The Children and Adolescent Services Program at the South Bronx Mental Health Council, Inc (SBMHC) was the recipient of the Bronze Award presented at the American Psychiatric Association 61st Institute on Psychiatric Services held recently in New York City.
The goal of the awards, established in 1949, is to recognize national models of creative service delivery to mentally ill or disabled individuals. The SBMHC program achieved a third place among 74 programs nationwide. The program was recognized for adapting an evidence-based model the Community Parent Education Program (COPE), developed by Dr. Charles E. Cunningham, into a culturally and linguistically sensitive program that helps children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or disruptive behavior disorders.
“The SBMHC sought a model that would challenge staff to improve their skills and provide a critical service to the local children before they were identified as clinical cases,” wrote psychiatrist L. Mark Russakoff, MD, in his site review of the program.
“In collaboration with five other outpatient programs in the Bronx, the SBMHC chose COPE as a means to help the parents of children who were coming to the attention of school officials or others. The program is a group intervention, which permits exceptional learning opportunities for the participants (including staff, patients and parents) and the fiscal efficiencies associated with group programs. It has been cited as a model program by the New York State Office of Mental Health.”
The SBMHC Children and Adolescent Services Program jointly with its five satellite school-based clinics provide mental health services in a bilingual and bicultural competent manner to over 500 children and families annually in the South Bronx community.
