Vinland Center has received the 2013 National Council Award of Excellence for Behavioral Healthcare Management from the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. Vinland was recognized at a special ceremony in Las Vegas on April 9 during the 2013 National Council Conference. Former First Lady and founder of the Carter Center, Rosalynn Carter, was the guest of honor at this event, which also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Community Mental Health Act signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
The National Council Awards of Excellence honor the innovative and inspirational efforts of individuals and organizations — staff, board leaders, volunteers, consumers, families, and community partners — who are changing the lives of children, adults, and families living with mental illnesses and addiction disorders.
“This is a great honor to be recognized for our practices and innovations in the treatment field by our peers,” said Mary Roehl, executive director of Vinland Center. “I am so privileged to work with such a dedicated and inspiring group of people, and I recognize that we received this award because of the work each of them do every day!”
Vinland Center provides integrated substance abuse treatment services to people living with brain injuries, mental illnesses, learning disabilities, and other cognitive disabilities. Six months after graduating from the program, 92 percent of Vinland’s clients report abstinence or reduced use of addictive substances. The program boasts a 93 percent reduction in incarcerations for clients post treatment, which results in an annual savings to society of more than $1.2 million.
“The National Council Awards of Excellence this year commemorate President Kennedy’s vision of a new frontier in behavioral health, one in which individuals with mental illnesses and addictions recover in community. Our honorees are helping us advance toward this new frontier — one piece of art, one program, one scientific breakthrough, one public policy success, and one story of hope at a time,” said Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the National Council. “The stories are inspiring. Honorees have turned their private pain into public passion. We applaud their selflessness, their service, and their sense of commitment,” she added.
