Eli Lilly and Company Announces 2006 Lilly Reintegration Awards Recipients

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eli Lilly and Company announced Friday, during national Mental Illness Awareness Week, the recipients of the 2006 Lilly Reintegration Awards. The awards honor mental health professionals and individuals with severe mental illness for their outstanding contributions and achievements in the mental-health community. Specifically, the awards honor treatment teams, programs and services offering care and support to people with severe mental illness, and individuals with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia who are a source of hope and inspiration to their peers.

This year is especially significant as it marks the 10-year anniversary of the awards program. "Over the past 10 years, we have been deeply moved and encouraged by the contributions of the Lilly Reintegration Award honorees," said John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., president and chief operating officer, Eli Lilly and Company. "They have set high standards in the quality of care and made it possible for those battling severe mental illness to achieve what was once thought to be impossible. We are proud to be able to highlight and recognize their accomplishments, which we hope others will emulate."

Ralph Aquila, M.D., chairperson of the Awards committee added, "For those battling mental illness, reintegration is about the journey to wellness. These award recipients are the people and programs who foster this journey and provide the tools to regaining a sense of control -- they are the ones on the frontlines who are helping to make reintegration a reality."

An independent panel of individuals and healthcare professionals chaired by Dr. Aquila evaluated the hundreds of nominations submitted. Winners in each category received grants to their respective programs to further their success. The following is a complete list of recipients.

Treatment Team Awards Advocacy GCB Forensic Services; Cincinnati, Ohio

Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services (GCB) Forensic Services program provides intensive social and independent living skills training to severely mentally ill adults involved with the criminal justice system. The goal of the program is to help ex-offenders successfully reintegrate into society

Anti-Stigma Program; Walled Lake, Mich.

Focused on helping the general public better understand the challenges and issues surrounding mental illness, the goal of the Anti-Stigma Program is to effectively eliminate stigma from society. The program conducts presentations in the community, holds panel discussions and provides a support hotline for those who feel they have been stigmatized.

Clinical Medicine

Thresholds' Paxton House for Diabetes Management; Chicago, Ill.

Specifically focused on the unusually high rate of diabetes amongst the seriously mentally ill, Paxton House provides intensive education and treatment in a residential setting to successfully serve residents' dual health concerns.

MHCD SURGE Program; Denver, Colo.

Substance Use Recovery for Gaining Empowerment, SURGE, is a comprehensive dual-diagnosis program of the Mental Health Center of Denver. It serves the previously homeless recovering from co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.

Education

Joyce Burland, Ph.D., NAMI; Arlington, Va.

Dr. Joyce Burland is the national director of the NAMI Education, Training, and Peer Support Center at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She is a clinical psychologist and recognized as a leader in the field of peer education for families, consumers and providers of people with serious mental illness.

Employment

The Advancing Customized Employment Program; Chicago, Ill.

The Advancing Customized Employment (ACE) Program partners Thresholds Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centers with the Chicago Workforce Board and the University of Illinois-Chicago in creating a pioneering and aggressive employment service for the seriously mentally ill.

Careers for the Future; Columbus, Ohio

Center of Vocational Alternatives for Mental Health, Inc., COVA, assists and support the community in overcoming mental, emotional and other challenges to lead a productive life by focusing on employment, economic stability and life skills.

Housing

Connections Community Support Programs, Inc.; Wilmington, Del.

Connections Community Support Programs, Inc., provides community-based treatment, support, housing and rehabilitation services for Delaware residents recovering from and living with mental health challenges, substance abuse issues, homelessness and/or HIV/AIDS.

GCB Homeless Services; Cincinnati, Ohio

The Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services (GCB) provides housing and support services for individuals with severe mental illness. Their roots are in the belief that having a place to call home is a cornerstone of recovery.

Social Support

SafeHaven, Inc.; Piqua, Ohio

SafeHaven is a consumer-operated social and vocational center for adults recovering from mental illness. It provides transportation from members' homes, field trips, daily community meals, religious studies and structured leisure activities including crafts, reading groups, ping-pong and darts.

Jordan House; Washington, D.C.

Jordan House crisis stabilization program provides residential supportive services to low-income Washington, D.C. residents experiencing a psychiatric crisis.

Consumer Awards Artistic Contribution The Thresholds Theatre Arts Project Ensemble; Chicago, Ill.

The Thresholds Theatre Arts Project unites professionals from Chicago's vast theatre community with Thresholds members living with mental illness in a series of collaborative workshops, and culminates in a full-scale theatre production at a prominent local theater.

Mentorship

Sister Lucindia Claghorn; Mobile, Ala.

Sister Lucindia Claghorn is a beacon of light for people with schizophrenia in the state of Alabama. She is a secular Franciscan nun and, while she has faced much rejection from society and even at times within her own church, her archbishop designated her ministry to be work with the mentally ill.

Dolan Jeffrey "Jeff" Pittman; South Boston, Va.

Jeff Pittman has devoted his life to helping those who -- like himself -- battle mental illness. He was one of four consumer consultants for the state of Virginia's Office of Inspector General for Mental Health, he served on an advisory committee of the Department for Rights of Virginians with Disabilities and currently serves as a member and treasurer of Virginia Statewide Independent Living Council.

Inspiration

Lisa Halpern; Arlington, Mass.

Ms. Halpern coordinates NAMI-Massachusetts's In Our Own Voice program, she is Director of Consumer Affairs at WestBridge Community Services -- a private nonprofit dual diagnosis team -- and in April 2006, her article "Brain Training: An Athletic Model for Brain Rehabilitation" was published in Psychiatric Services. The article chronicles her journey from "decimated cognition to personality re-building" over a three month period while simultaneously attending Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Sandra Kogut; Pittsburgh, Pa.

Ms. Kogut facilitates Peer Support Recovery classes, conducts community outreach efforts for Workers with Disabilities, and serves as an Outreach and Education Facilitator at Turtle Creek Valley Mental Health/Mental Retardation, Inc., in Braddock, Pennsylvania.

Lifetime Achievement Joanne Verbanic; Farmington, Mich.

In 1985, Ms. Verbanic started a self-help support group for those who -- like herself -- were suffering with schizophrenia. Today, this group is known globally as Schizophrenics Anonymous (SA) and has 175 groups around the country and satellite groups around the world.

Tom Malamud; New York, N.Y.

For 45 years, Tom Malamud was a vital contributor to the development and success of Fountain House, the flagship clubhouse of the International Center for Clubhouse Development. While serving as their Director of Programming, he was key to not only the development of the transitional employment curriculum and establishing housing for members, but he also played a vital role in a landmark study pointing to clubhouse involvement resulting in decreased hospitalizations.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com. O-LLY

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