Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Honored By National Alliance on Mental Illness, Pennsylvania

Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC (WPIC) received the Research Award from The National Alliance on Mental Illness, Pennsylvania (NAMI PA), and the Peace of Mind Project (POMP) at a gala awards dinner held in Philadelphia on Friday, June 15. Claudia Roth, Ph.D., president and CEO of WPIC accepted the award on the institute’s behalf.

Also honored at the event were Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Sen. Edward Kennedy, who received the Legislative Leadership Award for political leadership in sponsoring the Parity Bill, which would require insurance companies to cover treatment for mental illness on a par with coverage for other illnesses. Janssen LP, a Titusville, N.J., pharmaceutical company, received the Corporate Advocacy Award.

Established in 1942, WPIC has achieved a strong regional, state, national and international presence. With a commitment to excellence in clinical care, research, and education, WPIC has been consistently ranked as one of the top psychiatric facilities in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

Providing the most comprehensive range of behavioral health services available today, WPIC serves more than 40,000 individuals and families each year from early childhood through late life, including those with specialized and complex needs and those who have been unable to be successfully treated elsewhere.

As the number one recipient of research funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, WPIC and the department of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, are focused at the interface of medicine and psychiatry – looking for answers, discovering new knowledge and contributing to advances in the field. WPIC is shaping tomorrow’s behavioral health care through the joining of clinical innovation, research, education and technology. Ultimately guided by its mission, WPIC strives to make a difference in the life of each person who comes for care on their journey to recovery.

NAMI PA (National Alliance on Mental Illness of Pennsylvania), founded in 1983, is the largest statewide non-profit organization dedicated to helping mental health consumers and their families rebuild their lives and conquer the challenges posed by severe and persistent mental illness. This mission is accomplished through programs designed to offer support and education to its membership and to advocate for better mental health services on their behalf. NAMI PA also strives to educate the public about the true nature of mental illness to combat the stigma and discrimination often faced by persons with mental illness.

POMP (Peace of Mind Project), a non-profit founded in 1999 and based in Wisconsin, has spent millions of dollars on television advertising in order to erase the stigma of mental illness.