Mental Health Leader Jacki McKinney to Receive NMHA's Highest Honor

National Mental Health Association
Thursday, 29 May 2003

The National Mental Health Association's highest honor, the Clifford W. Beers Award, will be presented Saturday, June 7, to Jacki McKinney, M.S.W., a national advocate fighting for the rights and recovery for people with mental illnesses and co-occurring disorders. McKinney is the first African American woman to receive the Clifford W. Beers Award.

"Jacki's life story of personal struggle and persistence serves as an inspiration for all of us," said Michael Faenza, NMHA president and CEO, "Not only is she a survivor of trauma, institutional confinement and the criminal justice system, Jacki has used her experience to shape public policy and educate consumers, advocates and legislators through speaking, writing and research."

Jacki McKinney is a former homeless woman who recovered from mental illness. She is a co-founder of the National People of Color Consumer/Survivor Network and has led the charge for people with mental illness from diverse backgrounds to define their own issues for change and recovery. In 1999, McKinney coordinated the first People of Color Conference held at Alternatives, a national summit for people with mental illness and survivors of the mental health system.

McKinney's work around issues of trauma include serving as a consultant to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study and developing a "Certificate of Proficiency in Understanding Trauma" for people with mental illness who have worked in the mental health field but lack formal education and training. She has also helped women with mental illness who are incarcerated through her work with the Women's Prison Association.

The Clifford W. Beers Award is named for NMHA's founder, a former psychiatric patient who sought to correct the injustices he witnessed and experienced during his hospitalizations. The award will be presented during closing night ceremonies at NMHA's 2003 annual conference, America's Mental Health Crisis: Finding Solutions Together, to be held June 4-7 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.

The National Mental Health Association is America's oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. With more than 340 affiliates nationwide, NMHA works to improve the mental health of all Americans through advocacy, education, research and service.

For more information, or to contact National Mental Health Association, see their website at: www.nmha.org