We’re sure there are more, or going to be. This award honors those who recognize the importance of win-win problem-solving in the long-term productivity of a community. Our hats are off to Dr. Overstreet and her team––A true community project deserving of the Community Development Award for 2015 and our thanks.
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Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 1. Source pages: 1.
There were many wonderful contributions this year for the Times staff to choose from for our Community Awards. As is our way, we gave credit for efforts along the lines of organizational and community psychology, where contributions benefit many, are strategic and humane. We looked for creativity, win-win solutions, contributions to scientific truth, and improvements in subgroup functioning––and found them.
We gave our community members points for courage and vision, for those stepping out of their silos and comfort zones, and for going the extra mile, or two, or 100. We applaud you. We thank you for your work, wisdom, and vision. Once again, we noticed.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.