Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

Foundation Funds East Texas Mental Health Leadership Network

December 16, 2010

The Hogg Foundation has launched a pilot program in East Texas to build leadership in mental health, recovery and wellness and to increase consumer and family involvement in the public mental health system.

The East Texas Mental Health Leadership Network includes peer specialists and administrators from six organizations: Rusk State Hospital and Community Healthcore, Andrews, Anderson, Burke and Spindletop local mental health authorities.

leadership_network The Hogg Foundation awarded grants totaling $119,280 to the six organizations to fund the cost of their participation in the network for two years. The East Texas Behavioral Healthcare Network also received a foundation grant of $158,948 to coordinate the network’s activities.

“Our goal for the leadership network is to develop a strong coalition of consumers and peer specialists, providers and advocates who are skilled, knowledgeable and trained in recovery, wellness, and consumer, youth and family involvement,” said Stephany Bryan, program officer and consumer and family liaison for the foundation.

Five Hogg Foundation staff and 17 leadership network members attended the national Alternatives conference in Los Angeles in the fall. Alternatives is an annual conference organized by and for mental health consumers. More than 1,100 people from across the U.S. and Iceland, England, Spain and Costa Rica attended the conference, which featured more than 100 interactive workshops and caucuses on wellness and recovery.

At the Hogg Foundation conference in Nacogdoches, network members spoke to the audience about their experiences at Alternatives. They also attended a working lunch session with fellow peer specialists from Austin State Hospital.