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For immediate release
June 2, 2003

Ledbetter Awarded NAMI Ambassador of HOPE Award

NASHVILLE, TN - Elizabeth Ledbetter, mental health program specialist and criminal justice/mental health liaison for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental was awarded the Criminal Justice Advocate Award at the Sixth Annual Ambassador of HOPE Awards Dinner and Auction sponsored by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Nashville, Inc. recently.

“I've been fortunate to have worked for the past 20 years with and on behalf of persons with serious mental illnesses and their families,” Ledbetter said. “I am really flattered to be honored beside more deserving individuals.”

Other award winners recognized with Ledbetter were Brian Grant, Consumer of the Year; Dr. Madeline Farmer and George Spain, President’s Award; Dick Clark, Advocate of the Year; Warren Thompson, Educator of the Year; Dr. Beth Baxter, Spokesperson of the Year; FACT (Forensic Assertive Community Treatment) Team, Mental Health Program of the Year; Dr. Richard Shelton, Psychiatrist of the Year; Pam Womack, Professional of the Year; and Park Center, Community Partner of the Year.

Ledbetter has worked in the department nearly seven years. She has participated in the implementation of the TennCare Partners Program, which is the State’s Medicaid Behavioral Health Managed Care Program, monitoring and providing technical assistance to mental health agencies, as well as consumer and family run services. She also provided support services to the Governor’s Commission that was charged with revising the mental health code. Prior to that, she worked in a community mental health center that provided services to seven rural counties in Tennessee and spent 13 years working with seriously mentally ill adults in hospitals and community settings. Ledbetter also served as the forensic coordinator for the agency working with the judiciary system in seven Tennessee counties.

Most recently she facilitated the development and operations of the Criminal Justice Task Force and in December 2000 accepted a newly established position as the Criminal Justice/Mental Health Liaison for the Division of Mental Health Services. Her responsibilities include implementing the Task Force recommendations, working statewide to coordinate and facilitate the activities between the criminal justice and mental health service systems, and to develop, implement, and monitor pilot projects established throughout the state.