LIVINGSTON COUNTY — The Local Health Department Program is One of 38 Nationwide to Receive “Model Practice Award” in 2013.
The Livingston County Department of Health was honored at the 2013 annual conference of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), a body of peers, for developing and implementing a program that demonstrates exemplary and replicable qualities in response to a local public health need. Main Streets Go Blue was one of 38 public health programs developed by a local health department selected from across the nation to receive NACCHO’s Model Practice Award.
The goals and the objectives of Main Streets Go Blue are to raise awareness regarding colon cancer, to increase the colon cancer screening rates in Livingston County, and to inform the community about the Cancer Services Program. The Cancer Services Program provides information, support and free cancer screening services to eligible Livingston County residents. This practice intends to encourage local residents to receive regular, age-appropriate colon cancer screenings.
“We are proud to receive NACCHO’s 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,” said Ian M. Coyle, Livingston County Administrator.
Each innovative project receiving the award was peer-reviewed (by other local health department professionals) and selected from a group of 101 applications. Since 2003, NACCHO’s Model Practice Awards program has honored initiatives—including programs, resources, and tools—that demonstrate how local health departments and their community partners can effectively collaborate to address local public health concerns.
Main Streets Go Blue is now part of an online, searchable database of successful public health practices in areas ranging from immunization and maternal and child health to infectious diseases and emergency preparedness. The NACCHO Model Practice database allows users to benefit from colleagues’ experiences, to learn what works, and to ensure that resources are used wisely on effective programs that have been implemented with good results. It also enables NACCHO to share information with key stakeholders and media about the good work being done by local health departments across the country.
This award puts Livingston County Department of Health into special company—a select group of health departments that exemplify a forward thinking, proactive attitude toward protecting and promoting the health of communities across the nation.
The Livingston County Department of Health provides comprehensive public health services to the residents of the County. The Department provides health protection, disease prevention, and health promotion to create a healthier community in which to live, work and play. For more information about the Department including the Cancer Services Program of Livingston & Wyoming Counties, go to www.livingstoncounty.us/doh.htm. For more information about the NACCHO Model Practice Awards and to view a list of other award winners, go to www.naccho.org.
About the National Association of County and City Health Officials The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s 2,800 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and wellbeing for all people in their communities.