From left to right: Louis Josephson, Dr. Michael Lynch, Lisa Eberhart, David Wood, the Hon. Liz Hager, Brooks Wood, First Lady Dr. Susan Lynch, Ron Magoon, and Governor John Lynch.
On Wednesday, September 30, with family, friends and members of the mental health community looking on, Concord Emergency Medical Associates, the Honorable Elizabeth Hager, and the late Hamilton "Toby" Brooks Wood, III were honored for their significant contributions to making the community a better place for people and families living with mental illness. The occasion was the Fourth Annual Rainbow Awards celebrating Champions for Mental Health presented by Riverbend Community Mental Health.
The Emergency Department physicians of Concord Hospital practice at the busiest emergency room in the State of NH, due in part to being located in the State's Capitol City along with NH Hospital, the state's sole specialty psychiatric hospital. In working with a Riverbend team of clinicians in treating patients with symptoms of mental illness, the physicians uniformly behave in a respectful, unbiased manner. The physicians honored were: Peter Blume, MD, Jane Burke, MD, Douglas Connor, MD, John Estabrook, MD, Geoffrey Fitzgerald, MD, Christopher Fore, MD, Andrew Jaffe, MD, Russell Kay, MD, Bryce Lambert, MD, Michael Lynch, MD, Lon Setnik, MD, Mary Valvano, MD, and Matthew Warden, MD.
The Honorable Elizabeth Hager, former NH State legislator and Executive Director of the United Way of Merrimack County, began her career in NH at NH Hospital and was the first Principal of the Anna Philbrook Center School when it opened in 1970. Serving 13 terms in the NH House of Representatives, Liz is well-known as a staunch ally of children and of individuals with mental illness.
An award was also presented posthumously to Hamilton "Toby" Brooks Wood, III, MSW. Toby, who died tragically in a kayak accident earlier this year, was a child and family therapist at Warren Street Family Counseling Associates in Concord and also worked as a school social worker in the Kearsarge Regional School District. He worked at Riverbend in the early 1980s and was celebrated for his outstanding work with children and as an exemplar of a skilled, talented clinician.
In celebrating all three Champions, Magoon said, “Liz Hager, the Emergency Department physicians and Toby Wood each represent a different, yet equally critical, role that must be played to provide for the community's mental health needs and protect its safety net.”
Riverbend Community Mental Health is the region’s largest non profit provider of outpatient, residential and emergency mental health services for over 7,400 children, families, adults and seniors every year. Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, Riverbend’s team of skilled psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists, social workers and staff partner with clients and consumers to ensure that the best clinical and social outcomes are achieved.
Click here to view photos from the 2009 event
Past Rainbow award recipients have included:
2008 Page Cannon, Anne McLane Kuster, and James R. "Jim" Mackay
2007 Dr. Susan Lynch, the First Lady of New Hampshire
2006 Christine McMahon, Chief Operating Officer, Easter Seals NH
Click here for pictures from the 2008 Event.
Click here for pictures from the 2007 Event.
Click here for pictures from the 2006 Event.
Please take a moment to view our sponsors for the 2009 event.
