Monday, May 02, 2005

Words Fail Them HispanicBusiness.com story on Nicholas Torres and his organization, Philadelphia-based Congreso de Latinos Unidos, which "...hasn't figured out how to provide behavioral health services on the scale of current demand. 'We did a study two years ago about services for the Latino community, and it was very apparent that, when referring people, there weren't enough culturally competent and lingually capable individuals in the mental health professions,' Mr. Torres says. 'Finding qualified bilingual individuals is next to impossible. Basically, you're stealing [personnel] from someone else who is providing those services.' ... In 2004, Congreso spent more than $3.7 million on behavioral counseling and $2.5 million on crisis intervention. Drug and alcohol counseling account for the largest share of the 21,000 people who received behavioral health assistance from Congreso last year. The organization ranks number 10 on the 2005 Hispanic Business Top 25 Nonprofits directory with total expenditures of $14.7 million."  
  

Mental health advocate wins Heinz Foundation award  Chicago Sun-Times article on Joseph Rogers who, after "years of homelessness and stays in psychiatric hospitals....used those experiences to lead a large mental health association and champion a new way of helping people with mental illness. Today, Rogers is being given a Heinz Award, an annual $250,000 prize given to people making notable contributions in five areas: the arts and humanities, the environment, the human condition, public policy, and technology, the economy and employment. ... Rogers should be considered 'the Martin Luther King of mental health's consumer movement,' said Mary Hurtig, the policy director at the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Rogers joined the group in 1984 and rose through the organization to become its CEO, promoting the idea that people with mental illness should play an active role in their treatment. He created the Self-Help and Advocacy Resource Exchange project, an umbrella organization for support groups, drop-in centers, homeless outreach and other programs."