Perry Wellness Center wins top award at state conference
Published 12:54 pm Saturday, November 24, 2018
From Staff Reports
AMERICUS — Recently, Americus’ Perry Wellness Center received two significant honors, when it was cited as the Region 6 Outstanding Behavioral Health Provider award recipient and one of three providers receiving a Behavioral Health Exceptional Recovery-Oriented Service Award for the State of Georgia. At the Department of Georgia Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) Behavioral Health Symposium, held at the Lake Lanier Conference Center, Perry Wellness Center founder and CEO Stuart Perry accepted the awards on behalf of the Americus behavioral health wellness and recovery program.
Attending the conference along with Perry were Pam and Amanda Perry, his wife and daughter, respectively, as well as long-time staff members at the center. Staff nurse Charlene Hayes, RN, clinical manager Jackie Teasley, LPC, CPS, CPRP, and certified peer specialist coordinator Karl Bond, CPS also attended the event.
The annual conference is held to inform Georgia mental health and substance abuse professionals about best practices in the delivery of behavioral health services, as well as to recognized the efforts of exemplary programs throughout the state. Those in attendance at this year’s conference included Monica Johnson, director of the Division of Behavioral Health, state Mental Health Commissioner Judy Fitzgerald, and Georgia Governor Nathan and Sandra Deal, who were honored for their support of state mental health initiatives.
“We were excited to be included with these other top mental health providers in Georgia,” says Perry. “We have had a good year at Perry Wellness Center, but receiving these top awards was ‘icing on the cake.’ We know that we are doing a good job with our peers, but to receive recognition by these top providers for our efforts was reassuring.”
Over the last two decades, Perry has been recognized both statewide and nationally for his work in mental health advocacy, and Perry Wellness Center has received numerous awards for its efforts on behalf on individuals or “peers” with mental health or substance abuse problems.