Mental Health, Social Work Leaders to Be Honored by MHA

Mental Health, Social Work Leaders to Be Honored by Mental Health America

SAMHSA Administrator Pam Hyde, Former NASW CEO Dr. Elizabeth Clark to Receive Awards at Annual Conference on June 7

Contact: Steve Vetzner, (703) 797-2588 or svetzner@mentalhealthamerica.net

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 16, 2013)—Mental Health America will honor Pam Hyde, Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and Dr. Elizabeth Clark, the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), for their contributions and service to the mental health field at its 2013 Annual Conference, Why Wellness Works: Breakthroughs and Pathways to Whole Health, June 5-8, at the  Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC.

Administrator Hyde will be presented the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her 35 years of accomplishments in the mental health field, and Dr. Clark will receive the George Goodman Brudney and Ruth P. Brudney Social Work Award, given for significant contributions to the care and treatment of persons with mental illness. Both awards will be presented the evening of June 7 at the Clifford W. Beers Awards Dinner.

“Pam Hyde and Dr. Clark have given extraordinary service and invaluable contributions in their fields,” said Wayne W. Lindstrom, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America. “Their work and accomplishments have made significant differences in the lives of people living with mental health and substance use conditions.”

Pam Hyde was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November 2009 as Administrator of SAMHSA, bringing more than 30 years of experience in management and consulting for public health care and human service agencies. She has received special acknowledgment for her ability to build teams, develop coalitions and consensus, and create strategic plans that form the basis for action and achieve identified goals.

Dr. Clark led the NASW, the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, from 2001 to March of this year. She is a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers and of the National Academies of Practice. She also sits on the Board of Directors of C-Change, Collaborating to Conquer Cancer, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa.

For more information on Mental Health America’s 2013 Annual Conference and the Clifford W. Beers Awards Dinner, go to http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/annualconference.

Mental Health America (www.mentalhealthamerica.net), founded in 1909, is the nation’s leading community-based network dedicated to helping all Americans achieve wellness by living mentally healthier lives. With our 240 affiliates across the country, we touch the lives of millions—Advocating for changes in mental health and wellness policy; Educating the public & providing critical information; and Delivering urgently needed mental health and wellness Programs and Services.

###