Eagle Times Staff
CLAREMONT, N.H. — West Central Behavioral Health has named this year’s winners of the Lilla McLane-Bradley Award for Mental Health Advocacy, The Fred Hesch Award for Performance in Excellence and The Matthew Winer Award for Humanism and Compassion in Community Psychiatry.
Dr. Peter Mason is the Lilla McLane-Bradley Award recipient. Chosen by the WCBH board of directors, Mason’s dedication to patients and the recovery community, in particular, exemplifies the qualities of volunteerism and dedication to service for which McLane-Bradley, a founding Board member, was known.
As a member of the WCBH staff, Gillian “Jill” Bemis was selected by the executive leadership team to receive The Fred Hesch Award. Initiated in 2020 to honor Fred Hesch, a West Central employee who served in many roles over his 43 year tenure, the award honors a West Central employee whose length of service and demonstrated long-term excellence in performance embody Hesch’s extraordinary contributions. In the words of her co-workers “Jill is valued and highly respected by her colleagues at WCBH…there have been so many WCBH staff members who have had the opportunity to learn from Jill over the years. She gives 100% to everything she does, including the training and mentoring of her supervisees. She gives that same level of dedication to every child and family with whom she works.”
The Matthew Stephen Terr Winer Award for Humanism and Excellence in Community Psychiatry is given each year to the third year psychiatry resident at West Central Behavioral Health whose work best exemplifies the compassion which Dr. Matthew Winer gave to his patients throughout his all-too-brief career. Dr. Benjamin Shapiro was presented this year’s award as he has gone above and beyond in working with clients and their families, and has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of those most affected by serious mental illness.
“The synergy of active community members and committed employees is critical to the continued growth of West Central Behavioral Health” said President and CEO Roger Osmun. “We are grateful for their service and dedication to our clients.”
West Central Behavioral Health is the non-profit community mental health center for the Upper Valley and Sullivan County regions. It ensures access to advanced counseling, treatment, and support for people of all ages and income levels, regardless of their ability to pay. Its vision is to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness and substance use disorders so people will seek out help when they need it most.
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