Groton — Groton Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention has presented its 2017 Good Neighbor Award to Assistant Superintendent Susan Austin, for spearheading the Mental Health Summit.

The first summit was held in April of last year, and the second in September. The aim was to reduce the stigma around mental health.

"I've always hated the stigma," Austin said in a press release. "If you had cancer, you'd talk about it. You'd get support. But when you have mental illness, it's hidden."

GASP founded the Good Neighbor Award in 2013 to recognize community leaders who have helped with substance abuse prevention.

In explaining at Monday night's Board of Education meeting why Austin received the award, GASP coordinator Carolyn Wilson said, "You can't really talk about substance abuse without mental health."

She said there wasn't much competition in the nominating process, that it was clear people wanted to honor Austin.

Before coming to Groton Public Schools three years ago, Austin worked as associate superintendent in Stamford, where four students committed suicide in one summer. Austin held a mental health summit there and then brought that model to Groton.

This fall, an electronic community resource guide of behavioral health service providers will be released. Ongoing projects addressing mental health include surveys and focus groups.

In addition, teachers are receiving Youth Mental Health First Aid for professional development this week.

Austin said Fitch High School Principal Joseph Arcarese "really was determined to have his entire staff go through" this professional development, which is being provided through a grant from GASP.

"If more school staff have a working knowledge of mental health, we can make sure they have the tools to intervene early and prevent unhealthy coping methods — like alcohol and drug use," Wilson said.

Past recipients of the Good Neighbor Award include Fort Hill Pharmacy, for not selling tobacco products; Margaritas Mexican Restaurant, for its record on not serving alcohol to minors; and Child and Family Agency, for its school-based health centers that provide substance abuse counseling.