Vermont Business Magazine Dr Robert E Simpson, Jr, president and chief executive officer of the Brattleboro Retreat, was presented with the hospital’s 2015 Anna Marsh Award before 200 guests who attended a gala event in Simpson’s honor on Saturday, October 24 at the Hilltop Montessori School’s Arts Barn in Brattleboro. Named for the woman who founded the Brattleboro Retreat, the Anna Marsh Award is an annual recognition established in 2009 to honor individuals for their advocacy on behalf of people with mental illness and addiction. Past honorees include Vermont State Rep. Bill Lippert, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin,former Retreat Board members Larry Cassidy and Julie Peterson, the late Vermont State Sen. Robert Gannett, and film and television actor Ken Howard. Simpson has announced plans to step down as the hospital’s CEO at the end of 2015.
From left: Larry Cassidy, Dr. Robert E. Simpson, Jr., and Retreat Board Chair Elizabeth Catlin. Courtesy photo
In her opening remarks, Retreat Board Chair Elizabeth Catlin said, “Long ago Anna Marsh recognized that people with mental illness deserve respect, kindness, and exceptional treatment. It is in this spirit that we honor Rob Simpson, a leader who has demonstrated tireless advocacy on behalf of those who suffer from mental illness and addiction.”
The local group known as Team Décor, along with volunteers from Retreat, transformed the Montessori School’s Arts Barn into a showcase ballroom and dining space with festive decorations, enlarged photos, banners, and other memorabilia depicting milestones in Simpson’s nine-year run as the hospital’s leader.
On hand to officially present the Anna Marsh Award was Larry Cassidy, former Retreat trustee who said, “With the help of Dr. Simpson, the mental health system of care in Vermont is now more accessible, more efficient, and much more humane.”
Guests enjoyed a buffet dinner catered by Terri Ziter’s Vermont Table. They were also treated to a 12-minute video tribute produced by Brattleboro’s Mondo Mediaworks that featured both humorous and heartfelt messages of thanks for Simpson’s tenure in Brattleboro by Gov. Peter Shumlin, business and healthcare leaders, Retreat staff and trustees, and members of Simpson’s family.
After receiving the Anna Marsh Award, Simpson shared recollections of his own family’s experiences with mental illness and addiction, particularly those of his grandmother and great aunt, saying, “They are the underpinnings of my career as a mental health advocate and leader; they are the soul of my will to change and alter public policy and societal views that unfairly stigmatize individuals simply because they have a brain disease known as mental illness or addiction.”
Drawing from ticket sales, donations, and sponsorships, the event raised $55,000 for the newly established Dr. Robert E. Simpson, Jr. Fund of the Brattleboro Retreat endowment.
Event organizers acknowledged generous support from Presenting Sponsors: Communicators Group, Downs Rachlin Martin, and the Richards Group; Social Hour Sponsor: Brattleboro Savings & Loan; Dinner Sponsors: Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and GPI Construction; Entertainment Sponsor Trust Company of Vermont; Gala Venue Sponsor Sodexo; Gala Printing Sponsor Howard Printing, Inc.; and Tribute Video Sponsor Mondo Mediaworks.
Source: BRATTLEBORO, VT (October 26, 2015)—Retreat. The Brattleboro Retreat, founded in 1834, is a not-for-profit, regional specialty psychiatric hospital and addictions treatment center, providing a full range of diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation services for individuals of all ages and their families. Recognized as a national leader in the treatment mental illness and addiction, the Brattleboro Retreat offers a high quality, individualized, comprehensive continuum of care including inpatient, partial hospitalization, residential and outpatient treatment.