34 Dr. Junita Hunter. Photo courtesy of the University at Buffalo. Doctors and nurses in meeting at Meyer Memorial, 1970. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo History Museum, used by permission. Nurse preping operating room for surgery, Meyer Memorial Hospital. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo News. An enlightened approach to alcoholism treatment. Meyer Memorial established an alcoholism clinic in downtown Buffalo as a pilot program in 1973 as an alternative to ineffective jail terms and fines given to motorists convicted of driving while intoxicated. It departed from longstanding alcoholism treatment programs by offering psychiatric and medical aid to persons with alcohol problems in efforts to change their behavior patterns, the most effective way of treating patients’ alcohol addiction. The basis of the approach centered around the strong belief that alcohol dependence is much greater than a criminal problem. It is first and foremost a medical and psychological disease, a position established by the American Medical Association in 1956. In addition, Meyer Memorial had established the only acute detoxification unit for alcoholics serving a county population of 1 million. A 30-bed unit provided acute detox and short-term treatment and follow-up therapy for about 1,300 persons each year. “Society is at last beginning to recognize that alcoholism is a disease of all social strata, affecting everyone,” said Dr. William D. Lerner, then director of the hospital’s Department of Alcoholism. In 1976, public intoxication was legally changed from a crime to a sickness. Dr. Juanita Hunter Dr. Juanita Hunter began her post-secondary education as a student at the E.J. Meyer Hospital School of Nursing. After graduating, she worked at the hospital as a staff nurse and within one year became the first African-American to be appointed to the position of head nurse. Her experiences there caring for people of all ages, social standing, and ethnic backgrounds impressed on her the importance of providing the best care for all patients, especially the poor, the homeless, and the addicted. It was at Meyer that she made the connection between nursing and human rights, a conviction that she carried with her when she joined the UB School of Nursing faculty in 1978 as an assistant professor of community health and honed her passion for teaching and community engagement. She edited a textbook on health care for the homeless and founded the nursing school’s Center for the Homeless, which provided services to the homeless population in the Buffalo area. Dr. Hunter served in several capacities in professional nursing organizations and was the first African American to be elected president of the New York State Nurses Association. She was a distinguished Lecturer for Sigma Theta Tau and has received numerous awards including the American Nurses Association Honorary Human Rights Award, Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing, and the New York State Nurses Association Honorary Recognition award. She is the recipient of the Community Leadership Award from the UB Alumni Association and the 2016 National Federation for Just Communities Award.