APA recently honored several innovative programs that have made their mark by improving the care and treatment of people with psychiatric disorders. The awards were presented on October 28 in ceremonies during the opening session of the 1999 Institute on Psychiatric Services in New Orleans.

Gold Awards were presented to Fountain House and Project Link. Certificates of Significant Achievement went to Atascadero State Hospital’s Clinical Safety Project, the Comprehensive Pediatric Care Unit at Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, and the Hamilton-Wentworth HSO Mental Health Program.

This is the 50th year in which APA has bestowed the Psychiatric Services Achievement Awards to innovative mental health care programs. The primary criteria that the awards committee uses to evaluate nominess are whether the programs have " overcome obstacles" and " can serve as models for other programs."

Award applications for the 2000 awards were due earlier this month, and in the spring a representative of the district branch in which the highest-ranked applicants are located will conduct an on-site evaluation. APA notifies the winners in July.