Health District receives Model Practice Award

“The award is evidence of our commitment to developing responsive and innovative public health programs that improve the health of local residents.” — Commissioner Ron Graham

The Lake County General Health District received the Model Practice Award at the 2017 Annual Conference of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

The health district’s “Tobacco Free Living: Operationalizing Evidence-Based Interventions through Expanded use of Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Volunteers and Local Health Resources” is one of 41 programs nationwide to receive the award this year.

MRC volunteers helped conduct tobacco surveys and provide tobacco education to the Lake County community. Through the use of MRC and local health resources, Lake County can work toward adoption of 100 percent tobacco-free policies to reduce tobacco use in youth and adults and protect non-smokers.

“We are proud to receive NACCHO’s Model Practice Award,” Lake County General Health District Health Commissioner Ron Graham said in a statement. “The award is evidence of our commitment to developing responsive and innovative public health programs that improve the health of local residents.”

The Model Practice Award has been given out since 2003 and “celebrates local health departments for developing programs that demonstrate exemplary and replicable best practices in response to a critical local public health need,” according to a news release.

Each recipient was peerreviewed and selected from a competitive group of more than 100 applicants.

“This award puts Lake County General Health District in special company with a select group of health departments that exemplify a forward-thinking, proactive approach toward protecting and promoting the health of communities nationwide,” NACCHO Interim Executive Director and Chief of Government Affairs Laura Hanen, MPP said in a statement.

According to the release, “Tobacco Free Living” is now part of an online, searchable database of “successful public health practices in areas that range from immunization and maternal and child health, to infectious diseases and emergency preparedness. The NACCHO Model Practice database allows local health departments, public health partners, and other important stakeholders to learn about the good work being done by local health departments across the country. “

NACCHO represents the nation’s 2,800 local governmental health departments.