Honor Dr. Rosenthal's Service

2017 WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who enhance the quality of life in their community and have shown a long and sustained commitment to the maintenance of high standards in their profession, certainly have earned the recognition and applause of all the citizens of this great Empire State; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Mitchell S. Rosenthal, M.D. upon the occasion of his designation for special recognition by New York Therapeutic Communities, Inc., to be recognized at its 40th Anniversary Celebration on Friday, June 2, 2017, at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, New York, New York; and WHEREAS, Dr. Mitchell S. Rosenthal is the founder of Phoenix House, one of the nation's leading non-profit substance abuse treatment organizations; and WHEREAS, In addition, Dr. Mitchell S. Rosenthal serves as president of the Rosenthal Center for Addiction Studies in New York City which provides critical information on substance abuse issues to policymakers, healthcare professionals as well as families and individuals coping with addiction; and WHEREAS, Throughout his illustrious medical career, Dr. Mitchell S. Rosenthal has served as a White House advisor on drug abuse, a special consultant to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, chairman of the New York State Advisory Council on Drug Abuse, and president of the American Association of Psychoanalytic Physicians; he is also a lecturer in psychiatry at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons; and WHEREAS, A noted psychiatrist, Dr. Mitchell S. Rosenthal's research, inventive approaches, and ardent advocacy have produced model treatment protocols, widely replicated throughout the country and abroad; and WHEREAS, Dr. Mitchell S. Rosenthal's pioneering efforts date from his work at the United States Naval Hospital in Oakland, California, where he formed the first service-sponsored therapeutic community for the treatment of addiction; and WHEREAS, As deputy commissioner of New York City's Addiction Services Agency, Dr. Mitchell S. Rosenthal created the Phoenix House citywide network of treatment facilities in 1967; five years later, he resigned his city post to become president of the now independent Phoenix House Foundation and oversee the national expansion of its treatment and prevention services over the following three and a half decades; and WHEREAS, Dr. Mitchell S. Rosenthal earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Lafayette College and his Medical degree from the State University of New York's Downstate Medical Center; he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, deputy chair of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, and serves on the board of the Partnership for Drug Free Kids; and WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and honor those distinguished citizens who would devote their life's work and purpose to community service, contributing to the welfare of the citizens of their communities and this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Mitchell S. Rosenthal, M.D. upon the occasion of his designation for special recognition by New York Therapeutic Communities, Inc. on