Public Health Center Receives Promising Practice Award

On July 20, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) named Clay County Public Health Center a 2022 Promising Practice Award winner at the NACCHO360 Annual Conference in Atlanta. The award was given to 16 local health department programs from across the United States and recognizes best practices in addressing pressing public health challenges.

“We are honored to be recognized by NACCHO as a Promising Practice award winner,” said Director of Public Health Gary E. Zaborac. “I am proud of our team for earning this national recognition for our efforts to promote, prevent and protect the health of our communities in Clay County, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Clay County Public Health Center (CCPHC) was recognized for “Whole Community COVID Vaccination Planning and Implementation with Champions of Our AFN (Access and Functional Needs) Populations.” Through collaborative work with Operation Safe, the community-wide vaccination effort that took place in early 2021, CCPHC staff helped ensure that COVID vaccination was accessible to everyone eligible in Clay County. This included vulnerable populations and those with barriers like transportation or language that could prevent them from receiving protection.

“This recognition would not be possible without the collaboration of our Operation Safe partners,” said Zaborac. “We are extremely grateful for the partnership of North Kansas City Hospital, Liberty Hospital, staff from the cities of Liberty and North Kansas City, Cerner, local school districts, and all of the municipalities and volunteers in Clay County who helped Operation Safe get almost 100,000 shots into arms.”

“It is a phenomenal effort on the part of local health departments to be responding to a pandemic and still be innovating, spreading, and sharing best practices in the midst of crisis,” said NACCHO’s Chief Executive Officer Lori Tremmel Freeman. “We are proud to recognize the 2022 Promising Practice Awards as a showcase of the best and brightest in local public health.”

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story