SUBMITTED ARTICLE
MONTEREY COUNTY — During a special event to celebrate the pioneering work of health departments, The California Endowment and the Health Equity Award Planning Committee named the Monterey County Health Department (MCHD) as the winner of the Arnold X. Perkins Award for Outstanding Health Equity Practice.
The Advancing Healthy Equity Awards: Highlighting Health Equity Practice in California Public Health Departments showcased the work of 9 health departments that go above and beyond the traditional scope of public health. MCHD received the award primarily for its robust community leadership program and its use of the Health in All Policies (HiAP) framework and its robust community leadership program, which is a collaborative approach to improve a community’s health by incorporating health considerations into decision making in all sectors and policy areas. HiAP, which has been going strong ever since it was approved by the county board of supervisors in 2012, brings together a cross section of partners to analyze how their work influences or affects health and how to improve health while advancing shared goals. HiAP recognizes that health and prevention are impacted by policies that are managed by government and nongovernmental agencies.
The California Endowment created this event for practices just like this because there is a pressing need to recognize and reward departments for their innovative efforts to improve the health of their communities, especially during these challenging times.
“The growing commitment to health equity among our local health departments has never been more important than it is right now, “ said Anthony Iton, M.D., J.D., MPH and senior vice president for Healthy Communities at The California Endowment. “Local health departments are on the frontlines with community, responding to diseases and injuries that could be prevented. These health departments understand that to improve health and well-being for all, we must work proactively. They are a shining example of the kind of innovation, commitment to equity, and bold action necessary to advance health and justice for all.”
The other winners from the May 24 event include the Napa County Public Health Department (NCPHD) and the San Mateo County Health System (SMCHS). Both earned the Exemplary Health Equity Practice award. Napa was honored for its “Housing is Healthcare” practice, which addresses the housing crisis as the most pressing health issue in the community. San Mateo was recognized for “Get Healthy San Mateo County”, which is a city, county, community, school, hospital and SMCHS collaborative that uses policy change to prevent disease and ensure everyone has equitable opportunities to live a long, healthy life.
Monterey County’s award came with a $100,000 grant, while the other recipients were each awarded $25,000 to continue their innovative health equity work.
All California health departments were invited to apply for the 2017 Advancing Health Equity Awards. Finalists were
chosen from this pool of applications. While The California Endowment hosts the celebration, the Health Equity Award Planning Committee, comprised of a variety of health experts from across the state, reviewed the applications and selected the winners.
This is the second time this awards ceremony has been held. The California Endowment hopes to sponsor this event every two years.
About California Endowment
The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental affordable improvements in the health status of all Californians.
The Endowment challenges the conventional wisdom that medical settings and individual choices are solely responsible for people’s health. At its core, The Endowment believes that health happens in neighborhoods, schools and with prevention. For more information, visit www.calendow.org.
