Foundation Honors Contributions To Minority MH Care

The American Psychiatric Foundation (APF) has honored a Chicago psychiatrist and a New York City organization with its first Minority Mental Health Awards.

Psychiatrist Carl Bell, M.D., is the president and co-founder of Community Mental Health Council, which has worked for the last nine years to erase the stigma attached to mental illness and the people who suffer from these disorders and to make the public aware of treatment options in their community.

Bell was also honored for his work in helping to establish a service that provides 24-hour psychiatric emergency care. The award notes that in the last year, about 2,000 people, almost all of them minorities, sought help through this emergency service. In addition, Bell has long been a key figure in studying the impact of violence on children’s mental health.

The other APF award recipient is the Project for Psychiatric Outreach to the Homeless (PPOH), which since its founding by Katherine Falk, M.D., in 1986, has provided psychiatric services at drop-in centers, soup kitchens, shelters, and temporary residences.

APF President Altha Stewart, M.D., hailed Falk’s efforts on behalf of homeless mentally ill people. Falk “has made immeasurable contributions to people with mental illness,” she said. “Many poor people in minority communities would not have received the care they deserve without her efforts.”

The APF’s Minority Mental Health Award honors “psychiatrists and mental health programs that are undertaking special efforts to increase public awareness of mental health care for underserved minorities, increasing access to mental health services for minorities, and enhancing the quality of care for minorities, especially those who suffer from severe mental illness.” ▪