The Cobb & Douglas Public Health Team is honored with the 2017 Model Practice Award at the NACCHO Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, PA.
Cobb & Douglas Public Health (CDPH) was recently honored with the Model Practice Award at the 2017 Annual Conference of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). 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. “Decreasing Risky Behaviors in Youth through the Power in Truth Conference” was one of 41 local health department programs to receive NACCHO’s prestigious Model Practice Award. Cobb & Douglas Public Health accepted the award in Pittsburgh on July 12, 2017 on behalf of the numerous Douglas Power In Truth Conference partners.
Live Healthy Douglas—in partnership with the Douglas County Board of Health, The Douglas County School System, the Douglas Health Futures Foundation, and over 30 local agencies and volunteers–is preparing for its 17th Annual Power in Truth (PIT) Conference on Tuesday, October 17, 2017, at First Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia.
Since 2000, Douglas County’s (GA) Power in Truth conference has empowered more than 7,000 youth with techniques to help them avoid drugs, tobacco and alcohol, overcome social influences, and increase healthy behaviors. The 2016 PIT conference expanded its focus to additional risk factors including internet safety, violence prevention, healthy relationships, obesity prevention, distracted driving, and financial literacy. An advisor session revealed new trends in prescription drug abuse and how to access wrap-around services for youth. PIT is implemented as a day-long conference that includes a national keynote speaker, breakout sessions, lunch, and other engaging youth-focused activities. Representative groups from all eight Douglas middle schools, five high schools, and the Performance Learning Center in Douglas County attend.
“We are very pleased to receive NACCHO’s Model Practice Award for Decreasing Risky Behaviors in Youth through the Power in Truth Conference,” said Dr. Jack Kennedy, District Health Director, Cobb & Douglas Public Health. “This award confirms our commitment to developing responsive and innovative public health programs and partnerships that improve the health and safety of our local residents.”
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 over 100 applicants.
“This award puts CDPH 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 Interim Executive Director and Chief of Government Affairs Laura Hanen, MPP.
“Decreasing Risky Behaviors in Youth through the Power in Truth Conference” 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.
Read more about these award-winning programs.
About the National Association of County and City Health Officials
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s 2,800 local governmental health departments. These cities, counties, metropolitan, district and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities.