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Henry
Acosta, MA, MSW, LSW |
Henry
Acosta, MA, MSW, LSW. He is the Executive Director of the
National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health, an
outgrowth of the award-winning and nationally and
internationally recognized Changing Minds, Advancing Mental
Health for Hispanics program which Mr. Acosta directed since its
inception. Mr. Acosta is also the Deputy Director of the New
Jersey Mental Health Institute, Inc., an organization founded by
the New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies, Inc., In
his role as Director of the National Resource Center for
Hispanic Mental Health, Mr. Acosta aims to address the
nationwide lack of availability of, access to and the provision
of quality mental health services for Hispanics, and to heighten
awareness, acceptance and understanding of mental illness among
the Hispanic population. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in
Psychology from Montclair State University, a Masters of Arts in
Social Sciences with a concentration in Psychology from William
Paterson University and a Masters of Social Work in
Administration, Planning and Policy with Children and Families
from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He is
currently pursing a Doctorate in Social Work in Social Policy
Analysis and Administration at Rutgers University.
Sought nationally and
internationally as an expert/leader on Hispanic mental health
issues, Mr. Acosta serves on the New Jersey Governor’s Council
on Mental Health Stigma and on the State of New Jersey Board of
Social Work Examiners, where he serves as the Board’s
Vice-Chairman. In addition, he was recently appointed by New
Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine to the New Jersey Health Care
Access Study Commission. Previously, he served as Chair of
former New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey’s Hispanic
Advisory Council on Policy Development Initiatives’ Health
Subcommittee Mental Health Work Group and as Co-Chair of the
Health Subcommittee. His work on Hispanic mental health has
appeared in numerous professional publications and he is a
frequent speaker at local, state, national and international
events regarding Hispanic mental health issues. In addition, he
has a column entitled, Point of View, in a quarterly bilingual
newspaper on Hispanic mental health titled, Salud Mental.
Mr. Acosta serves on the Board of
Directors of several non-profit organizations, and on several
statewide advisory committees, including the Puerto Rican Family
Institute, Inc.’s Board of Directors (New York and New Jersey),
the March of Dimes New Jersey Chapter State Board, and the March
of Dimes New Jersey Chapter’s Statewide Hispanic Advisory
Committee. He also served as the Chair of the National
Hispanic/Latino American Agenda Summit Mental Health Issues and
Platforms Committee in 2004, and is currently serving as
Co-Chair of the Policy Committee of the now forming National
Latino Behavioral Health Coalition.
A State of New Jersey Licensed
Social Worker, Mr. Acosta has more than 15 years of direct
service and administrative experience working with children and
families in both clinical and social service settings. He has
served as a volunteer in many capacities, such as a mentor for a
teenage inner city youth, as a Local Coordinator for the 2000
Million Mom March, and as the 2004 Million Mom March Tri-State
Captain for Spanish-Speaking Communities. For his work on the
2000 Million Mom March event, he received a State of New Jersey
Senate Resolution recognizing his work and was invited to the
White House for an event recognizing many of the individuals who
helped organize the event. His most recent honors include a 2007
Advancing Minority Mental Health Award from the American
Psychiatric Foundation, a Certificate of Recognition Award from
the American Psychiatric Foundation in May 2006, a 2006 National
Association of Social Workers – New York City Chapter and New
York Latino Social Work Task Force Leadership Award, the
National Association of Puerto Rican/Hispanic Social Workers’
Leadership Award in November 2004, and the 2004 Rookie of the
Year Award from the March of Dimes North Jersey Chapter.
A certified firefighter, Mr.
Acosta is a graduate of the Middlesex County Fire Academy and
served as a volunteer firefighter for the Keasbey Fire
Protection Company #1. He assisted for nearly a month at Ground
Zero with the search and recovery efforts after the World Trade
Center terrorist attacks. The proud father of a 14-year old
daughter, Mr. Acosta would like to represent the citizens of New
Jersey in an elected office one day. |
Tuesday, October 7, 2008. 
