Remarks by
A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed.
Director
Center for Mental Health Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
2005 Voice Awards
Opening Remarks & State Award Presentation
Hollywood, CA
July 20, 2005
Attached is the text prepared for delivery; however, some material may have been added or omitted at the time of delivery.
The poet and novelist, Margaret Atwood, writes,
“ A voice is a human gift; it should be cherished and used …(because)...powerlessness and silence go together.”
I want to thank each of you—the 2005 Voice Award winners—for using the tremendous power and reach of your respective media your voices to break the silence and spread send an inspirational and empowering message across America and around the globe: Mental illnesses are real, common, and treatable! People with mental illnesses can and do recover…and make positive contributions to their communities!
I salute you for featuring positive, respectful, realistic portrayals of people with mental illnesses…people in recovery…in your programming. As communicators, you have the power to deliver messages that have incredible “sticking power”—messages that can influence attitudes and actions on a grand scale. I commend you for using this power to amplify the voices of people with mental illnesses.
I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to—
- The Gallup Organization , including George DeJager;
- Vanguard Communications , including Joe Kelly, Richard Gilroy, Deanna Troust, and many others;
- The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania , including Shannon Flanagan;
- The Mental Health Media Partnership ; , including Barbara Lurie;
- Guida Consulting Services , including Al Guida; and
- The members of the Elimination of Barriers Initiative (EBI) Team.
- Thank you all for We would not be here today were it not for your tireless commitment to this cause.
We would not be here today were it not for your tireless commitment to this cause.
We have reason to celebrate tonight. Thanks to all of you, w e are making headway…we are raising awareness and understanding of mental health issues. The momentum is building. I see these first Voice Awards as a harbinger of things to come. I look forward to this becoming an annual event!
In fact, I hope you will accept the accolades you receive here tonight not as the applause at the end of a performance…but instead, as a request for an encore. We are here to recognize your accomplishments, and also to urge you to press on. Tonight, I ask you to join with SAMHSA and partners across the Federal government as agents of change...agents of transformation…to help advance a revolution that will move the Nation closer to the day when every American with a mental disorder will seek…and receive…the help he or she needs to recover.
This wave of change and opportunity is being ushered in by the call of for transformation made by the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. The Commission released a groundbreaking report—Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America. The Report has as its first goal The Commis s ion envisioned that in : Americans will understand that mental health is essential to overall health. In the a transformed system envisioned by the Commission, Americans will know the facts about mental health…so they will be less likely to experience fear or shame or misperceptions fear or misunderstand mental illness and more likely to seek help.
Achieving this vision is a collective endeavor that will require genuine collaborative effort and advocacy from everyone who has a stake in mental health.
You, in the media, are natural advocates. The word advocate comes from the Latin advocare…to call…to speak in favor of…to give voice to. This is what you do best. You excel at transmitting ideas and information with power and impact. You elevate conversations to a new level. You can help us advance this soci et al shift change society…one voice at a time…until we reach a critical mass the point when all Americans understand that mental health is fundamental to health.
I applaud your advocacy…and your inspiration to all those individuals who are, too often, short on hope. Emily Dickinson spoke of the power of hope in a poem entitled, “Life” –
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all.
Each of you is a conveyor of hope. With you at our side, we can be certain that the profoundly hopeful voices of mental health consumers will continue to echo outward… reverberate endlessly…and, literally, change the world!
Now, it is my honor and privilege to introduce Mr. Charles G. Curie, the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Mr. Curie’s commitment to helping persons living with mental illnesses realize the dream of equal access to full participation in American society has earned him national recognition. Removing the barriers and paving the way for all Americans to receive the mental health care they need is high on Mr. Curie’s agenda. Mr. Curie…
State Awards Presentation
The goal of the Elimination of Barriers Initiative is a lofty one: full acceptance of persons with mental illnesses. Through the eight-State EBI demonstration program, we are exploring a variety of public education and outreach strategies to help us reach that goal. I am excited to announce that we are now working with the Ad Council to expand this effort to a national campaign. We are making real and meaningful progress! These first Voice Awards are a celebration of this progress…of your progress. I t is my privilege to recognize the first four State awardees.
In November 2004, the people of California spoke…and their voices were heard loudly and clearly. Proposition 63—the Mental Health Services Act, slated to channel between $800,000 and $1 billion annually into the State’s mental health system—was on the ballot in California’s General Election. In the critical months leading up to the election, the State launched its EBI public education materials program…a program through which consumers and family members told their stories. The citizens of California listened…and supported them. Voters passed Proposition 63. The Mental Health Services Act requires a portion of the funds to be used to support strategies to reduce stigma. Local advocates are eager to use the materials developed through the EBI to do just that. I am pleased to present the Voice of the People award to California. Accepting on behalf of California is Dr. Steve Mayberg, Director of the California Department of Mental Health.
The State of Florida thrives on turning obstacles into opportunity. Visited by four major hurricanes in 2004…and another just a few weeks ago…the State has experienced its worst devastation in over a generation. But Florida’s EBI effort has done far more than survived the storms…it has thrived. When the EBI’s partner, the Florida Department of Children and Families, DCF, was pressed into action to provide emergency trauma counseling, it seized this opportunity to disseminate EBI messages across the State. Undaunted by the obstacles, advocates have persevered…fanning out across Florida to promote the EBI through a number of high-visibility events. It is my privilege to present the Voice of Determination award to Florida. Jackie Beck, Coordinator of Clinical Services, Mental Health Program Office, Florida Department of Children and Families , is a ccepting the award for Florida.
Winning friends and influencing people…that’s what the Massachusetts EBI program has been doing…and doing exceptionally well…since its first presentation at the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association Conference in July 2003. Massachusetts has reached out to school administrators and principals, key contacts at the Department of Mental Health, and elected officials to get stakeholders and decision makers on board in implementing the EBI. The State has secured strong support for the campaign from among its four pilot high schools, local partners, and the State itself. Massachusetts has also been able to raise awareness for its EBI accomplishments through local news coverage. I am proud to present the Voice of Influence award to Massachusetts. Accepting the award for Massachusetts is Ann Cappoccia, Coordinator of Interagency Activities, Child and Adolescent Division, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.
North Carolina , led by it s Division of Mental Health- Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services, has launched a carefully orchestrated Statewide effort to promote EBI educational materials to its school systems …an effort conceived with long term success in mind. The Department secured its first-ever partnership with North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction. Through this partnership, the State has enlisted 7 diverse pilot schools. It is a mandate for mental health commissioners in each of the State’s 100 counties to increase awareness about stigma. North Carolina has skillfully marketed the EBI as the way to fulfill this mandate. The result: much of the St ate has adopted EBI materials and e nthusiasm for the program is spreading. I am pleased to present this Voice of Strategy award to North Carolina. Mike Byrne, North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services, is a ccepting the award for North Carolina.
Thank you all.
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