RIPA to give 6 awards for mental-health leadership

SMITHFIELD – Four local employers and two individuals will be honored by the Rhode Island Psychological Association during an upcoming awards ceremony at Bryant University, RIPA announced last night.
The annual Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards “recognize organizations that understand the link between employee health and well-being and organizational performance,” and implement innovative practices “in an active effort to create a positive work environment,” RIPA said.
Top honors this year will go to Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, receiving the PHWA for overall excellence at a large organization; and West View Health Care Center, receiving the PHWA for overall excellence at a small organization.
Best Practice Awards in the large-organization and small-organization categories, respectively, will go to CVS Caremark Corp., for health and safety initiatives including its “Match and Move” coaching program; and the R.I. Economic Development Corporation, for its employee involvement initiatives, creative use of limited resources and successful management of change.
“In this time of high job stress and increasing demands on employees, these exemplary workplaces have made it a priority to create environments that are sensitive to the health and well-being of their workers and family members,” RIPA President Lou Turchetta said in a statement. “By rewarding these organizations for their efforts, we hope others will take notice and implement similar programs.”
Applicants were judged on criteria including employee involvement, health and safety, employee growth and development, work-life balance and employee recognition, RIPA said. Two-thirds of men and women nationwide say work has a significant impact on their stress level, and one in four has missed work because of stress, the American Psychological Association found in a 2004 poll.
In addition, the association will honor Rep. Steven M. Costantino, D-Providence, and Dr. Albert J. Lott, a professor emeritus at the University of Rhode Island, for their significant contributions to the mental health of Rhode Island citizens.
Costantino, “in his leadership role in the General Assembly … has brought persistent and focused commitment to preserving and advancing the availability of quality mental health services in RI, championing the treatment of people with substance abuse and mental health issues,” RIPA said, while “Dr. Lott’s dedicated service to the profession of psychology has included research, teaching, academic leadership, mentoring young psychologists and tireless commitment to social justice.”
The awards ceremony is slated for 8 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the Heidi & Walter Stepan Grand Hall in the George E. Bello Center for Information and Technology, at the Bryant University campus in Smithfield. It is being sponsored by the university’s Department of Applied Psychology, in cooperation with the Human Resource Management Association of Rhode Island.
Keynote speaker will be author James O. Prochaska, a URI professor of clinical health and psychology and director of the university’s Cancer Prevention Research Center.
For more information about the Rhode Island Psychological Association, contact RIPA President Lou Turchetta, Ed.D., at 785-0040 or lturchetta@ripsych.org.
To read about the winners of the American Psychological Association’s 2007 National Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards, or how to create a psychologically healthy work environment, visit www.phwa.org.