Celebrating mental health

St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund announces inaugural mental health provider award

The St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund (CSF) has created the Dr. John M. Anderson Community Mental Health Provider Award. The new award is part of the Dr. John M. Anderson Excellence in Mental Health Care Award and complements the John M. Anderson Excellence in the Field of Mental Health Award, which has celebrated and recognized unsung mental health professionals in the St. Louis region since 2014.

The Dr. John M. Anderson Community Mental Health Provider Award is designed to recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of individuals who provide on-the-ground care in the community but do not have a research component in their day-to-day work. The award aims to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of mental health professionals whose work directly addresses the needs identified by the community and actively works to reduce the stigma of mental illness in the Black/African-American community.

“Creating an integrated system of care in which kids and families have access to effective and quality mental health services requires support and input from professionals with varied backgrounds and areas of expertise,” said Emily Koenig, executive director of CSF. “We are thrilled to be awarding two prestigious awards this year to individuals making a significant impact in the field of mental health care for children and families in St. Louis.”

The Excellence in the Field of Mental Health Care awardee is someone who demonstrates clinical excellence in mental health. They have a body of work that illustrates large-scale impact and supports their commitment to addressing inequalities in mental health care for children and families in St. Louis. They have taken significant steps to reduce the stigma of seeking care in the Black/African-American community.

Nominations for the Dr. John M. Anderson Community Mental Health Provider and Excellence in the Field of Mental Health Award closed on March 5. Both award winners will be announced at the St. Louis American’s Excellence in Health Care banquet. Awardees are chosen by a review panel consisting of mental/public health professionals, a previous award winner, education experts, community administrators and CSF board members and staff.

For more information about the Dr. John M. Anderson Excellence in Mental Health Awards, please visit the CSF website at stlcsf.org, or contact the CSF office at 314-615-5850.