Wednesday, March 21, 2007

INFO: Please Help Save the GPE Program!

Dear Colleagues,

Once again, we need your help to save the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program. As you know, recent budget cuts have put the GPE Program in jeopardy, with funding at a low of $1.8 million. However, in the past your grassroots support has helped us establish and sustain the program. Please respond immediately or NLT March 30th.

Responding is Quick & Easy: All you will need to do is send a prepared message to both your Senators. The message urges them to support $7 million funding to the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program in the FY 2008 Labor-HHS-ED appropriations bill by signing onto a Dear Colleague letter that will be circulated by Senator Durbin.

The GPE Program is a competitive grant program, which supports the interdisciplinary training of graduate psychology students (doctoral and postdoctoral) and interns, with other health professionals. The focus of the training is on the provision of mental and behavioral health services to underserved persons (i.e., older adults, children, chronically ill persons, and victims of abuse or trauma including returning military personnel and their families) in urban and rural communities.

Please go to http://www.apa.org/ed/gpe_imprtant.pdf to take immediate action.

Thank you so much for your help at this critical time.

Nina Levitt, EdD Associate Executive Director for Education Education Government Relations Office American Psychological Association Washington, DC 20002-4242 202-336-6023 nlevitt@apa.org