El Centro, California - Tuesday, during the Imperial County Board of Supervisors regular meeting, the Services Programs, Achievement, Caring and Excellence (SPACE) Award was presented to the Imperial County Behavioral Health Services (ICBHS) by the  California Association of Local Behavioral Health Boards and Commissions (CALBHBC).  ICBHS received the recognition in honor of their continued efforts in serving the behavioral health needs of the local community.  ICBHS is the first recipient of this inaugural award.

While accepting the award, ICBHS Director Andrea Kuhlen stated, “Imperial County Behavioral Health is very grateful to the California Association of Local Behavioral Health Boards and Commissions for this award. Over the past ten years Behavioral Health has made significant achievements in large part due to the leadership of our former director, Michael Horn, and the hard work of all the staff of Imperial County Behavioral Health Services. We are honored to be the first county to receive this recognition.”

When asked why Imperial County received the award, Dr. Mohammed Asiad stated, “The programs we have been providing are exceptional.  We are effectively serving communities in rural areas with a small budget compared to larger counties.  During Mr. Horn’s tenure we expanded programs, added nurses and psychiatrists, and increased training.”  Dr. Asiad is a member of the Imperial County Mental Health Board and CALBHBC.

CALBHBC is a statewide organization whose mission is to assist local mental and behavioral health boards and commissions in carrying out their mandated functions, advocate for local concerns at the state level, and promote the improvement of the quality, quantity and cultural competency of mental health services delivered to the people of California.  The association was formed in 1966 and recently created this award in an effort to acknowledge the work of local mental and behavioral health boards and commissions.