The repetitive sound of a camera’s shutter was a constant reminder of Metta World Peace’s celebrity status as he visited a group of adult patients in The Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
However, despite the considerable fanfare that surrounded his appearance, as soon as the Lakers’ forward sat down in a chair next to the patients, all his concern shifted toward them. He candidly answered their questions, including those about his experiences with mental illness, going into detail about his own family’s history of it.
“I had some of the same issues that these people had: depression, not a strong family structure, frustration. Right away, you connect with people like that,” World Peace said.
“Some people have it on a scale that they can deal with, others need help and somebody that can support them. … Once they find someone, their whole life changes.”
It was this compassion and concern for the psychiatric patients at the hospital that Dr. David T. Feinberg, president of the UCLA Health System, cited when honoring World Peace on Friday afternoon.
“It was really clear that we were not dealing with a basketball player, we were really dealing with a healer,” said Feinberg, referencing World Peace’s previous hospital visits.
“I have gone through this hospital with all kinds of movie stars and sports people. He is the only guy who said to me every time that he has come, ‘I’m coming back and what was wrong with that patient and what are we doing to make that patient better.’”
Feinberg, a trained psychiatrist, also called one of World Peace’s patient visits, “one of the most beautiful therapy sessions I had ever seen.”
World Peace visited patients after he was presented with the UCLA Health System’s CICARE award on Friday afternoon. It was the first-ever CICARE award given to someone who is not an employee of the UCLA Health System. The award was established for outstanding UCLA health care system employees who stand out to both patients and peers.
“(World Peace) has a real commitment to reducing stigma and supporting mental health services in adults and children,” said Dr. Thomas Strouse, medical director of the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA.
“He has of his own wish, come to our inpatient units and spent time with patients in the last few years, which is really something that needs to be told.”
The award ceremony was followed by a brief reception and then the hospital tour of the adult and child psychiatric wards. Larry King also conducted an on-stage interview with World Peace, asking him about topics ranging from the Lakers’ recent struggles to the stigma attached to mental illness. The interview was a tribute to World Peace’s 2010 appearance on Larry King Live, which helped launch his campaign promoting mental illness awareness.
When receiving the CICARE award, World Peace talked about the different, non-basketball related issues that were bothering him right before the Lakers’ Game 7 in the 2010 NBA finals. He credited his psychologist for helping work through the different issues before the game, prompting him to publicly thank her after winning the championship.
“That ring did so much,” World Peace said.
“Being able to raise the awareness, that is what was so special about winning a championship.”
World Peace’s comments after the Lakers’ championship prompted Feinberg to invite him to the psychiatric hospital. He has been returning ever since.
“I’m going to continue to help heal wounds,” World Peace said. “You know, rich, poor, privileged, underprivileged, there is no bias. Mental illness has no bias, as you can see. The stories are out there.”