EXCELLENCE CEO Named Among 2016 “Keep Oregon Well” Mental Health Heroes
Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) April 02, 2016 -- Gina Nikkel, President and CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care, has been named one of the 2016 “Keep Oregon Well” Mental Health Heroes Award recipients by Trillium Family Services.
Founded to commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the “Keep Oregon Well” Mental Health Heroes Award honors 31 people, nonprofits, and community groups who help pave the way for mental and behavioral healthcare to thrive in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, including such luminaries as Mitch Anderson, Margie Boulé and Liesbeth Gerritsen.
“I am honored to stand amongst this year’s great collection of Oregon Mental Health Heroes,” says Nikkel, “and I do so representing another great international collection of mental health heroes at the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care. Each of our donors, board members, grantees and partners is a vital spark in this social impact organization that is funding research, developing programs and providing education to spread the hope and tools for mental health recovery."
An Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at OHSU, Nikkel served as Executive Director of the Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs for 11 years before taking the helm of the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care as President and CEO. She has worked extensively in mental health and addictions policy, leadership and management, health care financing and political advocacy. As a Community Mental Health Therapist, Adolescent Program Director and Clinical Supervisor, she brings experience in all aspects of community mental health. Nikkel's public service includes two terms as a Tillamook County Commissioner and Vice-President of the Association of Oregon Counties.
Gina Nikkel and her 30 fellow 2016 “Keep Oregon Well” Mental Health Heroes will be honored at Trillium’s Black & Gold Gala, on Saturday April 9th at the Leftbank Annex in Portland, Oregon. The Gala will be hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist and author Sheila Hamilton, herself a member of the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care’s Board of Directors. Nikkel’s story will also be featured on the Trillium website, on the radio at 101.9 Kink FM with Sheila Hamilton, and across social media channels via the #KeepOregonWell campaign during the month of May.
For more information on the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care, visit MentalHealthExcellence.org.
Jessica Pratt, Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care, http://www.mentalhealthexcellence.org, +1 (503) 515-6884, [email protected]
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