Community Health Awards
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- Jim Parker Leadership Award
- Jack Korlath Partnership Award
- Lou Fuller Award for Distinguished Service in Eliminating Health Disparities
- Commissioner’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Health Services
- Award for Outstanding Dedication to Local Public Health
- Certificates of recognition
- Related: Standing and active SCHSAC workgroups
Partners in Public Health Conference
Certificates of Recognition
Certificates recognize individuals or groups who have demonstrated a significant commitment to public health.
Most recent recipients
About this award
Eligibility and nominations
Past honorees
2019 Certificates of Recognition
Better Together Hennepin team and partners
Better Together Hennepin provides evidence-based, prevention-focused, community-engaged work to prevent unplanned pregnancies among county teens and adolescents. Better Together Hennepin’s programming is trauma-informed, LGBTQ-inclusive, and employs youth development principles. Trained sexual health educators, employed by community-based organizations rooted in the communities facing disparities, carry out the interventions. Hennepin County has been successful in reducing teen birth rates by nearly 60% in the past 10 years, outpacing both state and national declines. Emily Scribner-O'Pray accepted this award on behalf of Better Together Hennepin.
Countryside Public Health Community Leadership Team
The Countryside Community Leadership Team (CLT), active since 2009, is made up of local public health supporters including business owners, farmers, county board members, tribal partners, and representatives from community groups, schools, chambers of commerce, hospitals and health care facilities. In 2017, the Countryside CLT began focusing on farmers markets and access to healthy food in rural communities, working collaboratively across their five counties to create "Tokens for Tomatoes," a $2 farmers market token exchanged for fresh produce.
David C. Johnson, epidemiology manager, Hennepin County Public Health
In David C. Johnson's nearly 20 years in governmental public health, he has led continuous improvement efforts to expand tuberculosis contact investigation capacity, served as incident commander during the 2018 Hennepin County measles outbreak, served on the SCHSAC Infectious Disease Continuous Improvement Board, led collaborations between public health and hospital systems, and much more. He's also served as an adjunct instructor at St. Mary's University of Minnesota, is past president of the Minnesota Public Health Association, and serves on a number of local and regional public health and epidemiology workgroups.
About certificates of recognition
Certificates of Recognition were created in 1985 as a way to recognize individuals as well as groups, including public health partners (such as emergency medical services, physicians, and others) for their contributions to public health.
Eligibility and nominations
Eligibility requirements include: Current SCHSAC member or alternate member, local community health services staff, Minnesota Department of Health staff, local advisory committee member, elected official, or volunteer. Nominate an individual or group for this award.
Past honorees
2019 | Better Together Hennepin team and partners Countryside Public Health Community Leadership Team David C. Johnson, epidemiology manager, Hennepin County Public Health |
2018 | Meeker-McLeod-Sibley Healthy Communities Leadership Team Metro area environmental health partners: Super Bowl food defense and food safety operation Minneapolis Health Department and youth tobacco prevention community partners |
2017 | Marna Canturbury, Lakeview Health Foundation C.A.R.E. Clinic Volunteers Minneapolis Health Department Food, Pools, and Lodging Division |
2016 | Chris J. Johnson, Minnesota Department of Health Stearns County Health Protection and Promotion Unit Sara Chute, Minnesota Department of Health |
2015 |
Patrick Hanlon & Mpls. Green Business Matching Grant Program Carol Meissner, Horizon Public Health Wright County Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council |
2014 | Wendy Kvale, Minnesota Dept. of Health Smoke-Free Housing Collaborative, City of Minneapolis David Stroud, ret., Minnesota Dept. of Health |
2013 | FATHER Project Team, St. Joseph's Area Health Services Raise it for Health Coalition Kathy Bystrom, Fairview Lakes Health Services |
2012 | Gloria Tobias, Countryside Public Health Ann DeLa Vergne, formerly of Washington County Henry Street Consortium |
2011 | HealthyLiving Minneapolis - Community Resources for Everyone Susan Ross, Minnesota Dept. of Health |
2010 | Blue Earth H1N1 Vaccine Team, Blue Earth County Project Harmony, Meeker-McLeod-Sibley Counties Steven Simenson, Anoka County |
2009 | Rita Dovre, Lincoln-Lyon-Murray-Pipestone Public Health Homegrown Minneapolis Terry Stoltzman, Anoka County |
2008 | Minneapolis/Hennepin County Childhood Lead Poisoning Workgroup |
2007 | Doris Cogelow, Kandiyohi County Public Health Bill Carlson, Isanti County Active Living Rich Peter, Olmsted County Public Health Services Lincoln-Lyon-Murray-Pipestone Emergency Preparedness Advisory Team |
2006 | Aitkin County Public Health Department Carlton County Public Health Department Cook County Public Health Department Koochiching County Public Health Department Lake County Public Health Department Saint Louis County Public Health Department Litchfield Area Rural Partners in Prevention Jennifer Nelson, Rochester Downtown Farmers' Market Cheryl Sapp, Clay County Public Health Smoke Free Coalitions of Meeker and McLeod Counties |
2005 | Kathy Nowak, McLeod County Craig Malm, Anoka County Community Health Advisory Committee Gene Winstead, Mayor, City of Bloomington Bloomington City Council, City of Bloomington |
2004 | Gary Thostenson, Countryside Community Health Board Arthur van Vranken, Graceville Health Center Minnesota Family Investment Program Public Health Nurse Home Visiting Team, Ramsey County |
2003 | The Minor League, Polk County Charles Bransford, Stillwater Medical Group Jill Bruns, Renville County |
2002 | Margaret Langfeld, Anoka County Northern Minnesota Wastewater Technical Committee Kaye Stennes, North Country Safe Communities, Wright County |
2001 | Chemical Health Team, Meeker-McLeod-Sibley Counties Wendy Thompson, Kanabec-Pine Counties |
2000 | Mary Ho, Rice County Mary Tambornino, Hennepin County |
1998 | Northeastern Minnesota Public Health Cooperative Otter Tail Dental Health Clinic Project Team |
1997 | Viola Rau, Kandiyohi County Steve Louwagie, Countryside Public Health Sandy Macziewski, Countryside Public Health Gloria Tobias, Countryside Public Health |
1995 | Farming Healthy Coalition, Meeker-McLeod-Sibley Counties |
1994 | Robert Welch, Goodhue County Jane Dietzman, Goodhue County |
1993 | Howard Warnberg, Morrison County Marilyn Krueger, Saint Louis County Gayle Hallin, City of Bloomington |
1992 | Paul Gunderson, Minnesota Dept. of Health Vonna Henry, Benton-Sherburne Counties |
1991 | Rolleen Walgenbach, Leech Lake Carrie Lapham, Houston County Health Promotion Team, Nicollet County |
1990 | James Lehmann, Carver County South Central Regional Counseling & Testing Site Joint Powers Board |
1989 | Mary Ann Blade, Cass-Todd-Wadena-Morrison Counties |
1988 | Diane Thorson, Otter Tail County Lester Kachinski, Aitkin County |
1987 | Viola Rud, Quin County Natalie Haas Steffen, Anoka County |
1986 | Yvonne Hargens, City of Bloomington |
1985 | Linnea Mannausau, Koochiching County |