Washington, DC, July 30, 2025 — The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the voice of the over 3,300 local health departments across the country, named its 2025 Model and Promising Practice Award Winners, an annual recognition of local public health best practices. This year, 19 local health departments have been recognized as Model Practices, and 23 have been recognized as Promising Practices. The awards were presented during the 2025 NACCHO360 annual conference in Anaheim, California on July 17, 2025.
Model Practices are programs demonstrating exemplary and replicable qualities in response to a critical local public health need, and Promising Practices have demonstrated exciting approaches and strategies to local public health challenges that are on track to becoming Model Practices.
“Congratulations to this year’s Model and Promising Practice award recipients for their exemplary work in implementing programs to help improve the lives of people and communities across the country,” said Lori Tremmel Freeman, NACCHO CEO. “Each recipient has demonstrated excellence in developing effective programs to address a variety of public health challenges in their communities, including HIV prevention, heat-related illness, substance use disorder, maternal health, mental health, H5N1, and vaccine outreach. This recognition highlights the important role public health professionals play in building healthier and more resilient communities.
Winning projects as determined through a competitive, peer-reviewed process will be added to NACCHO’s Model Practice searchable online database where other local health departments can review these best practices and adopt them for use in their communities.
2025 Model and Promising Practice Award Winners:
Arizona
Model
Maricopa County Department of Public Health
- Maricopa County Department of Public Health Heat-Related Illness and Death Dashboard
- Enhancing Collaboration, Transparency, and Accountability in Large-Scale Grants Management
Promising
- Implementing Lean Six Sigma Practices in a Local Health Department to Promote a Culture of Quality
- Same-Day PEP/PrEP in Local Health Department Clinics
California
Model
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
- Collaborative Model for TB Testing in a High-Risk Substance Use Disorder Population in LA County
- Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative in Los Angeles County: Community Health Ambassador Program (CHAP)
- Joining Together to Ensure Equitable Care for People Living with Dementia and Their Caregivers
- LAC’s CA Children’s Services Call Center: System Transformation Through Effective Customer Service
- Los Angeles County Abundant Birth Project
- Youth Advisory Council: Empowering Los Angeles County Youth to Support Mental Wellbeing
County of Santa Clara Public Health Department
- Influenza Testing of Commercially Available Unpasteurized Milk for H5N1 Surveillance
Solano County Public Health Department
- Solano HEALs
Sutter County Public Health - Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health Program
- Cal-InSPIRE Project: Family Centered Innovative Approaches
Promising
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
- A Multipronged Public Health Approach to Expand Food as Medicine Strategy in a Local Jurisdiction
- Advancing Health Equity Through the Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKO) in LA County
- Enhancing Evidence-Based Practice Home Visiting Models to Support Health Equity
- Los Angeles County Community Readiness Champions Initiative
- Los Angeles County Smoke Shop Project
- Using Systems Mapping to Increase Domestic Violence Restraining Order Access in Los Angeles County
- Reasons to Quit Vaping Campaign Engages Users with Social Media and Peer-to-Peer Communications
Colorado
Model
Jefferson County Public Health
- Creating Access and Functional Needs Inclusion in Staff Training and Emergency Plans
Promising
- School Outreach Vaccine Clinic Program
Arapahoe County Public Health and Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment
- Field Delivered Treatment for Syphilis in Arapahoe and Pueblo Counties, Colorado
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, OPHP
- Public Health Mini-Conferences
Florida
Model
Florida Department of Health in Broward County
- Refugee Health Service Expansion
- TB Telemedicine and In-Home Treatment Initiative
Promising
- Reading is Health: Literacy as a Social Determinant of Health
Florida Department of Health in Broward County
- Broward WIC POD (Person of the Day)
- Taking Action – Community Partner Collaboration to Address Decreased Vaccination Rates
- Test and Treat: An Innovative Rapid Start Program That Links and Retains All Clients to HIV Care
Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County
- Okaloosa County Post Overdose Support Team
Florida Department of Health in Seminole County
- Empowering Paths: Bridging Health Literacy, English Learning, and Workforce Development
Georgia
Promising
Cobb and Douglas Public Health – District 3, Unit 1
- Power in Truth Youth Conference and Initiative
Idaho
Promising
- Enhancing Septic System Documentation Through the Integration of Drone Technology
Indiana
Model
Vanderburgh County Health Department
- Pre to 3 Program
Kentucky
Model
Kentucky River District Health Department
- The Hub Model - Meeting Substance Use Disorder Individuals Where They Are but Not Leaving Them There
Louisiana
Promising
Louisiana Office of Public Health
- Region V Imperial Calcasieu HSA
- LA Bridge Emergency Department Program
Michigan
Model
Livingston County Health Department
- Livingston County Health Department
Promising
Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services
- Well Wayne Waynetrepreneurs Initiative
- Well Wayne Air Quality Initiative
Minnesota
Promising
Washington County Public Health and Environment
- Community Empowerment in Opioid Settlement Funding
Missouri
Model
St. Louis County Department of Public Health
- Saint Louis Department of Public Health County Jail Medication-Assisted Treatment Program
Nebraska
Model
Two Rivers Public Health Department
- Bridging the Gap: Mobile Vaccination Clinics
- Engaging Diverse Stakeholders for Community Health Needs Assessment in a Local Health Department in Rural Nebraska
Promising
Central Nebraska Medical Reserve Corps
- V.I.P.E.R. – Vulnerable Identified Population Evacuation Response
Two Rivers Public Health Department
- Advancing Lead Poisoning Prevention Initiatives Through Environmental Action
New York
Model
Nassau County Department of Health
- Dashing Data Dashboards
Promising
Nassau County Department of Health
- Animal Bite Management Program
- Bridging Gaps in Health: Addressing Social Determinants for Lasting Health Equity
North Carolina
Model
Wake County Health and Human Services
- Advancing Health Equity: Wake County Public Health Staff Training and Advancing Health Equity Toolkit
Promising
Wake County Health and Human Services
- HealthLit4Wake Mini Grants: Advancing Health Equity and Literacy Through Grassroots Partnerships
- Increasing Access to Health Information Through Community Partnerships in Wake County, NC
Ohio
Promising
Carroll County General Health District
- Empower Youth Coalition is Building Youth Resilience Together: A County-Wide Collaborative Effort Led by Youth from Across the County
Tennessee
Model
Hamilton County Health Department
- Inclusive Community Initiative
Texas
Model
- Enhancing Access Through Collaboration: Community Resource Hub Site
San Antonio Metropolitan Health District
- An Employee Centered Approach to Establish a QI Culture
Promising
- Combatting Congenital Syphilis: A Collaboration with Correctional Facilities and Public Health
City of San Antonio – Healthy Neighborhoods
- The Resource Center at Villa Coronado: Community-Driven Solutions to Address Food Insecurity
Utah
Promising
Davis County Department of Health
- Quick Quack Quality
Virginia
Model
Fairfax County Health Department
- Breaking Down Silos: Utilizing Technology to Enable Interoperable Public Health Data
Washington
Promising
Washington State Department of Health Medical Logistics
- The Highly Efficient Local Logistics Operations Tabletop Exercise Series (HELLO TTX)
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About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the over 3,300 local governmental health departments across the country. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information, visit www.naccho.org.
