The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health staff represent the foundation throughout the state and nationally as leaders in mental health. Hogg staff participate in important discussions at meetings, conferences and trainings. Here is some of what we’ve been up to lately…
- Vicky Coffee-Fletcher, program officer, participated in the 2nd Annual Gulf Coast Area African American Family Support Conference in Houston on November 1, 2013. The conference, modeled after the Central Texas African American Family Support Conference, focuses on strengthening the mental, physical and spiritual awareness of African Americans. Coffee-Fletcher assisted in the development of the conference’s first clergy track to raise awareness in the faith-based community about the importance of addressing the behavioral health needs of African Americans.
- Dr. Lynda Frost, director of planning and programs, along with former Hogg Graduate Research Assistants Dr. Katherine Sanchez and Dr. Mary Held, published an article in the September issue of the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, the peer-reviewed journal of the National Council for Behavioral Health. The article was entitled, “Assessing the Legacy of a Legislative Workgroup for Bidirectional Integration of Services.”
- Michele Guzmán, assistant director of research and evaluation, presented at the Conference of Southwest Foundations in a session titled, “Workforce Strategies to Address Our Mental Health Needs.” Her co-presenters included Dr. Tamie DeHay, who consults with the Hogg Foundation’s Texas Psychology Internships grant initiative, and Dennis Mohatt, a member of the foundation’s National Advisory Council.
- Tammy Heinz, program officer, received an appreciation award from the Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistant Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) for her contributions to the initiative in 2012-2013. BRSS TACS, which is funded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is a coordinated effort to promote the widespread adoption of recovery concepts and practices. Texas was one of eight grantees selected to develop state recovery action plans.
- Tammy Heinz gave a presentation on mental health to over 75 members of the Epsilon Lambda chapter of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority at the University of Texas at Arlington on Nov. 11.
- Tammy Heinz was the subject of an article which appeared in the Nov. 13 Hope Concept Wellness Center Newsletter. The article was a tribute to Heinz and a recognition of her work in the consumer movement and with Lena Phillips, founder of the Fort Worth, TX-based Hope Concept Wellness Center.
- Colleen Horton, program officer, presented at a Grantmakers In Health strategy session, “Meeting Adolescents Where They Are: New Directions in Behavioral Health” in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 23. She discussed Hogg Foundation activities that have focused on youth involvement.
- By special invitation, Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director, participated in The Kennedy Forum Inaugural Conference in Boston, MA on Oct. 24. This conference was created to launch a national conversation to remove the stigma surrounding mental illness.
- Dr. Martinez was recently appointed by Texas Health Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek to the Behavioral Health Integration Advisory Committee required by S.B. 58, 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013. Dr. Martinez has also been appointed as the presiding chair of the Committee.
- Dr. Martinez presented the keynote presentation, “Addressing Health Disparities through Health Integration” at the SAMHSA Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration Grantee Meeting held in
Phoenix, Arizona on Sep. 24. - Rick Ybarra, program officer, co-presented at the 2013 Collaborative Family Healthcare Association annual conference, which took place in Denver, CO from Oct. 10-Oct. 12. His presentation was titled, “Innovative Partnerships for Successful Integrated Health Care: A Texas Perspective.”