Panhandle Public Health District honored for excellence in public health

Panhandle Public Health District was honored with the Model Practice Award at the 2015 Annual Conference of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

The award celebrates local health departments for developing programs that demonstrate exemplary and replicable best practices in response to a critical local public health need. The National Diabetes Prevention Program in the Panhandle was one of 19 local health department programs to receive NACCHO's Model Practice Award.

"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 Kim Engel, director of Panhandle Public Health District.

The National Diabetes Prevention Program has been going strong across the Panhandle since 2012. This year-long lifestyle change program has touched many lives, according to Engel. Participants make a commitment to change their lifestyle and in return are losing weight and reducing their risk for chronic disease.

Since 2003, NACCHO's Model Practice Awards have honored programs, resources and tools that demonstrate how local health departments and their community partners can effectively collaborate to address local public health challenges. Each innovative project receiving the Model Practice Award was peer-reviewed and selected from a competitive group of 69 applicants.

"This award puts Panhandle Public 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," said NACCHO Executive Director Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck.

The National Diabetes Prevention Program in the Panhandle 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. The database also provides users an opportunity to learn from best practices and what resources are needed to implement comparable programs in other jurisdictions that produce results.