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Moe Armstrong receives Lifetime Achievement Award
James “Moe” Armstrong, a leader in the field of psychiatric rehabilitation has been recognized by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare as the winner of a 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award for Staff Leadership. Armstrong is being honored for his life-long commitment to promoting community based and peer support services for people living with serious psychiatric conditions. The Awards Dinner will take place on Friday, May 2 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, during the 2008 National Council Annual Conference.
Most recently the Director of Recovery at Vinfen Corporation, Armstrong has spent his career as an advocate, advisor and visionary, making a lasting impact on the lives of people served.
“Moe Armstrong is beloved in this industry,” said Linda Rosenberg, MSW, president and CEO of The National Council. “Building upon his personal experience of living with schizophrenia, he has dedicated his career to serving others. Armstrong has worked tirelessly, crisis-crossing this country to improve mental health services, giving voice to thousands of individuals.”
When Armstrong joined Vinfen in 1993, he provided training to psychiatric rehabilitation professionals to promote effective services to and the interests of people with psychiatric disabilities. In 1997, he fostered peer education and support across the state with funding from the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership. Seeing the need for a similar approach to help veterans returning from combat, Armstrong worked within the Veterans Administration (VA) to begin “Vet-to-Vet” groups, an education and mutual support group program run by and for peers, in 40 VA centers across the country.
Presently, he is working with the VA’s Mental Illness Research and Education Center and the Yale School of Medicine toward establishing and documenting the efficacy of peer support.
When Armstrong was Director of Recovery Services, he promoted recovery-focused psychiatric rehabilitation services within, and outside, Vinfen. He has delivered hundreds of presentations to local and state groups as well as national advocacy groups and congressional committees. Armstrong has also served on the boards of many organizations that champion the rights of people with psychiatric disabilities, including the President’s Commission on Disabilities, NAMI Massachusetts, and NAMI National.
“Vinfen is so proud to have Moe recognized with this prestigious award from the National Council,” said Gary Lamson, president and CEO of Vinfen Corporation. “Moe has spent a lifetime working to create opportunities for people needing psychiatric rehabilitation. It is an honor for us to have him recognized for his commitment and dedication to the psychiatric and behavioral healthcare industry.”
The National Council Awards of Excellence recognize leaders in the mental health and addictions treatment field who are implementing innovative and effective programs to serve their communities. Award winners have demonstrated an ability to measure outcomes, translate research into practice, and provide service to the most vulnerable populations.
The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare is a nonprofit association of 1,400 behavioral healthcare organizations that provide treatment and rehabilitation for mental illnesses and addictions disorders to nearly 6 million adults, children and families across the country.
Contact:
Shawn Middleton: (617) 441-1896
middletons@vinfen.org
Kara C. Sweeney: (301) 984-6200, ext. 223
KaraS@TheNationalCouncil.org
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