Letter from the Chair, Lisa Razzano

Greetings PRA Members and Friends –

As we move into the final weeks of 2013, we all look back over the past year and think about the events and milestones that we have faced as individuals, as organizations, and as contributors to the field of psychiatric rehabilitation. Without question, the year has been filled with challenges as well as triumphs, and I believe that PRA is stronger than ever and continuing to progress as we evolve and modernize our organization. Paramount in PRA’s mission is supporting the training and education needs of our workforce. The launch of our Academy of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Recovery (the Academy) demonstrates both PRA’s commitment to the needs of providers throughout the world, and to promoting and sustaining services that are critical to recovery. The launch of the Academy has been received with enthusiasm throughout the association; there are been strong participation in the initial series of webinars that have been delivered in our Health & Wellness in Psychiatric Rehabilitation Webinar Series and the Best of the 2013 Annual Conference Webinar Series. I would like to personally thank everyone who is working to make the Academy a success, as well as our faculty for both webinar series.

This has been a remarkable year for psychiatric rehabilitation. This year marked the 50 year anniversary of President Kennedy’s signing of the Community Mental Health Act in 1963, and the implementation of another historic legislation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which offers hope of better and more integrated physical and mental health care for all Americans. Yet, 2013 has not been a year without challenges and tragedies that we all hope we can prevent in the future. Violence continues to affect the lives of individuals in recovery, as well as the perception of mental health within our communities. For me, what is most resonate this year, whether in remembering and honoring those killed at the Washington Navy Yard to supporting the recovery of Virginia Senator Deeds, is that we must continue to work to expand community mental health services that support individuals, their families, and our communities. I believe that psychiatric rehabilitation represents the spirit of President Kennedy’s legislation, but also can be a central agent of change in the way we sustain wellness and recovery for all. As we often find ourselves asking, “Why?” in the wake of many tragedies, we resolve that the answer is the need for better funding of more state-of-the-science mental health services that are accessible to all who need them within the communities they choose to live. I also believe that the answer to this call is not simply more services and funding to sustain them, but a workforce trained and prepared to answer the call to deliver them and to promote recovery among all individuals worldwide. PRA’s Academy can deliver on this promise, and I am certain that PRA will be central as an agent of change for a mental health system grounded in recovery. 

Our mission is to grow and train the recovery workforce; as ever I am confident that as individuals, as chapters, and through our association, we are a force that can achieve this mission with confidence and conviction, not only in these final weeks of 2013, but as we move into the future.