ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Applications are now being accepted for the American Psychiatric Foundation’s (APF) Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health 2005 program. The program, now in its third year, provides four awards to honor psychiatrists, other mental health providers, mental health programs and other community organizations that increase public awareness of mental health care, increase access to mental health services, and enhance the quality of care for underserved minorities, especially those who suffer from severe mental illness. Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI) is proud to support the APF’s Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health.
“OAPI is strongly committed to eliminating health disparities among underserved populations,” said Hiromi Yoshikawa, Chairman & CEO, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. “We are honored to support the APF Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health and recognize the efforts of local programs.”
The awards focus on patient issues facing underserved populations such as raising awareness of mental illness and the need for treatment and improving access to treatment. Both new and on-going activities are eligible for consideration.
“There are many deserving individuals and programs around the country working hard to improve the mental health of underserved populations,” said Steven Rubloff, executive director of the American Psychiatric Foundation. “We look forward to reviewing this year’s applicants and honoring their efforts.”
Psychiatrists, health professionals, mental health programs and organizations are eligible to apply for the awards. All applications must be postmarked by November 1, 2005. Award recipients will be selected by the board of directors of the American Psychiatric Foundation and will be announced in March 2006.
The awards will be presented at the 2006 APF Annual Benefit during the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Toronto, Canada. Recipients will receive a $5,000 award in honor of their commitment to advancing minority mental health. The awards are made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from OAPI. The winning programs will also be featured in APF publications and Web sites.
Complete award criteria and applications for the awards can be found on the foundation’s Web site at http://www.psychfoundation.org or by contacting the foundation at 703-907-8517.
About Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI)
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI) is a successful, innovative, fast-growing healthcare company that commercializes Otsuka-discovered and other product opportunities in North America. OAPI is dedicated to improving patients’ health and the quality of their lives. The company is part of the Otsuka Group, which is comprised of 81 companies and approximately 26,000 people around the world. With 39 consolidated subsidiaries, Otsuka earned US$6.2 billion in consolidated annual revenues in fiscal 2004. For additional information, please visit http://www.otsuka.com.
About The American Psychiatric Foundation
The American Psychiatric Foundation is a philanthropic and educational arm of the American Psychiatric Association. The mission of the foundation is to advance understanding that mental illnesses are real and can be effectively treated. For more information on the American Psychiatric Foundation, please visit http://www.psychfoundation.org.
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
CONTACT: Debra Kaufmann of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.,+1-240-683-3568, debra.kaufmann@otsuka.com, or Tara Burkholder of AmericanPsychiatric Foundation, +1-703-907-8516, tburkholder@psych.org
