President George W. Bush Nominates Mental Health America Board Member Wainscott to National Council on Disability
Contact: Heather Cobb, (703) 797-2588
hcobb@mentalhealthamerica.net
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (February 14, 2006) - Cynthia Wainscott, current Board Member and former Board Chair of Mental Health America, has been nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as a member of the National Council on Disability (NCD). NCD is an independent federal agency that makes recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for all Americans with disabilities and their families.
NCD is composed of 15 members appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Notably, it first proposed that Congress enact a civil rights law for people with disabilities. In 1990 that law - now known as the Americans with Disabilities Act - was signed into law.
The Council's overall purpose is to promote policies, programs, practices and procedures to guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities - regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. It also aims to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living and full participation in all aspects of life in their community.
Wainscott brings 20 years of leadership in mental health education to the Council. She directed a pilot site for the National Institute of Mental Health's Depression: Awareness, Recognition and Treatment program - a ground-breaking public education campaign that developed a training model for education programs nationwide.
Wainscott has been a board member of Mental Health America since 1999. In addition, she was a member of the Institute of Medicine committee that authored the ground-breaking report, "Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions."
Wainscott served as the director of Mental Health America of Georgia for 14 years and was a founding board member of the Campaign for Mental Health Reform at the national level.
Wainscott is an active member of the Georgia Governor's Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Advisory Council and the state Medicaid agency's Drug Utilization Review Board. She is a board member of the Georgia Parent Support Network (an affiliate of the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health), the Advisory Committee for Emory University's Fuqua Center for Late Life Depression and the Georgia Community Trust. She is also a member of the Governance Committee of the Mental Health Services Coalition.
Mental Health America is the country's leading nonprofit dedicated to helping ALL people live mentally healthier lives. With our more than 320 affiliates nationwide, we represent a growing movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well-being of the nation - everyday and in times of crisis.
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