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Dr. Michael Flaum honored with Heather Schenck Lifetime Achievement Award for decades of mental-health service work
Summary
The Iowa City Human Rights Commission presented the Heather Schenck Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Michael Flaum, a University of Iowa professor emeritus of psychiatry recognized for his work connecting emergency rooms, jails, housing providers, and community services for people with serious mental illness.
The Iowa City Human Rights Commission presented the Heather Schenck Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Michael Flaum, recognizing his decades of work coordinating care and services for people with serious mental illness.
Commission members said Flaum helped bridge services across emergency rooms, jails, community providers, housing organizations and medical professionals, and he was instrumental in starting the Guideline Center and developing Fairweather Lodge supportive-housing homes in Iowa. The award is named for Heather Schenck, who served as the city’s human rights coordinator; it was renamed in her honor in October 2015 after her passing.
Flaum accepted the award and reflected on his identity as a physician and his commitment to human dignity. "This award really touched my heart," he said. "It means a lot to me." He described working with people experiencing serious mental illness and said being available to those in need has been a privilege.
Commissioners and attendees thanked Flaum for his leadership and work that has helped people move from cycles of homelessness, hospitalization, and incarceration into stable housing and ongoing care. The commission posed for photos following the presentation.
