Resources Center

NCPS provides the following information to the general public to assist them in answering their questions about mental health issues and mental healthcare. The links are provided as a convenience and do not imply endorsement. NCPS is not responsible for content provided on websites hosted by organizations outside NCPS and does not guarantee the accuracy of the information they contain.

COVID-19 Coronavirus News and Information (updated 6/23/2020)

Below are links to infomation and resources from national, state and local health organizations & institutions, as well as the latest on telemedicine, HIPPA, and billing information and instructions, to help you stay up-to-date and safe in this unique and difficult time. This page will be updated continually as information come in. If there is anything missing or that you think should be included, please send it to info@ncps.org. 

Beware of COVID-19 Scams: Consumers and healthcare facilities are being targeted by scammers posting as representatives of CDC, DEA, WHO or Medical Boards and asking for personal information, donations, etc. Click on resources below explaing in more detail: 
https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/pressreleases/extortion_scam.htm
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/coronavirus-scams-what-ftc-doing

HHS Enhanced Provider Relief Fund Payment Program 

HHS Press Release (6/23/20)

HHS CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Webcast Registration: Thursday, June 25, 2020 at 11:00 am PT

APA INFORMATION & RESOURCES

APA COVID-19 Resource Center - https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/covid-19-coronavirus - continually updated

TELEHEALTH, HIPAA & BILLING

Elsevier COVID-19 Healthcare Hub - Toolkits for Healthcare Professionals - CLICK HERE

FCC COVID-10 Telehealth Program: https://www.fcc.gov/ - continually updated

Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) - The latest regarding state licensure during COVID-19: https://www.fsmb.org/ - continually updated

California Department of Insurance - COVID-19 Updates - continually updated

CMS COVID-19 Updates: https://www.cms.gov/ - continually updated

CMA COVID-19 Udates: https://www.cmadocs.org/ - continually updated

Calif. DHCS COVID-19 Updates: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/ - continually updated

Health & Human Services COVID-19 Updates: https://www.hhs.gov/ - continually updated

DEA COVID-19  Updates: https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/index.html - continually updated

FDA COVID-19 Updates: https://www.fda.gov/ - continually updated

CSAM Medicare Reimbursement & OTP Guidance - https://www.asam.org/advocacy/practice-resources/coronavirus-resources

CSAM Medicare/Telemedicine Provider Fact Sheet - https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-telemedicine-health-care-provider-fact-sheet

SAMHSA Opioid Treatment Program Guidance and FAQs - https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment

An Important Telehealth Message from NCPS Ethics Chair

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS & PRACTICES

FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program - https://www.fcc.gov/covid-19-telehealth-program

HSS CARES Act Provider Relief Fund - https://www.hhs.gov/provider-relief/index.html

CMS Accelerated and Advance Payment Program Fact Sheet - https://www.cms.gov/files/document/accelerated-and-advanced-payments-fact-sheet.pdf

Private Practice COVID-19 Economic Survival Resource Page (created and provided by member): https://sites.google.com/view/privatepracticemdsfbaysbalinks/

SELF CARE RESOURCES

​​              LBuilds.com

              https://masksfordocs.com/  

              https://www.matterhackers.com/covid-19 

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT & OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education: Stage 3 Pandemic Emergency Status Guidance - https://acgme.org/COVID-19/Stage-3-Pandemic-Emergency-Status-Guidance

HRSA Federal Funding Resources: https://www.hrsa.gov/coronavirus

SAMHSA Emergency Grants to Address Mental and Stubstance Use Disorders During COVID-19: APPLICATION DUE DATE APRIL 10, 2020

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) - https://www.cdc.gov/

US Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce During COVID-19 - https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/CISA-Guidance-on-Essential-Critical-Infrastructure-Workers-1-20-508c.pdf

AMA Phsyician's Guide to COVID-19

AMA COVID-19 FAQ's

AAAP COVID-19 Updates - https://www.aaap.org/

Medscape Psychiatry COVID-19 Resource Center: https://www.medscape.com/resource/coronavirus

AACAP Resource Library: https://www.aacap.org/coronavirus

STATE GOVERNMENT & OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

Daily Live Briefings from Governor Newsom at 12:00 noon via Twitter @CAgovernor and via California Governor Facebook page (begininning 3/30/20)

Office of Governor Gavin Newsom - https://www.gov.ca.gov/category/press-releases/

Office of Governor Gavin Newsom: Latest Action Items At-a-Glance - Continually Updated - https://www.gov.ca.gov/california-takes-action-to-combat-covid-19/

California Governor calls on ALL who have background in health: https://covid19.ca.gov/healthcorps/

CMA link to latest news, information and resources - https://www.cmadocs.org/

California Department of Public Health (CDPH) - https://www.cdph.ca.gov/

LOCAL/REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS & INSTITUTIONS

Heal San Francisco Press Release - Expanded Mental Health Support for Health Care Workers: https://healsanfrancisco.org/ (4/8/20)

Volunteer to Provide Pro Bono Counseling for Front-line Healthcare Workers Facing COVID-19: Bay Area Project: CLICK HERE for more information

San Francisco City/County: https://sf.gov/

San Francisco Mayor, London Breed: https://sfmayor.org/

San Francisco Department of Public Health - https://www.sfdph.org/dph/default.asp

San Francisco Department of Public Health: Masking Guidelines for High Risk Patients & Staff (3/26/20)

Stanford University -https://healthalerts.stanford.edu/

University of California San Francisco - https://www.ucsf.edu/coronavirus

San Mateo Medical Center - https://www.smchealth.org/coronavirus

California Pacific Medical Center - https://www.sutterhealth.org/for-patients/health-alerts/2019-novel-coronavirus

Kaiser Permanente, San Jose - https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/alerts/p1/2019-novel-coronavirus-feb-2020

Kaiser Permanente, Oakland - https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/northern-california/alerts/p1/2019-novel-coronavirus-feb-2020

RISK MANAGEMENT

Northern California Wildfire Resources

Coping Strategies:
The Northern California Psychiatric Society and the American Psychiatric Association recommend following these steps for coping in the days following a traumatic event:

  • Keep informed about new information and developments, but avoid overexposure to news rebroadcasts of the tragedy. Be sure to use credible information sources to avoid speculation and rumors.
  • If you feel upset, you are not alone. Common reactions to trauma include anxiety, depression, irritability, difficulty sleeping, isolating yourself from others and increased use of alcohol and tobacco to manage your emotions. Talk to friends, family or peers who likely are experiencing the same feelings.
  • If you have contact with children, keep open dialogues with them regarding their fears of danger. Talk about your ability to cope with tragedy and get through the ordeal.
  • Feelings of fear, sadness and anger following a traumatic event are natural and may persist for days or much longer. You may want to seek psychiatric care if you or your child are having increasing problems at home, work or school, using more alcohol, or experiencing symptoms that don’t get better after a few days.

Mental health resources:

Collegial Resource Hotline

The Resource Committee offers a confidential line to speak with a committee member about any question or concern regarding yourself or your practice.  This is a benefit of NCPS Membership.  While NOT formal treatment, you may call about practically anything. 

You may choose the hotline or contact any committee member directly by email or phone below.  You may request anonymity and/or ask that your name not be shared with other committee members.  In short, this is:

  • a free service
  • conversations are confidential 
  • anonymous by request
  • a service without notes or records
  • a service insulated from outside requests for information

Managing Stress in psychiatric practice keeps us well and averts burnout...

Hotline: 888-386-3641: Your call will be returned by the committee member on call or 

Call a committee member directly or you may initiate contact by email:

1.  Suzana Simkovic - 925-719-2920 ssimkovicmd@gmail.com
2.  Lynn Bertram - 925-254-0700 or lynn.bertram@kp.org
3.  Marvin Firestone - firestone@forensicneuropsychiatiry.com
4.  Sam Naifeh - 415-420-0078 or samnaifeh@sbcglobal.net
5.  Gary Nye - 925-254-3222 or gn39@aol.com
6.  Richard Cicinelli -  rickcic@aol.com
7.  Simran Singh - email:  ssinghmd3@gmail.com
8.  Farah Zaidi - email:  farah09@yahoo.com 
9.  Victoria Cabanela - 707-246-5488 or cabanelav@yahoo.com
10. Sally Kaufmann - 415-567-3535 or skaufmann@sbcglobal.net

Common Mental Health Issues

For information regarding many common mental health issues please see the website http://www.healthyminds.org. At this site individuals can search by specific mental health issue, population subgroup and do a general search. The site was created the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

APA Well-being & Physician Burnout Resources

For resources on the APA website, go to: https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/well-being-and-burnout/well-being-resources

National Alliance on Mental Illness

Nami

NAMI offers free, volunteer-driven support for families of patients suffering from mental illness. It is a good grassroots organization where people can find out valuable information without having to see a psychiatrist. NAMI oftentimes has psychiatrists (sometimes NCPS members) speak to them at their monthly meetings. These meetings are free to the public and a good example of the kind of information NAMI provides

Medicare

Patients with Medi-Care are experiencing difficulties when trying to find a psychiatrist. While none of our members currently accept Medicare in private practice the following are a list of resources that should help in finding a physician accepting Medicare.

  • California Health Advocates is a non-profit dedicated to Medicare advocacy and education for Californians. http://www.cahealthadvocates.org
  • California Government website specifically for Medi-Cal http://www.medi-cal.ca.gov
  • At the Official US Government Site for Medicare patients can search for doctors accepting Medicare. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Servies is open 24 hour a day 7 days a week. Telephone: 1-800-633-4227 Website: https://www.medicare.gov

County Health Services

County Health Services are the best resource for patients who are using Medi-Cal or Medi-Cal insurance to cover the cost for mental health services. Almost every county has a county hospital (and several clinics) where Medi-Cal patients can be seen. County Health Services are also a good place to start for patients using other types of health insurance. To see a list of contact information for Northern California Counties please click here.

Affiliated Associations

California Psychiatric Association: the state association of APA, the lobbying arm of the California District Branches.

Tel: 916-442-5196
http://www.calpsych.org

BECOME A KEY CONTACT: being a Key Contact is an important and irreplaceable part of our overall legislative advocacy efforts. For more information and to learn how to sign up to become a Key Contact please click here.

American Psychiatric Association: the national organization representing psychiatry.

Tel: 888-357-7924
http://www.psychiatry.org/

Other District Branches of the APA in California

Central California Psychiatric Society

Tel: 888 234-1613
https://cencalpsych.org/

Orange County Psychiatric Society

Tel: (714) 978-3016
www.ocps.org

San Diego Psychiatric Society

Tel: 858-279-4586
www.sandiegopsychiatricsociety.org

Southern California Psychiatric Society

Tel: (310) 815-3650
www.socalpysch.org

Mission

To advance the quality and effectiveness of psychiatric care through advocacy, professional education and camaraderie.

 

 

Contact Us

   info@ncps.org
   (415) 334-2418
   (415) 239-2533
   77 Van Ness, Suite 101, #2022
San Francisco, CA 94102