Hunter College Joan H. Tisch Prize Awards $20,000
The Charles B. Wang Community Health Center (CBWCHC) and Ann-Marie Louison, co-director of adult behavioral health at the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services, were the winners of the 5th annual Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize, which was announced by former NYC Health Commissioner Thomas A. Farley and Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab at a June 9 Hunter College reception.
“This year’s recipients have done an extraordinary job of meeting the needs of New Yorkers who suffer from physical and mental illness,” said Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab.
CBWCHC was recognized for its work to eliminate health disparities within the Asian-American community and the community at-large and specifically for addressing Hepatitis B prevention and care. Louison was acknowledged for her contributions in improving behavioral health in the criminal justice system. CBWCHC and Louison each received a prize of $10,000.
“The award will help us to increase awareness of hepatitis B, which is one of the most serious but frequently neglected racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States,” said Jane Eng, CBWCHC’s chief executive officer.
Louison acknowledged that the award will bring more attention to the issue of incarcerating people with mental illness, stating, “Too often these individuals have faced repeat incarceration in part due to a lack of accessible and effective treatment services.”
Louison is also the co-founder of the Nathaniel Project, the first alternative-to-incarceration program in the Manhattan Supreme Court for persons with mental illness.
The Tisch Community Health Prize winners were chosen by a committee of Hunter College faculty and experts from the health policy and advocacy communities. Farley and Jack Rosenthal, Hunter College’s Roosevelt House interim director, co-chaired the committee.
The prize is part of the Joan H. Tisch Legacy Project at Hunter College and is funded by Laurie Tisch and the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.