Foundation Gala Honors Minority-Focused Efforts
Francis Lu, M.D., was the only individual psychiatrist to receive one of the top four Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health at the American Psychiatric Foundation's benefit gala.
Credit: David Hathcox
Francis Lu, M.D., who has long been active in APA, smiled as he stood in the spotlight at the podium in the East Hall of Union Station in Washington, D.C., the evening before the start of APA's 2008 annual meeting. He had just been presented with an Award for Advancing Minority Mental Health by American Psychiatric Foundation President Richard Harding, M.D. By the sound of the spirited applause, those in attendance agreed that the award was well deserved.
The occasion was the foundation's annual benefit gala during which are announced the winners of the foundation's Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health.
Lu was one of four award winners. The other awards went to programs that serve individuals at psychological risk.
The foundation's soiree, which took place May 3, featured a buffet of cold appetizers and hot hors d'oeuvres laid out in the elegant East Hall in the historic train station.
American Psychiatric Foundation President Richard Harding, M.D., presents an honorable mention certificate to Sonia Hinds in recognition of the program she founded five years ago, Barstow Acres Children's Center in Prince Frederick, Md.
Credit: David Hathcox
“We're so pleased that so many wonderful supporters have come out to enjoy the evening, but also to show their dedication to the programs of the American Psychiatric Foundation,” Harding told the crowd of nearly 200. “On behalf of the foundation's board and staff, I thank you for your generosity.”
The gala is attended by major donors and supporters of the foundation and its initiatives. This year more than $160,000 was raised, said Lindsey McClenathan, the foundation's development officer.
Each of the four award winners received an engraved commemorative plaque and a $5,000 check. Those who received an “honorable mention” got a commemorative certificate.
In addition to being a clinician, Lu is a longtime champion of minority issues within APA and the profession. His work has long been intertwined with his personal calling to advance quality mental health care among minority populations and to give voice to the issues faced by minority mental health professionals. He believes that diversity in psychiatry directly benefits the mental health of communities that are becoming ever more diverse.
Since 1977 Lu has worked as a professor at San Francisco General Hospital, where he developed the Ethnic/Minority Psychiatric Inpatient Programs. Among his other important work, Lu is a founding board member of the National Asian American and Pacific Islander Mental Health Association and a member of the Cultural Competence Advisory Committee of the California State Department of Mental Health.
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Homes for the Brave is a Bridgeport, Conn., initiative that provides homeless men who are mentally ill or substance abusers (veterans and nonveterans) with a range of social services—from mental health care to life skills and vocational training—to help them lead healthy, productive lives.
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Housing Works is a grass-roots organization in Brooklyn, N.Y., that reaches out to homeless and low-income individuals (and their families) who have AIDS or are HIV positive to offer them food and housing and social and health services including mental health care.
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Tristan's Quest—Support for Kids of Incarcerated Parents (also known as SKIP) is a program based in Greensboro, N.C., that supports children whose parent or parents are serving jail or prison sentences. The program offers a range of interventions to reduce or eliminate the mental and physical health risks these children face.
The American Psychiatric Foundation hosted its annual awards and benefit gala this year within the marbled elegance of Union Station's East Hall in Washington, D.C. Attendees dined on a buffet of sumptuous savories and sublime sweets and participated in a silent auction.
Credit: David Hathcox
Receiving honorable mentions at the gala were the Community Counseling Centers of Chicago, the Student National Medical Association at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, the Venice Family Clinic's Mental Health Program in Venice, Calif., and Barstow Acres Children's Center in Prince Frederick, Md.
The gala closed with the official kickoff of the foundation's new program in partnership with APA, called Community Connections: Let's Talk Depression. a public health education initiative fueled by a series of forums being held around the country to raise awareness about depression and its treatment.
“We're excited about this new paradigm in depression-based education and look forward to sharing the experience in selected communities,” the foundation's executive director, Paul Burke, told Psychiatric News.
The program is supported by an educational grant from Wyeth. A pilot meeting was held in April in a community center in Memphis, Tenn. The first official meeting will be held June 11 in Columbia, S.C.
The awards presented at the gala were supported by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc.
More information about the Community Connections program is available by contacting Barbara Matos at [email protected].▪
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Published online: 6 June 2008
Published in print: June 6, 2008
Notes
The American Psychiatric Foundation hosted about 200 supporters and toasted nine exemplary mental health providers on May 3 at its annual benefit gala in Washington, D.C. Its theme was “Windows on Washington.”
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