And the award goes to…
Sixteen local people and organizations were recognized Friday for their efforts to improve San Diegans’ health and quality of life.
The 14th annual Live Well San Diego Public Health Champion Awards were presented by the County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) at the County Administration Center.
“The County established the awards to recognize true community heroes and their hard work to improve the health and safety of San Diego County residents,” said Chairman Bill Horn, County Board of Supervisors. “These are individuals and organizations who work to improve their communities, and their contributions help to protect and improve the overall quality of life of our citizens.”
The awards are presented annually during National Public Health Week, established 20 years ago “to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation.” The 2015 theme is Healthiest Nation 2030: Let’s make America the Healthiest Nation in One Generation.
The Live Well San Diego Public Health Champion Awards recognize public and private partnerships and the ongoing collaboration to improve the overall health and wellness of the county’s diverse populations. The awards are part of Live Well San Diego, the County’s vision of healthy, safe and thriving residents and communities.
“These public health professionals are doing extraordinary work and leading the way to improve and protect the health of San Diego County residents,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer.
HHSA Director Nick Macchione added that “these awards showcase the collaboration of our public health partners, local governments, businesses and the overall community to advance public health and create healthy, safe and thriving individuals and communities in support of Live Well San Diego.”
The 2015 Live Well San Diego Public Health Champions Awards recipients are:
Theme Award: Dr. Richard Garfein and Dr. Sara Browne
Dr. Garfein and Dr. Browne are part of the UC San Diego Department of Medicine’s Antiviral Research Center, which focuses on innovative techniques to improve medication adherence for tuberculosis infection. They developed the Wirelessly Observed Therapy and Video Directly Observed Therapy, both used to make sure tuberculosis patients take their medication and complete their treatment. Together, they have over 60 years of experience addressing public health issues in San Diego and globally. Their research and teaching of future health professionals aims to make tuberculosis a disease of the past.
Organizational Award: Catholic Charities
For almost 100 years, Catholic Charities has served the most vulnerable members of our community: refugees, seniors, children, homeless people and disabled adults. Through their many programs, they provide health assessments, meals and support and resettlement services. Catholic Charities is currently working to become a Live Well San Diego partner.
Individual Award: Sandra McBrayer
McBrayer is the Chief Executive Officer of the Children’s Initiative, a San Diego-based child advocacy agency dedicated to helping children, youth and families reach their full potential. For 20 years, McBrayer and the Children’s Initiative have worked across the areas of health, education, community safety and economic security. Every other year, the Children’s Initiative releases the San Diego County Report Card on Children and Families, which reports on 25 indicators to measure the health and well-being of children and families in the region. McBrayer is also a board member of the First 5 Commission of San Diego, which works to promote the health and well-being of young children from the prenatal stage through five years of age, the most critical years of development.
South Region Award: Olivewood Garden and Learning Center
Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center works to get residents to become active and healthy through gardening and nutrition education. Olivewood has impacted the lives of over 38,000 visitors since 2010 and is a key partner with HHSA’s South Region, serving on the leadership team. Olivewood supports health and wellness by providing children and families the opportunity to engage in important nutrition education in the context of a garden-based learning environment. Olivewood is a Live Well San Diego partner.
Central Region: City of San Diego Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention
In 2006, the San Diego City Council created the Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention, charged with making policy recommendations to the mayor and city council on gang prevention, intervention and diversion and suppression methods. Their work also focuses on identifying local, state and federal funding sources and addressing other gang-related policy matters. The commission’s vision is to develop a more strategic, coordinated and collaborative effort between the City, law enforcement agencies, social service providers and the general public with the objective of significantly curtailing gang involvement and its negative impact in the City of San Diego. The commission has played an instrumental role in several local efforts to prevent youth violence and to support families affected by gang violence. The City of San Diego is also a Live Well San Diego partner.
North Central Award: Jewish Family Service
The Jewish Family Service (JFS) works to strengthen individuals, enhance the family and protect the vulnerable. Jewish Family Service serves the entire San Diego County community with over 50 programs and services on aging and wellness, case management, counseling and family support, food assistance, Jewish connections, military support, parenting and youth, refugees and immigration and teen leadership. JFS is a Live Well San Diego partner.
East Award: CVS Health
CVS Health made national news when it announced in 2014 that it would stop selling tobacco products in all its pharmacy locations throughout the United States, including 72 retail pharmacies in San Diego. At the same time, CVS Health launched a comprehensive smoking cessation campaign. As part of that effort, the company partnered with HHSA to promote a tobacco cessation pilot program in behavioral health settings. The partnership includes a $75,000 commitment from CVS Health to the American Lung Association in California to provide tobacco cessation training for County of San Diego behavioral health and alcohol/drug treatment providers, nicotine replacement therapies and carbon monoxide monitors to assess clients’ progress. Their partnership will provide smoking cessation support and services for 1,750 residents who are currently part of the behavioral health system.
North Inland Award: Reverend Dr. Faith Conklin, Senior Pastor at First United Methodist Church of Escondido
Rev. Conklin has been a champion for violence prevention in Escondido for almost 16 years. She co-founded Dreaming of a Violence-free Escondido (DOVE), a response team that gathers when there is an act of violence resulting in death in Escondido. Rev. Conklin played a key role in the County’s Faith-Based Initiative by helping to plan the North Inland Faith-Based Breakfast and hosting the church’s first ever Interfaith Conference called “Opening Hearts. Creating Community.” focused on reducing the stigma around mental illness.
North Coastal Award: Vi Dupre, Administrator for the Fallbrook Healthcare District
Dupre is a vital partner to North Coastal Public Health Nursing and has been a champion in bringing immunization information and resources to the Fallbrook community. Dupre spearheaded the “Immunizations: Importance and Impact through a Lifetime” event which provided free flu shots and featured a panel of local physicians who spoke about the importance of immunizations. She also championed community involvement and ensured local residents were a part of the decision-making process on the future of the Fallbrook Healthcare District.
Aging and Independence Services (AIS) Award: Arthritis Foundation San Diego
Through its many programs, the Arthritis Foundation/Greater San Diego Office advocates and educates for a healthy, safe and thriving San Diego for those living with arthritis. Their programs and services are available to more than 430,000 adults and 6,000 children in the region battling arthritis. Their representatives serve on AIS’s Health Promotion committee and they regularly update other older adult service providers on arthritis issues. They also promote AIS evidence-based programs for their clients and caregivers. The Arthritis Foundation/Greater San Diego Office is a Live Well San Diego partner.
Director’s Awards: All Live Well San Diego Regional Leadership Teams
Live Well San Diego North County Community Leadership Team
Formed in 2012, the Live Well San Diego North County Community Leadership Team is guided by a vision of a North County where healthy choices are easy, prevention is a priority, services are accessible and communities are safe. Comprised of over 160 leaders from all sectors, including Live Well San Diego partners, the Live Well San Diego North County Community Leadership Team works to move forward the three priority areas: nutrition, physical activity and behavioral health. A key accomplishment of this team is the newly created North County portal of the 2-1-1 website, which filters resources that are specific to North County. A major component of the team’s Community Health Improvement Plan is the promotion of the 5-2-1-0 healthy messaging campaign to increase consumption of healthy food and increase physical activity. The 5-2-1-0 stands for 5 fruits and veggies, 2 hours or less of recreational screen time, 1 hour or more of physical activity and 0 sugary drinks.
Live Well San Diego North Central Region Leadership Team
The Live Well San Diego North Central Region Leadership Team was also formed in 2012. The Team formed three workgroups to focus their efforts on public health issues confronting the North Central Region.
The Preventive Healthcare Workgroup strives to increase access by linking residents to community clinics, healthcare providers and programs. The Behavioral Health Workgroup aims to increase access to behavioral health services and decrease access to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. The Physical Activity Workgroup’s efforts focus on making neighborhoods more pedestrian and bicycle friendly. The Physical Activity Workgroup has established a vital partnership with the Clairemont Planning Committee, which engages residents and local stakeholders to advocate for measures to reduce traffic in the Clairemont community.
Live Well San Diego East Region Leadership Team
During the development of its Community Health Improvement Plan, it became evident to the Live Well San Diego East Region Leadership Team that nutrition, physical activity and substance abuse were key issues that needed to be addressed in East San Diego County. The team created workgroups to focus on each of these issues. The Active Living Workgroup strives to increase physical activity among East Region residents through public-private partnerships and improvement of access to places where people can be more physically active.
The Substance Abuse Prevention Workgroup’s goal is to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and reduce underage consumption of alcohol. The Healthy Eating Workgroup’s efforts focus on healthy eating in the East Region by facilitating access to educational resources, raising awareness about healthy eating and increasing access to healthy foods. With funding from the Grossmont Healthcare District, this workgroup has researched and created a food resource guide for service providers to share with their clients.
Live Well San Diego Central Region Leadership Team
In 2010, Central Region community leaders identified the following as critical community issues: health, tobacco use, safety and access to healthy food. Live Well San Diego Central Region Leadership Team has made significant achievements in addresses these issues. It has developed 2-1-1 interactive resource maps to increase the access to health and social services in the Central Region. Eighty-five staff from community agencies and County offices were trained to use these interactive maps. A worksite wellness toolkit for employers is being developed to use as a resource to implement policies around nutrition, physical activity, smoking cessation and stress management. Photo Voice: Community Engagement Through Photography projects were conducted at three parks in the Central Region led by SAY San Diego in partnership with youth, parents and community partners. With continued support from SAY San Diego, the Teralta Park resident group has grown and continues to improve their neighborhood as the “City Heights Clean and Safe Coalition.” Safe Routes to Schools, Safe Passage, and Safe School Zones efforts have been implemented at over 15 schools in Central Region though the leadership of Rady Children’s Hospital, Unity Tech, and San Diego Unified School District Police Department.
Live Well San Diego South Region Leadership Team
Formed in 2010, the Live Well San Diego South Region Leadership Team’s mission is to work to improve community wellness and reduce health disparities through policy, environment and systems change.
The team identified the following goals: increase access to a health home (medical, dental and mental) for vulnerable populations, improve security and decrease violence, increase access to healthy food access, increase physical activity and active living and prevent tobacco use. The team created stealth charts and contact sheets for each city in the South Region. The stealth charts are visual illustrations of the inter-disciplinary partnerships and networks in each city that could be tapped into to help move forward the mission. The contact sheets provided the contact information for each organization within the network. Last year, the team hosted a Live Well San Diego Cities Forum that brought together representatives from National City, Coronado, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and City of San Diego to present on their programs and initiatives to create healthy, safe and thriving communities.
