(Providence, RI) -- This year, Butler Hospital’s annual gala, A Masterpiece of Hope, will take place virtually on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. All proceeds will benefit Butler Hospital’s innovative addiction treatment programs and research initiatives.

The multidisciplinary teams at Butler Hospital consist of experienced and compassionate physicians, nurses, and clinicians who are committed to helping individuals with substance abuse and mental health challenges. Our confidential, comprehensive, evidenced-based care has helped thousands of Rhode Islanders take the next steps in their recovery. Recovery is a life-long and highly individual process and the medical experts at Butler Hospital are dedicated to seeing that every patient has the opportunity to live their healthiest and best quality of life.

Affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Butler Hospital’s clinical research trials provide valuable information on brain-based diseases. Through the hospital’s research, new treatments are being discovered for diseases including depression and anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Alzheimer’s disease, Movement Disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, and addictions, among others.

Butler Hospital President and COO, Mary Marran, MS, OT, MBA, said, “This year’s virtual gala is an opportunity for the community to learn more about the incredibly successful and effective substance use treatments we have available at Butler Hospital. Substance use, mental health issues, depression, and so many other behavioral health-related issues have either touched our own lives, or that of someone we love. At Butler Hospital, we are here for everyone, especially when life, at times, can become too much to handle.”

“Many of the research programs at Butler Hospital are world renowned, with doctors conducting research that will ultimately change the lives of those living with, among other issues, Alzheimer’s, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, depression, and mood disorders affecting teens. I hope everyone who has an opportunity to, tunes in to this year’s, 2020 A Masterpiece of Hope, and donates, which will help Butler Hospital continue to be at the forefront of addiction treatment and innovative research for our community. In today’s world, with all that everyone is dealing with, advancing the mission of Butler Hospital is more important than ever,” she added.

Those in virtual attendance will see Mr. Charles R. Reppucci honored with the 2020 Outstanding Corporation Member Award, and Kathryn Cates Wessel presented with the Lila M. Sapinsley Community Service Award.

Mr. Reppucci was elected to the Butler Hospital Board of Trustees in 1984 and has been a champion of the hospital ever since. He served as Butler Hospital’s Treasurer and Chair of its Finance Committee, before becoming Chairman of the Board. Mr. Reppucci is currently serving as Chair of the Care New England Board of Trustees, and is a member of its Governance and Nominating, Strategic Planning, Compensation and Finance committees. He is also currently Vice Chair of the Board of the Rhode Island Blood Center and past Chair of the Board at Vector Health Systems. A true philanthropist, Mr. Reppucci has also served as the Treasurer of the Legal Aid Society of Rhode Island and Chair of both the St. Thomas Moore Parish Council and the Quidnessett Country Club.

The Lila M. Sapinsley Community Award honors an individual or individuals in recognition of his/her personal achievements in and/or contributions to the field of Mental Health or Behavioral Healthcare for the people of Rhode Island. In addition, award recipients can be recognized for his/her efforts toward advancing Butler Hospital as a leader in Brain Science Research. Ms. Cates-Wessel has more than 30 years of experience in the substance use disorder field in administration, medical education, and policy. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP). Prior to her work at AAAP, she was the Associate Director of Brown University's Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies for over 19 years and Executive Director of Physicians and Lawyers for National Drug Policy, a think tank of leaders from law and medicine advocating for prevention/treatment over incarceration. Her experience helping those with addictions also includes her work as Associate Director of a residential treatment center for adolescents for substance use disorders and co-occurring mental disorders.

This year’s presenting sponsor for A Masterpiece of Hope is the Providence law firm of Hinckley Allen.

Additional gifts and donations can be made to support Butler Hospital at butler.org/ways-to-give.

Anyone interested in getting direct help and guidance about mental health services, may call the Behavioral Health Service Call Center, available 24/7 at (844) 401-0111.

About Butler Hospital

Butler Hospital, a member of Care New England, is the only private, nonprofit psychiatric and substance abuse hospital serving adults, seniors and adolescents in Rhode Island and southeastern New England. Founded in 1844, it was the first hospital in Rhode Island and has earned a reputation as the leading provider of innovative psychiatric treatments in the region. The Major Affiliated Teaching Hospital for Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Butler is recognized worldwide as a pioneer in conducting cutting-edge research. For more information, visit butler.org.