Mental Health America award recipients

MHA’s 2018 mPower Award was presented to Hannah and Charlie Lucas from Cumming, Georgia for the creation of the notOK App™. Hannah, 16, struggled with depression and self-harm last year, her freshman year of high school, after being diagnosed with a chronic illness that led her to be bullied and taunted at school. An idea formed in her head during her lowest moment: an app that would let people know she was not OK. With the assistance of her younger brother, Charlie, 13, the Lucas children got to work on the app idea which would become the notOK App™. The notOK App™ is a digital panic button that stores up to five trusted contacts that can be reached via text message that says: “Hey, I’m not OK. Please call, text, or come check up on me” along with the user’s GPS location. With the recent launch of the notOK App™, Hannah and Charlie have been able to empower people struggling with mental illness to get the help they need from their friends and family.

MHA’s highest award is given in honor of Clifford W. Beers, the founder of MHA and the country’s volunteer mental health advocacy movement. Created in 1976, the Clifford W. Beers Award has been presented annually to a consumer of mental health and/or substance abuse services who best reflects the example set by Beers in his efforts to improve conditions for, and attitudes toward, people with mental illnesses.

MHA President and CEO Paul Gionfriddo awarded the 2018 Clifford W. Beers Award to Executive Director of This Is My Brave Jennifer Marshall.

MHA’s 2018 Media Award recognized Kentucky Education Television (KET) for “Inside Opioid Addiction,” an ongoing, multi-faceted program to bust stigma, strengthen understanding, and facilitate a recovery-focused revolution in opioid addiction.

MHA’s 2018 Media Award recognized the public-private collaboration of the Las Cruces Sun-News, NMPolitics.net, and KRWG TV-Radio for its multi-media project called “Distressed: A Look at Behavioral Health in Southern New Mexico.”

MHA’s 2018 George Goodman and Ruth P. Brudney Social Work Award goes to Marie Williams, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS). Commissioner Marie Williams started her social work career with Catholic Charities, HUD, teaching at the University of Tennessee, and working at a Memphis-based community mental health center.  From 2000-2004, she served as the Director of Housing Planning & Development for TDMHSAS before becoming TDMHSAS’ Assistant Commissioner for Mental Health Services from 2004-2011.  She was promoted to Deputy Commissioner in 2011, and in 2016 she began leading TDMHSAS as Commissioner. She recently began chairing the Governor’s Opioid Workgroup and co-chairing the Statewide Public-Private Emergency Department Boarding Workgroup. She is a current Member of the National Association of Mental Health Program Directors and a Member of the University of Tennessee Social Work Advisory Council.

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.

MHA’s 2018 Media Award recognized the Da Capo Press and New York Times best-selling book, Playing Hurt: My Journey from Despair to Hope, authored by the late John Saunders with John U. Bacon. In Saunders’s own words before his passing: “Playing Hurt is not an autobiography of a sports celebrity but a memoir of a man facing his own mental illness, and emerging better off for the effort. I will take you into the heart of my struggle with depression, including insights into some of its causes, its consequences, and its treatments.”

MHA’s 2018 Media Award recognized the documentary Suicide: The Ripple Effect, by filmmakers Kevin Hines and Greg Dicharry. The film highlights the journey of Kevin Hines, who at age 19, attempted to take his life by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. Today Kevin is a world-renowned mental health advocate, motivational speaker, and author who travels the globe spreading a message of hope, recovery, and wellness.

MHA’s 2018 Media Award recognized the online platform The Players’ Tribune, a new media company that provides athletes with a platform to connect directly with their fans, in their own words. This past year, TPT focused a great deal on mental health issues, highlighting raw and personal stories from the NBA’s Kevin Love, Channing Frye, and Keyon Dooling, and the NHL’s Ben Scrivens, Corey Hirsch, Clint Malarchuk, and more.

MHA’s 2019 Media Award recognized ABC Television for its show, A Million Little Things, which centers around a close circle of friends who must come to terms with a friend’s suicide. The show masterfully weaves in content that addresses depression, therapy, grief, and the intersection of physical illness and mental health.

MHA’s 2019 Media Award recognized Amazon Studios for its feature film, Beautiful Boy, a powerful and emotional film about drug addiction starring Steve Carell, Timothée Chalamet, Maura Tierney, and Amy Ryan.

MHA’s 2019 Media Award recognized Deseret News, for its series Generation Vexed, a year-long series out of Utah that examined why teens are more anxious than ever and how families and communities can help.