Mental Health America to Honor Georgia Mental Health Advocate, Mental Health Association of Westchester County Program

Stan Jones, Nuestro Futuro to Receive Awards at

Annual Conference in Washington, DC

Contact: Steve Vetzner, (703) 797-2588 or svetzner@mentalhealthamerica.net

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (June 6, 2011)-Mental Health America will present awards to a longtime Georgia mental health advocate and a Mental Health Association of Westchester County's program that delivers services to the Latino community at its Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 9-11.

Stan Jones will be presented the Sandy Brandt Volunteer Service Award for his 40 years of dedicated service to Georgia affiliates and the national organization. The award is named in honor of Sandy Brandt, a long-time volunteer at the local, state and national levels who exemplifies the unselfish, dedicated mental health volunteer. The award is presented to a person who has exhibited extraordinary volunteer service and ongoing commitment to Mental Health America's mission.

"We are proud to honor Stan, who has dedicated his life and career to improving the lives of mental health consumers and their families," said David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America.

MHA of Westchester County's Nuestro Futuro program will receive the Betty Humphrey Cultural Competency Award. A comprehensive bilingual/bicultural mental health treatment and support services program, it serves approximately 300 Latino children, families and adults in Westchester County each year who are experiencing difficulties in their interpersonal, family, social, educational, and/or peer relationships. The award is given to a Mental Health America affiliate recognizes a Mental Health America affiliate for outstanding achievements in the creation of culturally competent services that address racial, ethnic and cultural disparities in mental health and substance use systems. It is named for the late Dr. Betty Humphrey, of Mitchellville, MD, a distinguished mental health advocate, former Mental Health America board member, educator, and humanitarian.

"By providing culturally appropriate resources and services to Latino families, the MHA of Westchester County's Nuestro Futuro program is bridging gaps in care and strengthening the families and individuals it serves," Dr. Shern said.

A summary of the nominations for each award winner is below:

Stan Jones:

During 40 years of dedicated service, Stan Jones has demonstrated sustained commitment to the mission of Mental Health America. He worked with Mental Health Association of Georgia and the National Mental Health Association (Mental Health America) through his work for the state of Georgia and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. When Stan returned to Georgia after his years in Washington, he accepted an invitation to join the Mental Health Association of Metropolitan Atlanta and the Mental Health Association of Georgia boards. He has provided inspired leadership at all levels of Mental Health America's organization: local, state and national.  He also served 2 terms on the national board from 1990-1996. As the Vice Chair for Public Policy committee, Stan brought his Washington knowledge and his persuasive skills to the table in a powerful way. He has also displayed remarkable courage in the face of his son Tom's illness and death, in 2003, as a result of the state mental health system's failures to provide adequate community services and a safe hospital environment. Stan has been publicly open and candid about what happened to this young man who was so full of potential. He issued a clarion call for change, challenging the system to improve so that no other family would have to bear this most personal heartbreak. The success in 2009 of the Georgia amici group in bringing about a landmark settlement agreement with the Department of Justice is directly traceable to Stan's tenacity and moral courage.  This settlement is now requiring the state to invest millions of dollars in community services that will improve the lives of many, many people with mental illnesses and addictive disease.

Nuestro Futuro:

Nuestro Futuro is a comprehensive bilingual/bicultural mental health treatment and support services program that serves approximately 300 Latino children, families and adults in Westchester County each year who are experiencing difficulties in their interpersonal, family, social, educational, and/or peer relationships. Of the organizations that provide subsidized mental health services countywide to Latinos, MHA of Westchester is the only organization that has a distinct clinical program dedicated to the treatment of the Latino community with bilingual and bicultural staff.  The program's success is built on its ability to provide culturally competent and sensitive services to Latino immigrants. Nuestro Futuro functions as a second "home," meeting the wide-ranging needs of individuals whose mental health is impacted by cultural differences and language barriers. Nuestro Futuro's multidisciplinary team provides a continuum of care that includes early mental health intervention and support services to both adults who are struggling with issues of migration and acculturation, and children who have been experiencing cultural shock in their own family system. The program is also able to draw on the expertise and treatment services that are available through MHA's other programs.