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Office of Public Information and Education
For additional information, please call (615) 532-6610 - Pager 1-800-283-0007 ID #7449

For Immediate Release
February 18, 2003

Nashville, TN —The Nashville Connection, an innovative system of care for children with serious emotional disturbance and their families, was nationally recognized for achievement in communications at the 2003 Excellence in Community Communications and Outreach (ECCO) Recognition Program, which took place Jan. 9 in Portland, OR.

The Nashville Connection, a service of Tennessee Voices for Children, competed with more than 117 entries submitted by mental health professionals and child advocates from across the country to earn recognition. The Nashville Connection's winning entries were: Gold recognition in Community Outreach for "Show Me You Care" poster; Gold recognition in Communications Training; Silver recognition in community outreach; and Silver recognition for "Erasing The Stigma," a Youth Outreach video.

All entries were peer-judged and the criteria included consideration of message, delivery, creativity, audience, originality, production values, inclusiveness and writing.

The ECCO Recognition Program is sponsored by the Comprehensive Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program of the Federal Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), Substance Abuse and Health Services Administration, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The ECCO Recognition Program highlights communications achievements that promote children's mental health. This honor also celebrates the talents, strengths, and successes of communities that are part of a CMHS grant program to build community-based "systems of care" for children with serious emotional disturbance and their families.

The Nashville Connection's service model includes family service coordinators that help families navigate the systems needed in the community to assure that children receive care in their home communities. Both formal services and informal community services are used. To date, the Nashville Connection has been very successful, children are remaining in their home communities and all of the children have been able to achieve in school placements.

For more information about the Nashville Connection and the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities initiative to promote systems of care for all children with serious emotional disturbance throughout Tennessee, contact:

Lygia Williams

Technical Assistance Liaison

TDMHDD

615-253-5078

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