American Psychiatric Foundation Announces Recipients of Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 06 Mar 2005 - 16:00 PDT


The American Psychiatric Foundation has named a California psychiatrist and organizations in Pennsylvania, Idaho and California as the recipients of the second annual APF Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health. The awards, formerly known as the Minority Mental Health Awards, will be presented at the 2005 APF Annual Benefit in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday, May 21.

Each recipient will receive a $5,000 award in honor of their work and commitment to advancing minority mental health. The awards are made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.

Alejandro (Alex) Kopelowicz, M.D., of Granada Hills, Calif., is being honored with an award for his work developing and testing cultural adaptations of psychiatric rehabilitation modalities for Latinos with serious mental illness. Dr. Kopelowicz is a bilingual, bicultural psychiatrist who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As Medical Director of the San Fernando Mental Health Center, a community mental health center operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, he has spearheaded the effort to provide evidence-based, culturally competent psychiatric services to over 200 Mexican-Americans and their families. He is also an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

The organizations that are receiving awards are The Family Practice and Counseling Network Behavioral Health Department of Philadelphia, Pa., Terry Reilly Health Services Farmworker Mental Health Program in Nampa, Idaho, and United Indian Health Services of Arcata, Calif.

The Family Practice and Counseling Network Behavioral Health Department operates four nurse-managed community health centers that provide comprehensive primary and behavioral healthcare services to occupants of public housing projects in Philadelphia. Its innovative program facilitates the identification, initial treatment, and referral of patients who would ordinarily lack access to quality mental healthcare.

Terry Reilly Health Services is being honored for its Farmworker Mental Health Program which works to increase bilingual mental health services for Hispanic farm workers and their families in rural Idaho. As part of a community health clinic that has provided comprehensive care for 33 years, the program has filled a need for culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services.

United Indian Health Services, which is a tribally owned and operated non-profit agency, provides healthcare for American Indian residents in Humboldt and Del Norte counties in northern California. It administers mental healthcare, substance abuse treatment, community outreach, and preventive health programs that reach over 16,000 Native Americans and their families.

"This year's recipients serve diverse populations and act as examples to others in advancing the mental health of underserved minority populations," said Altha J. Stewart, M.D., President of the American Psychiatric Foundation. "We are very proud to honor such deserving work."

The APF Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health honor psychiatrists and mental health programs that are undertaking special efforts to increase public awareness of mental health care, increasing access to mental health services, and enhancing the quality of care for underserved minorities, especially those who suffer from severe mental illness.

The American Psychiatric Foundation is a charitable and educational subsidiary of the American Psychiatric Association. The mission of the foundation is to advance understanding that mental illnesses are real and can be effectively treated. For more information, please visit the foundation's web site at http://www.psychfoundation.org.

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