SC.GOV: The Official Web site of the State of South Carolina

On Friday, September 18, the Department of Mental Health (DMH), in collaboration with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Palmetto Health Richland Continuing Medical Education Organization, hosted a daylong Continuing Medical Education Conference titled, “A Psychiatric Update".  The yearly event was held at the William S. Hall Forum in Columbia and was also video-conferenced to mental health centers across the state.

The planning committee determines each year’s program agenda based on needs identified via annual Needs Assessments sent to physicians and clinical staff members at DMH.  This year’s topics included:

• “What Came First - the Chicken or the Egg?  Diagnoses and Treatment of Depression and Co-Morbid Medical Illness” presented by Meera Narasimhan, M.D., professor of psychiatry, USC School of Medicine;
  
• “Using Technology for Patient Care: Improving Accessibility through Telemedicine Carolina,” presented by Brenda Ratliff, M.D., DMH psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry, USC School of Medicine;
  
• “Provider Education and Family Inclusion,” presented by Bill Lindsey, executive director, NAMI South Carolina;
• “Suicide Assessment,” presented by Robert Breen, M.D., DMH psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry, USC School of Medicine; and
  
• "Stalking in the New Millennium,” presented by Donna Schwartz-Watts, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry, USC School of Medicine.

252 staff members participated in the conference, with 187 staff in attendance in Columbia and 65 via video conference; participants were awarded Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits, Nursing Contact Hours, and Continuing Education (CEU) credits.  The event was a resounding success. 

The planning committee will soon begin preparing for next year’s conference, tentatively planned for Friday, September 17, 2010.

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