Simon Accepts Advocacy Award

From Gilead Community Services

 

Barry Simon, Executive Director of Gilead Community Services, was recognized for  his exemplary leadership on behalf of people with mental health and substance use disorders by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (National Council) with it’s inaugural Advocate of the Year Award.  Barry’s consistent and vocal support for mental health and addictions treatment services has a tremendous effect on public policy. It is the voices of people like Mr. Simon that have the power to truly impact public policy for the better – policies that affect the work Gilead does on a day-to-day basis in our community. Barry’s advocacy efforts focused on these three legislative priorities:

Medicaid: Opposing cuts to Medicaid, the primary funding source for safety net mental health and addictions services.

Behavioral Health Information Technology Act of 2011: Urging legislators to cosponsor this bill to expand federal incentive payments for the adoption of health information to behavioral and mental health professionals, psychiatric hospitals, mental health treatment facilities and substance abuse treatment facilities.

Federally Qualified Behavioral Health Centers: Seeking support to create these centers to enable community behavioral health organizations to receive cost-based reimbursement for the essential services they provide to children and adults with mental health and substance use disorders.

As the winner of the Advocate of the Year award Barry was honored at the National Council’s Annual Public Policy Institute and Hill Day in Washington D.C. on July 19-20.

Gilead Community Services provides a broad range of high quality health care and recovery support services in the home and community to improve mental health, physical well-being, independence, and community integration for the individuals we serve throughout Middlesex County. Gilead offers a continuum of services to foster recovery from mental illness, including general counseling for individuals and families through our outpatient clinic in Middletown, as well as very intensive community-based programs that offer case management and rehabilitation services to individuals who live independently and benefit from regular clinical and support services.