Washington, DC, July 13, 2023 — Today, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the voice of the country’s nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments, named its 2023 Model and Promising Practice Award Winners, an annual recognition of local public health best practices. This year, 23 outstanding local health department programs have been recognized as Model Practices, and 30 programs have been recognized as Promising Practices. Videos describing the 2023 Model Practices can be found here. The awards were presented during the 2023 NACCHO360 Annual Conference in Denver on July 12, 2023.
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 issues that are on track to becoming Model Practices.
“Local health departments have continued to support their communities across a host of programmatic areas and public health challenges, even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It is phenomenal to bear witness to the effort to respond to a pandemic and still be innovating, spreading, and sharing best practices amid crisis,” said NACCHO’s Chief Executive Officer Lori Tremmel Freeman. “We are proud to recognize the 2023 Model and Promising Practice Awards as a showcase of the best and brightest in local public health. Winners display excellence in a diverse range of topics including issues such as veterans’ health, overdose prevention, and many more.”
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 community.
2023 Model Practice Award Winners:
Arizona
Maricopa County Department of Public Health, Synapse: A Platform for Community Health Partnership
California
City of Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services, Health Equity Investment Framework
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Advancing Food Recovery to Reduce Food Waste in Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Community-Based COVID-19 Vaccination Points of Dispensing (POD) Sites: Adapting to Changing Needs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Mobile Field Assessment of Low-Risk Travelers From Ebola-Affected Areas
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, POWER: Prevention and Outreach to Women at Elevated Risk of Syphilis to Address Congenital Syphilis
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Targeted Rabies Outreach at Veterinary Clinics and Online to Increase Awareness and Reduce Risk
Colorado
Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, Combating Employee Burn-Out by Investing in Our People
Florida
Florida Department of Health in Broward County, In School COVID-19 Vaccinations
Florida Department of Health in Citrus County, Tackling Opioid Use Disorder as Part of Routine Prenatal Care in a Local Health Department
Georgia
Gwinnett, Newton, & Rockdale County Public Health, HIV Prevention Integration With Monkeypox Vaccination Efforts in Gwinnett County, GA
Indiana
Marion County Public Health Department, Establishing and Expanding Harm Reduction Efforts in Marion County, Indiana
Kentucky
Franklin County Health Department, Frankfort/Franklin County Just Say Yes: Stopping Youth Substance Use Before It Starts
Minnesota
Hennepin County Community-Based, Hennepin County Community-Based Infectious Disease Team
Hennepin County Public Health, Better Together Hennepin Health Mentor Model
Hennepin County Public Health: Red Door Clinic, Data-Driven Syringe Services and Naloxone Distribution Programming
Nebraska
Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, COVID-19 Reporting Using GIS Dashboard and Coordination With Public Health Communications Needs
New Jersey
Montgomery Township Health Department, Public Health Surge Vaccinator Program
Middlesex County Office of Health Services, PROMOTE Vaccination, Everyone, Everyday
Ohio
Union County Health Department, Locking Pill Bottles Increases MOUD Safety and Access
Texas
Houston Health Department, City of Houston, Texas, Reopening Schools During COVID-19 Pandemic Through Community Engagement and In-School Testing
Austin Public Health, Creation and Expansion of a Community Portable Crib Program
Washington
Public Health - Seattle & King County, Office of Equity and Community Partnerships: A Community-Led and Anti-Racist Approach to Public Health
2023 Promising Practice Award Winners:
California
County of San Diego, HHSA, PHS, Isolation and Support Nurse Helpline
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, LA County COVID-19 Community Equity Fund: A Community-Based Continuum of Care to Address COVID-19
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Leading Delivery Transformation in COVID-19 Therapeutics
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Protecting Skilled Nursing Facility Residents During COVID
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Temporary Dentures for People Experiencing Homelessness
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Towards Equitable and Sustainable Vaccination Against Mpox in Los Angeles County
Yuba County Health and Human Services Department, Public Health Division, STDs Opt-Out Testing in Yuba County Jail Pilot Program
Colorado
Metro Denver Partnership for Health, Community Mental Health Ambassador Program
Florida
Florida Department of Health in Highlands County, Reading is Health”
Florida Department of Health in Broward County, Broward Restaurants and Hospitality Industry Educating Against Drugs
Florida Department of Health in Broward County, Emergency Department Opioid Peer Navigators
Florida Department of Health in Broward County, Mpox Pop-Up PODs
Florida Department of Health in Broward County, WIC Benefits Issuance Through PODs
Florida Department of Health in Broward County, TB Surveillance and DOT Program Drive Through Sputum Sampling and Telehealth Visits During COVID-19
Florida Department of Health in Seminole County, Equit[y]-easer: A Card Game to Demonstrate Health Equity
Iowa
Siouxland District Health Department, CHII Assessment - A Model Approach to Increase Capacity to Serve Individuals Living with a Disability
Kansas
Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, Zero Suicide QI Within a Local Behavioral Health System
Maryland
St. Mary’s County Health Department, Harm Reduction Through a Health Equity Lens
St. Mary’s County Health Department, The Role of School-Based Health Centers - Filling the Gaps in Local Healthcare
Minnesota
Otter Tail County Public Health, COVID Diaries Exhibit With Springboard for the Arts and Otter Tail County Historical Society
North Carolina
Mecklenburg County Public Health, Child Development Community Policing Program
Nebraska
Panhandle Public Health District, Panhandle Situation Table
Two Rivers Public Health Department, Opioid Overdose Prevention and Education
New York
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Operationalizing Authentic Partnership With Orthodox Jewish Communities of NYC
Ohio
Hamilton County Public Health, Colerain Township Community Health Coordinator
Hamilton County Public Health, Targeting Outreach and Access for Harm Reduction Through Employer Partnerships
Texas
Dallas County Health and Human Services, Local Data-Based Approach to Containing the Spread of Mpox in Dallas County
Harris County Public Health, Adapting ICS to Build Community Resilience and Preparedness for Long-Term Disease Response
West Virginia
Marshall County Health Department, Gathering Equitable, Real-Time Data Using Visioning With Vulnerable Populations
Fayette County Health Department, Fayette County Health Department Harm Reduction Program: Mobile Outreach
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About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments. 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 about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.
