National Council for Behavioral Health Honors Excellence in Behavioral Health Advocacy, Innovation, Leadership
Awards of Excellence winners honored at NatCon17 gala include the First Lady of New York City
April 5, 2017, SEATTLE, WA – How mental health counselors and local police work together using technology to help people in crisis is a theme running through this year’s winners of the National Council for Behavioral Health’s Awards of Excellence.
The honorees on the red carpet in Seattle last night received the coveted National Council Awards of Excellence for improving the lives of Americans living with mental illnesses and addictions.
This year’s honorees are finding innovative ways to help underserved populations. About one-third are being heralded for working to reduce the high prevalence of mental illness in the criminal justice system.
Twenty-two awards were handed out during the event at the NatCon17 conference in Seattle, Wash., fondly dubbed “The Oscars of Behavioral Health.”
“These honorees show us what excellence in behavioral health looks like,” said Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health. “They are finding ways to make a real difference in their communities.”
Award categories ranged from Doc of the Year and Excellence in Addictions Treatment to Peer Specialist of the Year and Rising Star. Four national leaders received Visionary Leader Awards and First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray, received a Change Champion award for ThriveNYC, her initiative to boost mental health service access and awareness in NYC, including planning to train 250,000 Mental Health First Aiders citywide.
Upon acceptance of the award, McCray said, “the more we collaborate, the more good we can do. And the more lives we can save. Thanks to you, we are starting to bring resources into the same places where people live, work, worship and learn. Thanks to you, our nation is finally beginning to change its mindset around the mind.”
The Scattergood Foundation and the National Council teamed to bestow an Innovation Award on Hopeworks ‘n Camden, selected from five finalists via online public voting and announced at the dinner last night. The award is given to honor organizations and individuals who challenge how behavioral health care is currently viewed, organized and practiced through the creation of catalytic concepts, products, processes, services and/or technologies.
About the National Council for Behavioral Health
The National Council for Behavioral Health is the unifying voice of America’s mental health and addictions treatment organizations. Together with more than 2,800 member organizations, serving 10 million adults, children and families living with mental illnesses and addictions, the National Council is committed to all Americans having access to comprehensive, high-quality care that affords every opportunity for recovery. The National Council was instrumental in bringing Mental Health First Aid to the USA and more than 1 million individuals have been trained. In 2014, the National Council merged with the State Associations of Addiction Services (SAAS). To learn more about the National Council, visit www.TheNationalCouncil.org.
Evergreen Treatment Services’s Molly Carney was among 20+ award winners.
Excellence in Advocacy – Individual Achievement
Sponsored by Sunovion
Molly Carney, Evergreen Treatment Services, Seattle, Wash.
Molly Carney noted in her acceptance speech: “Even with growing recognition of the opioid crisis, there are still many pockets of the country where medication-assisted treatment programs are stigmatized and rejected by policymakers. We must continue to change this. With persistence and by truly listening and responding to stakeholders’ concerns, I have found it is possible to change the minds of even the most staunchly opposed officials.”
