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Richard Van Horn Innovation in Programming Award Previous Recipients

MHA of Ohio logo

2023: Mental Health America of Ohio

Mental Health America of Ohio conducts the POEM (Perinatal Outreach & Encouragement for Moms) program, which closes gaps in care for pregnant and early parenting people with mental health complications. Through care navigation layered with certified peer support, POEM serves as a single-entry point of care, providing mental and emotional care through the prenatal period. The entire program staff are comprised of peers, which supports a trauma-informed model grounded in connection and lived experience. POEM focuses on providing support to those who face the greatest barriers in access. Relationships with participants and community partners help to identify barriers to treatment faced by those seeking mental health services and provide access to important resources. In recognition of both the significance of Black care professionals, and the space to acknowledge that racism and discrimination are drivers of mental and overall health, POEM's Rise branch provides all program services exclusively by and for Black and African American mothers/birthing persons.

The New Jersey Mental Health Players logo

2022: Mental Health Association in New Jersey

MHA’s 2022 Innovation in Programming Award, which recognizes the continuing innovation and creativity of the MHA affiliate network in program development and implementation, goes to Mental Health Association in New Jersey for the New Jersey Mental Health Players.

The NJ Mental Health Players is a highly successful, interactive community education program. These presentations provide audiences with a dynamic way to receive basic education about mental illness, addiction, and other relevant challenges. The mission of this art and advocacy program is to increase education and awareness, decrease stigma and break the silence often associated with mental health. Audience’s include community and corporate conferences, non-profit, seminars, elementary, high school, colleges/universities, social service agencies, hospitals, state, and federal agencies.

Mental Health Connecticut logo

2021: Mental Health Connecticut

MHA’s Innovation in Programming Award, which recognizes the continuing innovation and creativity of an MHA affiliate in program development and implementation, goes to Mental Health Connecticut (MHC). MHC is part of a statewide network to help eliminate homelessness in Connecticut and participates in the Waterbury/Litchfield Coordinated Access Network (CAN) that serves those who meet the HUD definition of literal homelessness. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, MHC and the Connecticut Department of Housing recognized an urgent community need to connect people experiencing homelessness to housing services. MHC worked with the Department of Housing and others to create a “call tree” that routed incoming calls directly to a live staff member within the Waterbury/Litchfield Coordinated Access Network. This innovation made the Waterbury/Litchfield Coordinated Access Network the only community program in the state of Connecticut with same-day call-back services in order to address an individual’s housing crisis immediately. Mental Health Connecticut is currently working to assist sister agencies across the state in replicating the program.

Mental Health America of Greater Dallas logo

2020: MHA of Greater Dallas

MHA's Innovation in Programming Award, which recognizes the continuing innovation and creativity of the MHA affiliate network in program development and implementation, goes to MHA of Greater Dallas and its Mind Your Garden program. When we think of parks, we think of places for people to commune and connect with nature, but they also provide places for people to have fun, and find mental, physical, and spiritual health, and social wellbeing. Parks and green spaces help restore people from the stress of day-to-day challenges, hassles and struggles.The Mind Your Garden program was created as a community movement to promote the relationship between mental health and the environment. In partnership with Texas A&M Forest Services, and The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, MHA of Greater Dallas created an opportunity for the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex to develop healthy coping skills while utilizing nature within an urban setting. Through this program, they provide the community with needed resources to achieve overall mental health. With the current state of the world, the program is designed to help consumers by creating a relationship with nature and by making mental health a priority. This initiative ensures that people have access to parks and green spaces lower their stress, depression, and increase their overall quality of life and resiliency against developing mental illness.

2019: MHA of Greater Houston

MHA's 2019 Innovation in Programming Award, which recognizes the continuing innovation and creativity of the MHA affiliate network in program development and implementation, was presented to MHA of Greater Houston for its Center for School Behavioral Health. The Center works with school districts to create trauma-informed environments and implement prevention and early intervention services. The Center is built on six pillars – the School Behavioral Health Collaborative, the Best Practice Incubator, the Stigma Reduction Initiative, an Annual Conference, Professional Development, and Advocacy and Policy Analysis. Common points of entry into the Center’s work include attending a professional development offering or the conference. In 2018, the Center trained almost 4,000 people through professional development, and the conference drew 650 attendees from 46 school districts.

2018: MHA of Franklin County and MHA of Middle Tennessee

MHA's 2018 Innovation in Programming Award, which recognizes the continuing innovation and creativity of the MHA affiliate network in program development and implementation, was presented to two MHA affiliates:

MHA of Franklin County (MHAFC) for its Occumetrics program, a uniquely innovative, data-driven process to scientifically measure the workplace wellbeing of an organization in any industry. Occumetrics can predict causative factors for turnover, job satisfaction, and any other measurable workplace issue and then make practical recommendations for organizational change that will move the needle.

MHA of Middle Tennessee (MHAMT) for the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN), a private-public partnership that addresses the 10th leading cause of death in the US (2nd leading cause of death among teens ages 10-24). TSPN is a national model for suicide prevention networks, as they cover all 95 counties. The 27-member, governor-appointed advisory council represents eight regions across Tennessee.

2017: MHA of New York City

MHA's Innovation in Programming Award, which recognizes the continuing innovation and creativity of the MHA affiliate network in program development and implementation, was presented to MHA of New York City. MHA-NYC is the first organization in the country to offer evidence-based online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with live telephone, text and chat supports. With this innovative program, MHA-NYC not only tackled the problems of delays in access to care but also the shortage of clinicians trained to deliver CBT for a range of common behavioral health conditions.

2016: MHA of Georgia

MHA's Innovation in Programming Award, which recognizes the continuing innovation and creativity of the MHA affiliate network in program development and implementation, was presented to MHA of Georgia for its Project Healthy Moms—the only program of its kind in Georgia—that works to increase awareness, identification, treatment, and support of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) in Georgia. Project Healthy Moms’ programs target both individual factors, such as peer support, education, and awareness, as well as environmental and societal frameworks, such as resource linkage, provider education, community partnerships, and advocacy work. The program has been and remains at the forefront in raising awareness about maternal mental illness in Georgia.

2015: MHA of Wisconsin

MHA's Innovation in Programming Award, which recognizes the continuing innovation and creativity of the MHA affiliate network in program development and implementation, goes to MHA of Wisconsin and its innovative program Strong Families Healthy Homes (SFHH). SFHH is a preventative and comprehensive visitation program that provides care for the whole family. This program is strength-based, family-driven and follows a recovery model of service and core belief that healthy family bonds create natural supports for sustaining wellness. The program is staffed by Master's Level mental health professionals who have received orientation and training in the SFHH model and the MHA developed home-visit toolkit. The Family Advocate partners with the family, wraps intensive case management and recovery support services around the entire family and provides advocacy and support for all the systems the family is involved. Currently the SFHH model serves families an average of 24 months. SFHH is the only community program in Wisconsin that specifically targets parents with mental illness with integrated support, education, and individual advocacy services as they struggle to parent their children and hold their family together through a difficult illness.