MANKATO — The Free Press has received statewide recognition for its coverage of mental health and advocacy for policies to improve the mental health system by the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The group honored The Free Press with its Media Award, which is “given to an individual or organization that has been instrumental in reporting on the needs of people with mental illnesses or effectively portraying the stories of people with mental illnesses and their families.
“The editorial board of the Mankato Free Press has frequently written opinion pieces identifying the mental health needs of Minnesotans, explaining troublesome policies, and advocating for building our mental health system,” said NAMI Executive Director Sue Abderholden in a statement.
NAMI pointed out The Free Press advocacy for the 988 new suicide prevention line and letting consumers know how they can file a complaint against their insurance companies for not following rules on mental health coverage.
Sen. Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake, was also recognized by NAMI as Legislator of the Year for his work on mental health issues at the Legislature.
The Free Press was also recognized this year for its mental health coverage by the Minnesota Newspaper Association with its Lynn Smith Community Leadership award.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Center for Rural Behavioral Health at Minnesota State University also recognized The Free Press last year with its Advocate of the Year award, pointing to a series of stories exploring behavioral health issues in the region.
“Those stories brought awareness to the problems while exploring potential solutions for our communities,” the center stated. “In addition, The Free Press often uses its platform to connect community members to public events that focus on mental health. The first step to solving any problem is to understand it and we are fortunate to have a local newspaper that helped shine a light on issues too many of us are facing.”
The Free Press received its NAMI award Saturday at the group’s annual meeting in St. Paul.