NAMI names award after El Paso County Coroner Dr. Leon Kelly

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — On Thursday, Oct. 10, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) honored the El Paso County coroner and chief medical examiner for his years of work with the nonprofit.

Dr. Leon Kelly has served on NAMI’s board since 2018 and became board president in 2019. Due to term limits, Dr. Kelly will step down in December. To honor his work, NAMI named its ‘Advocate of the Year’ award after him at its annual breakfast.

“This award is a way to honor Leon’s work both as NAMI board president and El Paso County coroner and chief medical examiner,” said incoming board president Dr. Monica Furey. “What he has done to develop community mental health interventions — like creating the county’s Child Fatality Review Team — has saved lives and made this a better place to live.”

Elisabeth Almond, a family nurse practitioner and a medical director for Peak Vista Community Health Centers, received the Inaugural Leon Kelly Advocate of the Year Award. Almond worked with patients in international and women’s health, forensic nursing, and family practice and said she considers it her greatest honor to advocate for those navigating severe mental illness.

Jane and Jim Bloise were honored with the Pat Lysinger Memorial Volunteers of the Year Award for their work teaching classes to loved ones of people living with mental health conditions and a six-week class for military families.

Community Health Partnership received the Partner of the Year Award for its work after the Club Q shooting.

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