Pima County Health Department Gets 2021 Gold Innovative Practice Award
The Pima County Health Department has been honored with the 2021 Gold Innovative Practice Award by the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
This award celebrates local health departments for developing innovative programs to meet the needs of their community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The department earned the award for the creative, community-focused work being done by the Mitigating COVID-19 in Communities of Color Program.
The MC3 program has led the way for much of Pima County’s efforts to increase access to COVID-19 testing, vaccination, rapid response care coordination, and case management services for underserved communities across the county. The MC3 program’s efforts to conduct mobile COVID-19 testing were featured by the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants.
The designation as a Gold Innovative Practice demonstrates the highest level of program innovation and reflects the county’s commitment to collaboration, adaptability, and resiliency in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This award is a representation of thousands of hours of work from dedicated staff, volunteers, and community partners,” said MC3 Program Manager Jess Seline. “This pandemic has had a devastating effect on all of us, especially in communities already facing access to care and other health equity issues.
“We are proud of the commitment the Health Department and our amazing partners have made to ensuring an equitable distribution of COVID-19 response efforts.”
NACCHO’s Diamond Affiliate Partner, Contakt World is sponsoring the 2021 Innovative Practice Award. As the 2021 award sponsor, Contakt World will award Pima County a $7,000 in-kind contribution of their public health services. In addition, the Health Department will receive a complementary registration to NACCHO’s annual conference, NACCHO 360.
Innovative Practices are exciting approaches and strategies to local public health issues that were developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and were creatively adapted to meet the circumstances of the pandemic.
MC3 is one of many successful public health practices in areas that range from health equity and face mask distribution programs to contactless delivery methods and drive-through testing.
