Boulder County gives Healthy Community Awards

NEWS RELEASE
BOULDER COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH
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On Sept. 22, Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) presented Healthy Community Awards to local organizations and individuals who have worked to improve the health and well-being of people in Boulder County.

Since 2006, BCPH has recognized individuals, groups, agencies, and organizations that have worked to address Boulder County’s public health needs and issues.

This year, seven awards were presented to organizations that worked to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools and the community. Awards were also given for providing financial support for women in the St. Vrain Valley, raising awareness of the negative consequences of sugary drinks, teaching kids to protect the environment and getting sustainable, locally-grown food to consumers and students, especially those who face barriers to accessing healthy foods.

The winners of the 2021 Boulder County Healthy Community Awards are:

• A Woman’s Work
• BoCo Beans project’s institutional supporters
• Community Ambassadors and Cultural Brokers
• Community Economic Development Partners
• Community Infectious Disease Emergency Response Team
• COVID-19 volunteers and the Medical Reserve Corp of Boulder County (MRCBC)
• Eco-Cycle School Program
• Healthy Drinks Social Media Campaign
• Health Services Staff of Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) and St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD)
• Norma Portnoy

A Woman’s Work provides financial support for women in the St. Vrain Valley for over two decades, assisting hundreds of women on a wide variety of needs, including child care, housing, transportation, medical needs, education, training and more.

The BoCo Beans project was recognized for launching the beginning of a sustainable, local, healthy and equitable food chain by making high-protein pinto beans available to institutions that provide food to people who may not have access to healthy options, such as jails, hospitals, schools, food banks and farmers markets. Institutional supporters include Boulder County Farmers Market, Boulder County Jail/Aramark and Boulder Valley School District.

The Community Ambassadors and Cultural Brokers were recognized for expanding access to resources, events and opportunities for underserved communities and for developing collective strategies that ensure COVID-19 vaccines are accessible to those who face more barriers to information and health care and to those most impacted by COVID-19.

BCPH’s Community Economic Development Partners include the Latino Chamber of Commerce and Boulder Chamber of Commerce. They received an award for helping to educate businesses and communities by championing the public health interventions needed for COVID-19 disease prevention.

The Community Infectious Disease Emergency Response Team received an award for developing, supporting and implementing a framework and standardized coordinated approach for responding to an infectious disease that could exceed our health care capacity and significantly threaten our community.

BCPH’s COVID-19 volunteers and the Medical Reserve Corp of Boulder County (MRCBC) received an award for saving lives in our community by selflessly offering their time and talents to protect our community by assisting with key aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

The Eco-Cycle School Program has been teaching Boulder County’s youth about recycling and the environment since 1987. They received an award for their ability to pivot the program during COVID-19 and provide a virtual training platform so children can continue to learn about important sustainability practices in safety.

The Healthy Drinks Social Media Campaign youth contributors were given an award for developing and promoting a public awareness campaign about the negative consequences of sugary drinks, the racism in industry marketing, and actively supporting healthy alternatives.

The Health Services staff of BVSD and the SVVSD received an award for working directly with teachers, families, students and public health partners to promote and implement science-based strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

Norma Portnoy received an award for promoting research-based harm reduction strategies, sharing policy best practices and connecting middle and high schools with implementing sustainable harm reduction practices. Norma’s work to increase community and organizational capacity to advocate for naloxone in schools not only helped the residents of Boulder County but the whole of Colorado.

A Boulder County Public Health employee must nominate the community members or organizations for an award, and a review committee comprised of public health leaders selects the annual award recipients.

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