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Welcome to the 2022 Advocacy Leadership Awards Site

Each year during Hill Day at Home, we host our Advocacy Leadership Awards program, a chance to recognize select individuals, organizations and elected officials who are making a mark through local, state or federal advocacy. This year’s award recipients include:
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Award for Individual Achievement in Advocacy

Melanie Brown-Woofter, President and CEO, Florida Behavioral Health Association

The Florida Behavioral Health Association (FBHA) is the state’s largest trade association representing community behavioral health providers with a united voice. Under Melanie’s leadership, FBHA took on a bold initiative to inform policy makers of the growing crisis for care and advocate for increased funding and important policy changes during Florida’s 2022 legislative session. As a result, the Florida legislature passed two priority bills the FBHA has long been advocating for that address stigma, streamlines medical decisions made by providers and alleviates workforce shortages. In addition, the legislature committed an additional $125 million in recurring funds to expand care for community mental health and substance abuse, a dramatic action that has not happened in the past 20 years.

Award for Public Service in Advocacy

Senator John Stinner, Nebraska Legislature

Senator John Stinner was elected to the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature (District 48) in 2014 and has served as Chairperson of the Appropriations Committee for the past six years. During his tenure, behavioral health providers have received rate increases of 8%, 5% and 2%, and in this session, he is shepherding a 15% increase through the budget process. Senator Stinner has also secured additional funding for the Rural Health Professions Loan Forgiveness program to eliminate the wait list, and he has prioritized funding for increased internships for behavioral health professions and additional behavioral health acute care beds. With ARPA funds, Senator Stinner worked with his committee and is proposing $40 million over two years for a Capital Construction Grant Program targeted toward behavioral health; specifically, supporting Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs).

Award for Organizational Achievement in Advocacy

California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals

The California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) is the largest statewide consortium of community-based for-profit and nonprofit substance use disorder treatment agencies and addiction-focused professionals. CCAPP has become one of the most recognized and trusted advocacy organizations in the addiction services space in California, sponsoring 14 bills between this year and last year. These bills include the nation’s first state-level, anti-patient brokering law; follow-up legislation to create “safe harbors” for assisting people seeking housing or transportation to support treatment and recovery in ethical ways; an addiction patient bill of rights and anti-fraud bill; a $9 million workforce bill; and more. At the local level, CCAPP has fought and won campaigns to eliminate discriminatory local ordinances that banned recovery residences in numerous local jurisdictions.