• The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence fights the stigma and the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions.

NCADD News Update

For More Information, Contact: Ames Sweet, Director of Communications 212/269-7797, ext. 16

For Immediate Release: March 27, 2005

SPRING AWARDS LUNCHEON TO HONOR BUSINESS, MEDICAL AND ENTERTAINMENT LEADERS On Thursday, April 21, 2005, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and its New York City Affiliate, the Alcoholism Council of New York, will host their annual Spring Awards Luncheon at Tavern on the Green in New York City's Central Park, featuring the R. Brinkley Smithers Award from the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation. Receiving the award will be: Samuel B. Bacharach, PhD, Director of the Smithers Institute for Alcohol-Related Workplace Studies at Cornell University; J.Edward Hill, President-elect of the American Medical Association; Larry Kudlow, Co-host of CNBC's "Kudlow & Cramer"; and George J. O'Donnell, President of the Board of Trustees of the Employment Program for Recovered Alcoholics. The R. Brinkley Smithers Award is presented annually by the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation as a permanent memorial to its founder, R. Brinkley Smithers. It recognizes individuals who have publicly shared the message of hope and the promise of help, and individuals whose work in the field of alcoholism has had a positive impact in the fight against America's most misunderstood disease. In 1991, Samuel B. Bacharach, PhD, created the Smithers Institute for Alcohol-Related Workplace Studies at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations with colleague William Sonnenstuhl. The institute is a pioneer in the study of Employee Assistance Programs and Member Assistance Programs and through basic and applied research on the relationships between work, alcohol and other drugs, and related health issues, has brought into focus the importance of understanding the workplace as a key arena for intervention, prevention and treatment. Much of Mr. Bacharach's work has focused on teaching people how to create coalitions, move ideas, and get things done in organizations. His most recent book on this topic, "Get Them on Your Side" (Platinum Press, 2005) summarizes a 30-year research agenda and teaches practitioners how to create coalitions, how to mobilize people, and how to lead with political competence. J. Edward Hill, MD, a family physician from Tupelo, Mississippi, was elected three times to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees, and became its Chair in 2002. Dr. Hill was elected President-Elect in June 2004. Dr. Hill began his professional career in the rural Mississippi Delta where he practiced for 27 years. In addition to full service family practice, Dr. Hill developed and directed a local maternal child health program that resulted in lowering the fetal mortality rate from one of the highest in the United States to below the national average, where it has remained. The AMA has been a vocal advocate in the fight against underage drinking and has declared substance abuse its number one public health priority. Co-host of CNBC's popular financial talk show, "Kudlow & Cramer," Larry Kudlow is CEO of Kudlow & Co., LLC, an economic and investment research firm in New York City. Mr. Kudlow is a nationally syndicated columnist and a contributing editor of National Review magazine. He is the author of "American Abundance: The New Economic and Moral Prosperity," published by Forbes in January 1998. Recently, Mr. Kudlow was a member of the Bush-Cheney Transition Advisory Committee. During President Reagan's first term, Mr. Kudlow was the associate director for economics and planning, Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President, where he was engaged in the development of the administration's economic and budget policy. Mr. Kudlow has spoken eloquently about addiction issues and has publicly discussed his own recovery from alcoholism and substance abuse. For the past 25 years, George J. O'Donnell has served on the Board of Directors of the Employment Program for Recovered Alcoholics (EPRA); for the last 19 years as President. EPRA serves over 250 recovering alcoholics and substance abusers each year, working closely with individuals and treatment programs, using vocational rehabilitation and employment to help people become stable and successful. Mr. O'Donnell's primary career was as a naval officer, where he served as a naval intelligence specialist for over 31 years. Mr. O'Donnell has also been the Managing Partner of a major law firm, Counsellor at the US Mission to the United Nations, Senior Vice-President of a commercial real estate firm, President of an Executive Suite company and his own real estate firm, and a practicing attorney. For more information about the Luncheon or the Awards ceremony, please contact NCADD at 212-269-7797 or the Alcoholism Council of New York at 212-252-7001. ### As the oldest advocacy organization in the United States addressing alcoholism and drug dependence, NCADD works at the national level on policy issues related to barriers in education, prevention and treatment for alcoholics and other drug dependent persons and their families. With a nationwide network of Affiliates, NCADD provides education, information, help and hope to the public. For more information, visit: www.ncadd.org.

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

244 East 58th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022 phone: 212/269-7797   fax: 212/269-7510 email: national@ncadd.org   http://www.ncadd.org HOPE LINE: 800/NCA-CALL (24-hour Affiliate referral)