Aurora Mental Health Recognized for Top State Program
Aurora Mental Health Center Recognized for Top State Program
- LEAD selected for best practices and model for other community health centers to emulate
- First Lady Jeannie Ritter adds congrats
- Award adds to continued recognition at national, statewide levels
Aurora, CO, October 12, 2007 – Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council (CBHC) has selected the Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Development (LEAD) program, a leadership-training program developed by Aurora Mental Health Center, as the winner of the 2007 Golden Abacus Award. Of all the community mental health center programs nominated in Colorado, the panel of experts named this program for its innovative approaches, best practices in the non-clinical arena, and a model for other community health centers to emulate.
Colorado First Lady Jeannie Ritter, in congratulating Aurora Mental Health Center for their leading role in the state said, “Coloradoans should be very proud that we have one of the most forward thinking, effective community mental health centers in the United States. We are facing some very real challenges in Colorado, but with all of our centers working together and continuously improving their services, and with the leadership and innovation shown by the Aurora Mental Health Center, we are making the strides we need for continued excellence and recovery.”
“We are very proud of the team that has launched and managed the LEAD program, and the impact it has had on the quality of care we provide system-wide,” said Randy Stith, Ph.D., Executive Director of Aurora Mental Health Center and the individual who initiated the program.
LEAD students receive intensive training including topics such as conflict negotiation, project planning and management, and personality and leadership skills assessment. Specific goals of the program include:
- Empower and educate employees through experiential learning;
- Enhance retention of valued employees;
- Facilitate the promotion of qualified individuals who have a commitment to the success of the organization;
- Give employees a closer perspective on the Center’s mission, values and board goals; and
- Increase internal communication and collaboration.
Staff enrolled in the LEAD program attend educational sessions over a seven-month period and participate in capstone projects aimed at improving the services and operation of Aurora Mental Health Center, or other community health centers who emulate the program.
“The recognition for the hard work of our staff is well deserved,” Stith added. “The more we can develop and educate our employees, the better the mental health services and programs will be available to our community.”
The center is proud to be recognized for excellence in Colorado and the United States including:
- Recognition in 2001 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which named the Center a part of a nationwide effort to bring the very best treatment for children who have suffered serious trauma.
- In 2002, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services chose to fund an alliance between the Center and the Metro Community Provider Network to bring integrated behavioral and primary care to homeless adults.
- The Colorado Division of Mental Health named the Center as the number one Community Mental Health Center in Colorado in 2006.
- Recently, the LEAD program was recognized by the national Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce as one of the top programs in the area of leadership nationwide.
For more information regarding this award or the LEAD program, please contact Cindy Bohl at cindybohl@aumhc.org or 303.617.2300.