Press Release

American Psychiatric Foundation Announces Recipients of Second Annual Helping Hands Grants
ARLINGTON, Va., September 7 -- The American Psychiatric Foundation (APF) has named seven universities as the recipients of the second annual Helping Hands Grants. Each school will receive a grant for a community mental health service project initiated and managed by medical students under the supervision of medical faculty. This program is made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.

The foundation, which is dedicated to advancing public understanding that mental illnesses are real and can be effectively treated, approved the following grants:

• Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry received a grant for the Music Inspires Health Initiative that was founded by students at Emory University and the University of Virginia. It joins medical students, physicians, public health experts and music celebrities to teach underserved adolescent populations about mental health issues.
  
• Medical University of South Carolina received a grant to provide a permanent mental health resource and referral center for migrant workers and their families at Rural Mission Head Start. The resource center will be developed through the Crecemos Juntos program which supports mental health education and intervention for the families of migrant farm workers living in the Sea Island Region of South Carolina.
  
• Tufts University School of Medicine received a grant to develop a culturally-competent mental health campaign to raise awareness of mental illnesses in the Pan-Asian community in Boston. As part of this project, students will develop a mental health screening tool addressing the needs of this community and will educate healthcare providers on the use of the tool.
  
• Tulane University School of Medicine received a grant to provide free psychiatric screening for PTSD and depression at two local clinics. The students will also offer periodic community outreach about coping with stress, recognizing the symptoms of mental illnesses, and actions to take if you think you or a loved one is showing signs of a mental illness.
  
• University of Louisville Health Sciences Center received a grant to collaborate with Kentucky Refugee Ministries and the Family Health Centers to administer mental health screenings to newly arrived adult refugees. They will also compile and analyze aggregate data of the mental health condition and needs of refugees and provide referrals for evaluation and follow-up treatment.
  
• University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus received a grant to host workshops and lectures designed to help parents and teachers identify and manage behavioral health problems in children and improve access to specialized mental health care. This project is being undertaken in collaboration with Casa Pueblo.
  
• Vanderbilt University School of Medicine was granted to select literature, videos and other media to educate female inmates about mental illnesses, signs and symptoms, and available treatments. The program's goal is to increase awareness of wellness strategies and increase the likelihood that prisoners will seek mental health care and information after they are released.
  

"We are thrilled to award grant funding to these schools for projects that will make a significant difference in the mental health of the communities they serve," said Altha J. Stewart, M.D., president of the American Psychiatric Foundation. "As the future leaders in the psychiatric profession, these students are demonstrating the value of helping underserved populations."

The Helping Hands Grant Program raises awareness of mental illnesses and the importance of early recognition and builds an interest among medical students in psychiatry and working in underserved communities.

The American Psychiatric Foundation is a philanthropic and educational arm of the American Psychiatric Association. The mission of the foundation is to advance understanding that mental illnesses are real and can be effectively treated. For more information, please visit the foundation's Web site at www.psychfoundation.org.

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