The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (National Council) recently presented seven individuals and organizations with Awards of Excellence
at its 42nd National Mental Health and Addictions Conference in Chicago. The awards, the most prestigious in behavioral healthcare, recognize innovative and inspirational work happening in behavioral health organizations nationwide.
"The honorees have set themselves apart through exemplary service to some of
our most vulnerable citizens, truly changing the lives of children, adults, and families with mental illness and addiction disorders," said Linda Rosenberg, the National Council's President and CEO. "Their tireless efforts have put many people struggling with mental illness and addictions on the road to recovery."
Awards of Excellence winners include:
Central Arizona Programmatic Suicide Deterrent System in Phoenix was recognized with the Excellence in Service Innovation award for its groundbreaking initiative to reduce to zero the number of suicides among people with serious mental illness enrolled in the region's public health system. The project, a collaboration
with Magellan Health Services of Arizona's provider partners and the Arizona Department of Health Services/Division of Behavioral Health Services, led a collaborative with community leaders to change the culture around suicide, arm provider agency staff and families with skills and knowledge to intervene with those most at risk, and create a framework to address this major public health problem. Since 2007, the initiative has succeeded in reducing the suicide death by nearly 50 percent for those with serious mental illness.
The Children's Crisis Treatment Center in Philadelphia received the Excellence in Behavioral Healthcare Management award for its Health and Family Services in the Therapeutic Nursery program, which enables family members to become informed advocates on behalf of their children as they enter schools. Families of children in therapeutic nurseries are encouraged to participate in skill-building workshops that cover topics like anger management, parental self-care, the impact of grief and loss on children, and learning to advocate for special education services. The treatment center is devoted to serving the emotional needs of children beginning in early childhood to help them reach their full potential regardless of their challenges.
The Midwestern Colorado Mental Health Center in Montrose, CO was honored with the Excellence in Health Information Technology award for the development of its Patient Tools technology that more successfully screens people for behavioral health concerns in a variety of settings. The hand-held electronic tablet uses trigger logic, screening metrics, assessment metrics, and key questions in a digital patient-client interview. The assessments are completed by the client and automatically scored, producing results within seconds. The innovative tablet has helped the center make tremendous progress in identifying and treating behavioral health illnesses that would otherwise have gone undiagnosed and untreated.
Susan Salasin, Director, Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care Program, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, received the Excellence in Public Service award for her pioneering work on trauma and trauma-informed care during her federal career dedicated to recovery and healing for victims of crime and violence. At age 16 she was a victim of a violent crime. She has spent her career working to improve the lives of people with similar experiences. Among her many accomplishments, she initiated work on women and trauma as co-director of a Harvard collaborative study on women and depression, which revealed that women are twice as depressed as men.
The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) association of 1,950 community healthcare organizations that provide treatment and rehabilitation for mental illnesses and addiction disorders to nearly
6 million adults, children and families in communities across the country.
Article from MarketWatch | Visit UACF.org
