More
than 500 guests gathered for the sixth annual Fountain
House Symposium and Luncheon on May
4, 2009, at the Grand Ballroom of The Pierre
in New York City. Entitled “Invisible Wounds:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,” the event honored ABC News anchor
Bob Woodruff and his wife, author Lee Woodruff, with
the Fountain House Humanitarian Award for their extraordinary efforts
on behalf of US veterans, especially those suffering from the hidden
wounds of war, such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD). Mr. Woodruff has made a spectacular recovery
from life-threatening injuries he sustained in 2006, when a roadside
bomb struck his vehicle as he was reporting on US and Iraqi security
forces.
The symposium featured a panel discussion by leading experts in the fields
of mental health research, treatment, and public policy: Marylene Cloitre,
PhD; C.A. (Andy) Morgan III, MD, MA; and Nancy Venable Raine,
author of After Silence: Rape and My Journey Back. Consuelo
Mack, managing editor and anchor of “Consuelo Mack WealthTrack,” served
as Master of Ceremonies.
The event's Chairs were Patricia Begley, Lorna
Hyde Graev, Alexandra A. Herzan, and Anne
Mai. The Program Chair was Lynn Nicholas,
PsyD. Also on hand were
The Honorable Robert A. Antonioni, Glenn Close, and US Congressman
Patrick J. Kennedy, Honorary Chairs.
Among the attendees were: Courtney Arnot, Debbie Bancroft, Deeda Blair, Cornelia Bregman, Katherine Bryan, Dr. Robert Cancro, Barbara de Portago, Rebecca de Kertanguy, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Gail Gilbert, Mark Gilbertson, Sharon Handler, Kirk Henckels, Dr. Jimmie Holland, Mariana Kaufman, Payne Middleton, Peggy Obernauer and Marne Obernauer, Elizabeth Peabody, Pauline Pitt, Ann Pyne and John Pyne, Ann Rapp, Emilia Saint-Amand, Sydney Shuman, Topsy Taylor, Laurie Tisch, Peggy Vance and Cyrus Vance, Jr, Lis Waterman and Richard Waterman, and Denise Wohl.
Fountain House, founded in 1948 by former psychiatric patients of Rockland State Hospital, is the world's leading provider of rehabilitation services for men, women, and young adults living with major mental illness. Through its renowned holistic model of support, replicated in more than 400 locations in 30 countries and 32 states, Fountain House helps 1,300 people annually in finding a home, returning to school, re-entering the workplace, and re-establishing connections to family, friends, and the larger community. The annual Symposium and Luncheon was founded to advance community knowledge about mental illness and to reduce the associated stigma.
