From left: John Lovelace of Pittsburgh, president of government programs at UPMC, Deborah Wasilchak of Allegheny Township, board member and COO of government program offices at Community Care Behavioral Health, and Dr. James Schuster of Pittsburgh, chief medical officer of Medicaid and behavioral services at UPMC and Community Care Behavioral Health, gather for a photo during the Mental Health America of Southwestern PA 17th annual Innovations Awards held May 2 at the Ramada Hotel & Conference Center in Hempfield.
Kim Stepinsky | For the Tribune-Review
From left: Joan Stairs, special events chairwoman, Christine Vitale, immediate past president, and Kim Sonafelt, vice-president and president-elect, gather for a photo May 2 during the Mental Health America of Southwestern PA 17th annual Innovations Awards at the Ramada Hotel & Conference Center in Hempfield.
Kim Stepinsky | For the Tribune-Review
From left: Richard Stillwagon, board of directors member, Laurie Barnett Levine, executive director, Dr. Loren H. Roth, recipient of the 2019 Lifetime Achievement award, and Marybeth Grandinetti Pultz, board president, gather for a photo May 2 during the Mental Health America of Southwestern PA 17th annual Innovations Awards at the Ramada Hotel & Conference Center in Hempfield.
Kim Stepinsky | For the Tribune-Review
2019 Innovations Award recipients (from left) Carmen Capozzi, representing Sage’s Army, Inc., recovery recipient; Harris Ferris, representing the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, education recipient; Deborah Thackrah, founder and president of Feeding the Spirit, prevention recipient; and Tay Waltenbaugh, former CEO of Westmoreland Community Action, community advocacy recipient; gather for a photo May 2 during the Mental Health America of Southwestern PA 17th annual Innovations Awards at the Ramada Hotel & Conference Center in Hempfield.
Mental Health America of Southwestern PA hosted its 17th annual Innovations Awards dinner and program May 2 in the Ramada Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center.
The awards recognize community members and organizations that help make a difference in the lives of people experiencing mental health and substance use issues.
Honorees in the following categories included:
Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Loren Roth, University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and consultant for UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Community Advocacy:Tay Waltenbaugh, former CEO of Westmoreland Community Action
Education: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, represented by executive director Harris Ferris
Prevention: Deborah Thackrah, founder/president of Feeding the Spirit
Recovery: Sage’s Army, represented by founder Carmen Capozzi.
The dinner, which featured a strolling buffet and silent auction, benefits MHA’s mission of providing mental health advocacy, education and support services. MHA executive director is Laurie Barnett Levine; board president is Marybeth Grandinetti Pultz.
Event committee chairwoman was Joan Stairs. Host was Adam DeFlorio.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience
but still support the journalists
who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.
