Washington County to Present 17th Annual Public Health Recognition Awards

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 27, 2019

National Public Health Week is April 1-7, 2019. Washington County Department of Health and Human Services will honor significant contributions to public health that promote and support a culture of health and well-being in Washington County.

The 17th annual Public Health Recognition Awards will be presented on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at noon in Room 103 of the Washington Street Conference Center, located on the first floor of the parking structure at 102 SW Washington Street in downtown Hillsboro. A reception will immediately follow.

This year's honorees:

• The Public Health Ambassador Award recognizes an individual, family or small group in the community who has raised awareness of public health issues, developed projects with a lasting impact, and/or influenced systems or policy changes. The award will be presented to Pacific University’s Director of Sabiduria Ruth Zuniga, Ph.D. Dr. Zuniga will be honored for her outstanding work to address urgent behavioral health needs in the Latino communities through linguistically and culturally appropriate emotional health workshops.

• The Partner in Public Health Award recognizes an organization/business that has developed innovative public health programs that positively affect its employees and/or the community at large. The award will be presented to Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District for spearheading collaborative work to advance the health and well-being of children, teens and adults with disabilities.

• The Emerging Public Health Leader Award recognizes a youth or youth-related group that promotes healthy communities and making healthy lifestyle choices. The award will be presented to Planned Parenthood Beaverton Teen Council for raising awareness and decreasing stigma around teen sexual health through a peer-led sex education program that trains youth to be educators, advocates and resources for their peers.

• The Washington County Employee Award recognizes an exemplary Washington County staff member who has gone above and beyond his or her regular work responsibilities to make a difference in public health. This year’s recipient is Senior Program Communication and Education Specialist Andy Cartmill, who will be honored for his extraordinary prevention and outreach efforts to educate the community on issues related to substance use, gambling, mental health and suicide. Cartmill is also the host of HHS’s public access show Community Matters, which is produced by and airs on TVCTV.

All are welcome at the ceremony and reception. No RSVPs are needed. For more information, contact Kerry Colette at 503-846-8246.

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