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MAMH ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF ITS 2012 ANNUAL AWARDS
The Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, Inc. (MAMH) has named Peter J. Scanlon, Ph.D., President and CEO of South Bay Mental Health Center, Inc. as the recipient of its 2012 Friend and Leader Award, and former Massachusetts state senator, Steven A. Tolman, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, as the recipient of its Spirit of Compassion Award.
In addition, special recognitions will be given to Kathryn E. West, VP of Real Estate & Development for Partners HealthCare System, Inc. for her outstanding work in the development, financing and maintenance of facilities providing for the primary and behaviorally health needs of our citizens, and Anne Whitman, Ph.D., Co-founder of the Jonathan O Cole, M.D. Mental Health Consumer Resource Center and Executive Director the Boston Resource Center and the Metro Boston Recovery Learning Community for her long service and advocacy on behalf of men and women with psychiatric disabilities.
The awards will be presented at an evening reception on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 (6:00 PM -8:30PM) at the Seaport Hotel/Plaza Ballroom in Boston. All proceeds from this event will benefit MAMH, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
Dr. Peter J. Scanlon’s leadership and business acumen are amply demonstrated by the quality and reputation of the South Bay Mental Health Center, Inc. and its variety of high quality, clinically appropriate and innovative programs and services for children, adolescents, adults and seniors with mental illnesses and emotional disorders. He has extended to them his empathy, compassion and understanding of the emotional needs and societal pressures they endure and has consistently exhibited patience and an ability to communicate and explain complex matters in a fashion that is effective and not condescending. In the area of policy advocacy at both state and federal levels, Dr. Scanlon has educated federal officials, contractors and congressional staff on the intricacies of mental health policies around reimbursement, auditing functions, as well as treatment programs such as partial hospitalization. He has been an effective and willing contributor to policy papers on mental health issues, including, medication, outpatient treatment, child and adolescent services to name but a few.
Throughout his distinguished legislative career, Steven A. Tolman used his energy, compassion, legislative skills and the sheer force of his personality to protect and advance services for people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders. As the first Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse he championed a number of successful initiatives including the expansion of mental health and substance abuse parity in health insurance coverage, and legislation establishing the Children’s Behavioral Health Advisory Council, which is establishing the framework for improving children’s mental health across the Commonwealth. In addition, as the Commonwealth was enacting its landmark universal health coverage legislation, it was Senator Tolman’s amendment that provided the Massachusetts Commissioner of Mental Health important authority over the behavioral health care design, protocols and services provided under MassHealth and all of its contracted entities. The importance of what is now referred to as the “Tolman Law” is particularly relevant as the Commonwealth undergoes a redesign and more intensive integration of its public behavioral and primary health care system.
Special Recognitions:
As part of MAMH’s ongoing efforts to celebrate and acknowledge the work of individuals, who have contributed in meaningful ways to improving the lives of people with psychiatric disabilities, by improving the communities where they live and the facilities they use, we are giving a special recognition to Kathryn E. West, VP of Real Estate & Development Partners HealthCare System, Inc. As Vice President of Real Estate & Facilities at Partners HealthCare, the parent company of Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Whether it be the development of the new Massachusetts Mental Health Center, which, among other things, will educate the next generation of psychiatrists or any of the treatment facilities at Partners HealthCare, her work, although not necessarily performed with just the psychiatrically disabled in mind, is nonetheless an important part of the community fabric into which people with mental illnesses move and live their lives.
A special recognition for Advocacy will be given to Anne Whitman, Ph.D.. As a co-founder of the Jonathan O Cole, M.D. Mental Health Consumer Resource Center, she was an innovative pioneer in the movement to integrate and fully involve people with mental illness and substance use disorders in their own treatment as well as in helping others with these disorders. Anne used her considerable business acumen, life experience, commitment and determination to create the Boston Resource Center and the Metro Boston Recovery Learning Community, and empower and inspire individuals with disabilities to reach their fullest potential and achieve their own level of recovery in the community. As co-chair of the Commonwealth’s Mental Health Planning Council, she has used her leadership skills, compassion and pragmatism to fashion polices that promote a person centered, recovery focused public mental health system.
Those interested in learning more about the Friend & Leader Award, the Spirit of Compassion Award and the April 25, 2012 reception should contact Bernie Carey at 617-742-7452 or berniecarey@mamh.org.
1 in 5 Americans Report Mental Illness
SAMHSA News Release
According to new results from a national survey, 19.9 percent of American adults in the United States (45.1 million) have experienced mental illness over the past year. The survey, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), indicates that 11 million adults (4.8 percent) in the U.S. suffered serious mental illness in the past year — a diagnosable mental disorder has substantially interfered with, or limited one or more major life activities.
SAMHSA’s 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reveals that 8.4 million adults in the U.S. had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, 2.2 million made suicide plans, and one million attempted suicide.
The survey also reveals that in many cases those experiencing mental illness, especially those with serious mental illness, also have a substance use disorder (abuse or dependence on alcohol or an illicit drug). Nearly 20 percent (8.9 million) of adults in the U.S. with mental illness in the past year also had a substance use disorder. Among those with serious mental illness in the past year, 25.7 percent had a substance use disorder in the past year — approximately four times the level experienced by people not suffering from serious mental illness (6.5 percent).
The survey provides other insights into the nature and scope of mental illness, including information on those segments of the population who may be at greater risk of experiencing mental illness. For example, the survey shows that mental illness is more likely among adults who were unemployed than among adults who were employed full time (27.7 percent versus 17.1 percent).
There is a marked difference in the percentages with mental illness between men and women as well, with 23.8 percent of women experiencing some form of mental illness, as opposed to 15.6 percent of men. In terms of age, young adults (ages 18 to 25) had the highest level of mental illness (30 percent), while those aged 50 and older had the lowest (13.7 percent).
Less than four in ten (37.9 percent) of adults in the U.S. with mental illness in the past year received mental health services. Service use was higher for adults with serious mental illness (60.2 percent); however, 4.4 million adults with serious mental illness in the past year did not receive mental health services.
A copy of the report is accessible at: http://oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k9NSDUH/MH/2K9MHResults.pdf
MAMH BOARD MEMBER ANNE WHITMAN APPOINTED CO-CHAIR OF THE DMH STATE MENTAL HEALTH PLANNING COUNCIL
DMH Commissioner Barbara Leadholm has appointed Anne Whitman, pictured right, co-chair of the DMH State Mental Health Planning Council. She joins Bernard J. Carey Jr. of the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health in leading this diverse group of mental health stakeholders. Anne succeeds Judi Chamberlain, a well-known and tireless advocate for consumers who passed away this year. MAMH’s Executive Director, Bernie Carey, is the Council’s other co-chair.
Anne serves as President of the Jonathan O. Cole Mental Health Consumer Resource located at McLean Hospital and is Co-Executive Director of the Metro Boston Recovery Learning Community. She has worked in peer support and advocacy for more than 20 years.
She holds a PhD in anthropology from Harvard University, an MBA from Boston University, an MS in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a co-founder of Bright Horizons Children's Centers and has held administrative and academic positions at Harvard, MIT and Wheaton College.
She has been in recovery from bipolar disorder and substance abuse for 25 years, resides in Cambridge and has a 26-year-old daughter who is a teacher in Colorado.
NATIONAL ANTI-STIGMA CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED WITH ACTRESS GLENN CLOSE
On October 21, 2009 a national anti-stigma campaign was launched: BringChange2Mind. Its mission is twofold:
- to provide people with misconceptions about mental illness quick and easy access to information that combats stigma
- to provide people with mental illness, and those who know them, quick and easy access to information and support.
The information will be offered via a user-friendly website portal, directing
visitors to the critical resources they need.
Film Director Ron Howard donated his time in directing the organization’s first
PSA featuring Glenn Close and her sister, Jessie Close. John Mayer generously
donated his song, “Say” which serves as an anthem for this movement.
The campaign has the support of major mental health organizations, including
the Active Minds, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP),
International Mental Health Research Organization (IMHRO), the Jed Foundation, Mental Health America (MHA), National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), NARSAD, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
For more information visit http://www.bringchange2mind.org