The Sopranos Join Phoenix House in Honoring HBO's Chris Albrecht

The Sopranos Join Phoenix House in Honoring HBO's Chris Albrecht

Public Service Award Dinner Raises $500,000 to Support Teen Drug Treatment

NEW YORK, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Sopranos creator David Chase, co-stars James Gandolfini and Edie Falco and executive producer Ilene Landress were among the notables at the Waldorf-Astoria June 13 as Phoenix House honored HBO Chief Executive Officer Chris Albrecht with its annual Public Service Award.

The event, chaired by Time Warner President and Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Bewkes, raised nearly $500,000 for Phoenix House substance abuse treatment programs across the country and drew such outstanding New Yorkers as former Mayor David Dinkins and his wife, Joyce; Rush Communications Chairman Russell Simmons; Fox News reporters Linda Schmidt and Sapna Parikh; Time columnist Margaret Carlson; HBO's Academy-Award winning documentary producer Sheila Nevins; criminal defense attorney Gerald Lefcourt; Cravath Swaine & Moore partner Faiza Saeed; and Late Night with Conan O'Brien executive producer (and Phoenix House Board member) Jeff Ross.

"There are few corporate leaders or companies as deserving of our Public Service Award as Chris Albrecht and HBO," said Mitchell S. Rosenthal, M.D., president of Phoenix House. "They truly serve the nation, keeping troubling social issues like drug abuse, homelessness and poverty in the public eye."

"We are grateful to Chris and the many friends and associates of HBO who came out to honor him and support the work of Phoenix House. Thanks to them, we will be able to reach out to help more young people in need."

In an emotional speech, 27-year-old Jessica Fuentes told of her struggle as a teenager to overcome drug abuse at the Phoenix Academy of San Diego -- one of eleven residential treatment high schools operated across the country by Phoenix House. Ms. Fuentes noted that, 10 years after completing treatment, she still draws strength from the lessons she learned at Phoenix House.

First presented in 1979 to Peter G. Peterson, the annual Phoenix House Public Service Award honors exceptional men and women whose achievements and service to society inspire young people struggling to reclaim disordered lives. Recent recipients include Kenneth Chenault of American Express; Stephen Schwartzman of the Blackstone Group; and Sir Howard Stringer of Sony.

The Phoenix Academy model of adolescent substance abuse treatment has been proven effective in a study by the RAND Corporation, one of the nation's most trusted research organizations. Its recent study found that teens treated at a Phoenix Academy demonstrated substantial reductions in drug use and unlawful behavior and an improvement in psychological well-being -- and that the Phoenix Academy outperformed other adolescent programs in these areas.

Phoenix House is the nation's largest non-profit provider of substance abuse treatment and prevention services, operating nearly 100 programs in nine states. Phoenix House has served communities in New York since 1967. Some 2,500 adults and teenagers receive treatment each day through more than 20 Phoenix House programs in New York City, upstate New York, and Long Island.

Source: Phoenix House

CONTACT: Christopher Policano for Phoenix House, +1-646-505-2091

Web site: http://www.phoenixhouse.org/

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