2006 NMHA Award Winners
forWARDS™ honorees
NMHA’s first annual forWARDS™ honor the people and actions that moved the cause of mental health forward in the past year. Honorees include:
- Brooke Shields for her book, Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression, and her steadfast defense of mental health care
- Iraq war veteran Blake Miller for his courage in sharing his experience with PTSD
- Mrs. Mary Jo Codey and New Jersey Senate President Richard Codey for their outspoken advocacy of behalf of women with postpartum depression
- Lincoln’s Melancholy and its author Joshua Wolf Shenk
- Post Secret and its creator Frank Warren
- Institute of Medicine’s Crossing the Quality Chasm: Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental Health and Substance-Use Conditions
- National Business Group on Health’s Employer’s Guide to Behavioral Health Services
- Aetna for providing coverage of depression management
- Overthrowing of the juvenile death penalty by the U.S. Supreme Court
- MHAs for responding to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma
Innovation in Programming Award
The MHA of San Francisco was honored for its Compulsive Hoarding and Cluttering Project, a uniquely successful program that has reduced rates of eviction and homelessness in San Francisco due to compulsive hoarding. Through the Project, the MHA has also educated landlords about the disorder and tenants ’ rights.
Betty Humphrey Cultural Competency Award
Laverne Williams, C.S.W., of the MHA in New Jersey, accepted an award for the MHA’s Mental Health Ministry for African-Americans, an outstanding project that trains church leaders to recognize mental health issues in their congregants and refer them to the services they need. Results include decreased stigma, increased awareness among leaders and congregants, and increased openness and access to care.
Tipper Gore “Remember the Children” Award
Author and Mother Gail Griffith was honored for her tireless advocacy on behalf of youth with depression and their families. Her book, Will’s Choice: A Suicidal Teen, a Desperate Mother, and a Chronicle of Recovery, addresses the obstacles she encountered while seeking adequate treatment for her son, Will, who attempted suicide.
Lela Rowland Prevention Award
William Beardslee, M.D., professor of Child Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and academic chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital Boston, was recognized for his career-long commitment to the prevention of mood disorders. His outstanding contributions to the field have revolutionized our understanding of how to prevent depression in children and at-risk families.
mpower Award Winners
Five young advocates received medals for speaking out to change youth attitudes about mental illness, and for spreading the word about mental health and the importance of getting help when needed. The winners are Shay Daily, 23; Aaron Dugan, 18; Holly Fletcher, 16; Jessica Norman, 16; and Stephanie Orlando, 23.
Clifford W. Beers Award
Legendary mental health advocate Sylvia Caras, Ph.D., is this year’s winner of NMHA’s most prestigious award for her work to improve the rights of mental health consumers through outspoken advocacy and by sharing her own experiences. Her pioneering efforts as the founder of People Who have spread the meaning of “nothing about us without us” across the movement, and have empowered mental health consumers nationally and internationally.
Sandy Brandt Volunteer Service Award.
Linda H. Gregory and Alice S. Petree, volunteers for the MHA of Central Florida and linked by tragic circumstances, were recognized for their remarkable courage in sharing their powerful story. Their unwavering commitment to advocating for those living with mental illnesses has made a difference in the lives of individuals and families throughout the nation.
Mental Health Media Awards