| Abstract: | Psychologists in Divisions 12 and 13 of the American Psychological Association are concerned about the apparent downgrading of their profession in community mental health centers by the Federal Government. In 1963, The Community Mental Health Centers Act (Pub. L. No. 88-164, 88th Cong., 1st Sess., Oct. 31, 1963) authorized Federal grants for the construction of local sites and stated in Section 54.212, Subsection C,2 "a qualified psychiatrist will be responsible for the clinical program, and the medical responsibility for every patient will be vested in a physician." Some psychologists have interpreted this regulation as discriminating against their experience, training, and competence by assuming that the director of a community mental health center must be selected on the basis of identity with a particular profession--medical. After having conferred with his Congressman, the author notes there is no Federal discrimination against professions or competency in the selection of a director for a community mental health center. Instead, the qualifications of this official are a matter of individual state policy, as long as there is medical responsibility for each patient. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
