By Patrick Triplett, MD
[Fall 2007; Vol. 34, No. 1; Pg. 1-2, 10]
Kery
Hummel assumed the duties of executive director of the Maryland Psychiatric
Society (MPS) on December 4th of last year and has hit the ground
running.
He comes to the MPS with an M.S. in Health Care Administration and over
thirty years of experience in health related fields in Texas, Ohio and Maryland.
He had most recently been the director at the Western Maryland Area Health
Education Center (AHEC) in Cumberland before the MPS was fortunate enough to
secure his services. He has worked on a broad range of public health topics,
ranging from developing a disparities reduction model for Maryland’s Special
Populations Cancer Network to examining factors impacting emergency room wait
times. His new job represents his first formal work in mental health.
Hummel
brings a unique and valuable set of skills and experiences to the position of
executive director and says “every job I’ve had for the last 35 years has
contributed” in preparing him for this new role. When asked to describe how he
is settling in, he drew from his Texas past: “I can see the horse, but don’t
have a saddle on it yet.” He is able to enumerate a number of the challenges
and demands of his new job, and says he is glad he has help.
“Heidi and Megan are great, incredible people,” and have been
invaluable in smoothing his transition. In general though, “it’s a year
before you feel comfortable,” he predicts.
Part
of his transition has involved immersing himself in the work of the society and
its members.
He says he has come to appreciate aspects of mental health care that he
had not been exposed to in his past work in public health.
As an outsider, he had the impression that psychiatrists limited their
experience with patients to talk therapy, medications or both, in an office
setting.
He has found, however, that the field has a number of practitioners who
go beyond the office walls and often beyond the call of duty to take care of
some of those most in need. This might involve going to a shelter or street
corner, providing help in getting housing or food, in short, going the extra
distance to allow those who are often the most forsaken the opportunity for more
choices and greater respect.
He has been most impressed by this element of humanity in psychiatry,
beyond the clinical, medical component of care, and can see how this corresponds
well with his own experiences in public health and his desire to make a
significant contribution to improving the lives of others.
He
has been impressed as well by the level of commitment to the MPS he has seen
from its members. This dedication, he notes, has been evident in the MPS’s
newest recruits as well as some of its most senior members. The resources this
group represents collectively are striking and he’s been surprised how even
some of the most renowned names in American psychiatry are friendly and
accessible. He says he is proud to be part of an organization with such an
admirable legacy.
“Maryland has such a wealth of value and high concentration of
quality,” he says, it’s easy to see how “Maryland has helped chart a
course for rest of the country” in psychiatry.
Mr.
Hummel has enjoyed being the public face (or at least the voice) of the MPS,
communicating with the general public calling the MPS office, particularly those
trying to find a psychiatrist.
He’s learned through helping others of the difficulties in accessing
much needed care, particularly the frustrations of navigating the often
Byzantine and bewildering system of care, including roadblocks within insurance
plans and significant delays in getting an appointment. He cites the example of
a woman who called several times trying to find a psychiatrist.
With each successive call, it became clear that her search was narrowing
quickly from providers who would seem to be a good fit for her to anyone who was
willing to take on a new case. Even then, the delay before she could see someone
was profound. With Hummel’s help, she eventually was able to access care in a
timely manner. In another instance, he helped a concerned mother with no
experience with psychiatry in obtaining an evaluation for her child who had
threatened to kill someone at school. Hummel sees this as vital work, and though
he says he’s “not a face, only a voice,” he finds the work gratifying.
He’s been struck by the effusive expression of thanks from those he
helps. “It’s a role I’ve never had before,” he says, but he appreciates
“… getting the ‘Atta boy’ and pat on the back” for a job well done in
making sure someone gets needed care.
This
exposure to the hurdles that patients and families face in getting care has also
inspired him to promote needed change and explore alternatives to the current
system.
He is confident that his experiences in other jobs will serve him well.
Through his work through AHEC, he has had exposure to the interactions of public
health and the political process, but he had never worked with a political
action committee (PAC) before.
He says he has already seen the value and importance of this work, in
that it gives a person or group access to the political system.
His prior exposure to the legislature mostly involved providing basic
information to the legislature, but he now sees how important it is for
psychiatry in particular to stay engaged with legislators.
He is eager to explore this facet of his job, hoping to meet with
representatives of other districts to learn how they pursue the interests of
psychiatrists and their patients.
Though
he has spent some time getting acclimated to his job, he enjoys the excitement
and challenge of what lies ahead.
Each month, he says, he discovers some new avenue to pursue.
Ever the forward-thinker, Hummel has a long list of ideas for the MPS,
including how to continue retention of existing members while increasing
recruitment of new members.
He believes it is important to highlight how the organization gives its
members tremendous “bang for the buck,” providing a number of important
services for a relatively low cost per member.
He also plans to stay engaged with other non-profit organizations on the
national level, to stay abreast of changes in an ever-evolving field.
He follows closely the hot political issues which impact psychiatrists
and providers.
For example, he has recently devoted attention to the renewed efforts to
pass psychologist- prescribing bills in the legislature. His plans also include
a redesign of the MPS website, with a goal of making it both more interactive
and more visually appealing.
On
a more personal level, though Hummel might sound a bit wistful about leaving
Western Maryland where he still has family, he finds he has settled in well in
Baltimore.
He loves being back in a city with a symphony (he attends frequently) and
in typically optimistic fashion, sees even his now-longer commute as a plus; he
uses the time for calling his mother for daily catching-up.
Hummel brings an infectious enthusiasm to his work and is clearly happy
in his new job. “The job is never going to be finished,” he says cheerfully.