New Jersey: Eric Arauz, a recent employee of the Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ), was a recipient of the 2009 Voice Awards. Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Voice Awards honor writers and producers who incorporate dignified, respectful and accurate portrayals of individuals with mental health conditions in film and television productions. Eric is working within the MHANJ's Career Connections Employment Resource Institute, specializing in reaching out to potential employers and utilizing his personal story of recovery to inspire consumers that recovery and work can be a reality.

New York: The Mental Health Association of Erie County has created the Behavioral Informatics Center in collaboration with the TenEleven Group. The Center is located at the MHA's Delaware Avenue location in Buffalo. The Behavioral Informatics Center will be a training, demonstration and learning lab for all behavioral health providers interested in more scientifically capturing, storing, retrieving and reporting of all aspects of behavioral health activity. The TenEleven Group specializes in behavioral health software development and customized solutions in informatics for psychiatric hospitals, outpatient providers, regulatory agencies and large behavioral health groups.

South Carolina: Beth Summer-Strait, M.Ed., Executive Director of the P.A.C.E. Center/MHA of the Piedmont in Spartanburg, S.C. has been awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor given by the state of South Carolina. The award is presented by South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford for a lifetime of achievement. Ms. Summer-Strait was awarded this honor for her lifelong work as an advocate for mental wellness.

Wisconsin: Mental Health America of Wisconsin and Aurora Family Services (AFS) are piloting a new Visiting Therapist Program for the MHA's Invisible Children's Program (ICP). AFS's collaboration with MHA will add significant value since ICP families typically do not have an identified therapist when they come into the program–or if they do, any therapy they may receive is most likely individual therapy, rather than working with the entire family unit. The AFS Visiting Therapist, Jill Marie Wilson, a Marriage & Family Therapist, will work directly with families participating in the ICP with an emphasis on keeping families together and avoiding placing kids in the foster care system whenever possible; preventing child abuse and neglect in families where a mental illness is present; and by focusing on child health and well-being.

New York: The MHA in Orange County's Invisible Children's Project (ICP) was the recipient of the 2000 Eli Lilly Reintegration Award. The Lilly Reintegration Awards is commemorating its 11th anniversary by welcoming all past award recipients to Indianapolis, Indiana to share in the celebration, network with colleagues and build a vision for the future of our nation's mental health care. ::