Innovative Minority MH Efforts Awarded at Foundation Gala
Publication: Psychiatric News
Five agencies working to advance minority mental health care were honored by the American Psychiatric Foundation at its annual benefit, held in May at APA's 2010 annual meeting in New Orleans.
American Psychiatric Foundation President Richard Harding, M.D., announces the winners of the Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health.
Credit: David Hathcox
The Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health honor the commitments and efforts undertaken by psychiatrists and mental health professionals who have organized programs that provide for the mental health needs of minorities.
The ceremony was held at Grand Oaks Mansion, near the Port of New Orleans. The mansion is restored inside a domed replica of 19th-century splendor: brick walkways, moss-draped oaks, and wooden bridges crossing meandering streams. The dome above simulates a starlit night.
These are the five award-winning programs:
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Hermano Pedro D.C. Multicultural Day Shelter of Catholic Charities in Washington, D.C., received an award for its efforts to empower underserved low-income and homeless people who are affected by mental illness and substance abuse. The shelter offers a full range of social services including case management, counseling, education, and referral services through a bilingual staff and a group of psychiatry residents from the District of Columbia's Department of Mental Health. Approximately 200 people come to the shelter daily.
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Merced Lao Family Community Inc. in Merced, Calif., received an award for its Southeast Asian Consumer Advocacy Program (SEACAP), which provides culturally centered mental health services that include a combination of traditional cultural practices and Western methods of care. A wide range of services is offered by SEACAP including individual and group therapy and rehabilitation, treatment, case management, family intervention, and peer support.
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The Center for Latino Mental Health in Chicago received an award for its work to increase understanding of and access to culturally competent mental health services through its three main components: research, community service, and education. The center spurs research on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders among the Latino/Latina population, offers a Latino Mental Health concentration within its master's in clinical counseling program, and offers educational opportunities for mental health professionals and students to share research and best practices surrounding the Latino/Latina population.
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Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) in Minneapolis, Minn., received an award for its mental health services that holistically address the unmet mental health needs of Minnesota's Latino population through direct services and through efforts to increase access to culturally competent care by training bilingual, bicultural mental health providers.
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Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque, N.M., received an award for its Student Support Services program and its efforts to provide comprehensive, culturally sensitive, school-based mental health and supportive services for students and their families at no charge. Some of the services offered are crisis intervention, individual and family counseling, group therapy, and community outreach.
Each organization was presented with a plaque and $5,000 for its work in and commitment to advancing minority mental health. The awards are made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc.
“We are proud to present these awards to these mental health professionals and organizations that continue their strong commitment to reducing mental health disparities for racial and ethnic minorities,” said Richard Harding, M.D., American Psychiatric Foundation president and a past APA president. “I congratulate all the recipients of the Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health and, as a psychiatrist, commend all their efforts to educate and raise awareness of the mental health needs and services available. With education, we are well on our way to a national movement to rid the stigma associated with mental illness.”
The gala raised nearly $80,000, according to Lindsey McClenathan, the foundation's development officer. More than 200 people were in attendance. The funds will be used to support the foundation's work in advancing public understanding of mental illnesses and their treatment.
Information about the foundation is posted at <www.psychfoundation.org>. Donations can be made at <https://myaccount.psych.org/APACustomizations/OneClickDonation/tabid/154/Default.aspx>. 
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Published online: 2 July 2010
Published in print: July 2, 2010
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