General Information and Directions
Chairperson and Speaker Guidelines
Meeting Lists and Printable Literature
The WPIC Institutional Meeting takes place on the first Thursday of the month from 7p to 8p.
This is an institutional meeting on a locked ward, and not a regular meeting open to all OA members; only the chairperson and speakers may attend. This is why it's not on the GPI meeting list.
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic is located at the corner of DeSoto and O'Hara Streets in Oakland. For a map, please click here. Parking is available in a lot behind the facility. Continue up the hill on DeSoto, and make a right turn into the upper parking lot immediately before the Peterson Events Center. Let the attendant know that you're there for a meeting, and you should be able to park (the attendant may send you down to a lower level parking lot if the upper lot is full).
Once you park, go in the main door to WPIC, which is found on O'Hara street. Check in with the front desk and let them know that you're there for an OA meeting on the 10th floor Dual Diagnosis unit. You may need to sign into the visitor's log (sometimes you don't , but let the receptionist know that you want a visitor's tag. You'll need this to get off the unit after the meeting.
Once you have your tag, take the elevators up to the 10th floor and ring the doorbell to your left. Staff will let you in, and will give you a token so you can lock your belongings in one of the lockers outside the unit. Remember to take in any meeting materials you have with you (format, readings, etc.)
Meeting chairs will need to bring the format and readings with them each time they enter WPIC -- we cannot leave any meeting materials on the unit. Meeting formats and readings are located here. Remember that there will be no seventh tradition basket passed -- patients in the hospital have no access to money.
Ideally, either the meeting chair or one of the speakers should bring the WPIC literature packet, which includes the meeting format & readings, current meeting lists, and miscellaneous OA literature for patients and staff to take if they're interested in OA. If that's not possible, the meeting chair should make sure that they have the format & readings (see above), as well as current meeting lists and some general information on OA. Meeting lists and printable OA literature are located here.
back to topFor speakers guidelines, as adapted from the OA HIPM manual, click here. This document is in PDF format.
Meeting chairs commit to chairing the meeting on a given date. Meeting chairs must have at least 3 months of abstinence. Meeting chairs are responsible for finding speakers for the week they are chairing. Speakers must have at least 30 days of abstinence.
If you're chairing or speaking, it's crucially important that you show up for the meeting. If you're not sure if you can make it that night, do not commit to chair or agree to speak. Of course, emergencies do come up: if you're speaking and need to cancel, contact your meeting chair. If you're the chairperson & need to cancel, contact your speakers and Amy B. at 724/544-4857.
If you're running late due to weather or traffic, let your chair/speakers know. If you can't reach them, call the nurse's station phone on the unit. This phone number is 412/246-5500.
Currently, Amy B. is maintaining our HIPM-WPIC speaker's list. Her email is akbucciere@hotmail.com. Meeting chairpeople can contact her to get names and contact information for meeting speakers if you need help finding speakers.
back to topAll meeting materials are in PDF format. PDF files are viewed with the Adobe Reader. If you need the Adobe Reader, click here to download.
Meeting Format
Our Invitation to You
Twelve Steps
Twelve Traditions
Tools of Recovery
Closing Reading
Serenity Prayer
The meeting list and Courier Newsletter is in PDF format. PDF files are viewed with the Adobe Reader. If you need the Adobe Reader, click here to download.
You should print 10 meeting lists, and 5-10 copies of each of the others below, if you will *not* have the WPIC literature packet for the meeting.
Current (2008 4th Quarter) GPI Meeting List
Is OA For You?
About OA?
Tools of Recovery
Compulsive Overeating: An Inside View
To the Family of the Compulsive Overeater
2008 Courier Newsletter: OA News and Information for the Professional Community
Membership Survey Report
