Boulder County Public Health Communications Office 303-441-1457
Public Health Officials Honor Partners in Public Health
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - BOULDER – On Monday,
April 6, Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) will honor
three community partners for their exemplary work in
improving public health in Boulder County. The Healthy
Community Awards, developed in 2006, recognizes individuals
and groups in the Boulder County community that address
public health needs and issues.
This year’s award recipients are Boulder Valley Women’s
Health Center (BVWHC) Youth Services; Pete Bialick, Group to
Alleviate Smoking Pollution; and Boulder County Housing
First.
BVWHC Youth Services fills a critical gap in health care
services for many under-served individuals in Boulder County
through community education, the teen clinic, and the Sexual
Health and AIDS Awareness Peer Education Program (SHAPE).
“Women’s Health Youth Services’ collaborative efforts with
BCPH have significantly improved service provision to teens
in the area of sexual health. We are fortunate indeed to
have this resource to assist our teens in making informed
choices about their reproductive health care,” said Jody
Scanlon, BCPH GENESIS Program Coordinator.
According to the 2008 State of Adolescent Sexual Health in
Colorado Report, Boulder County has experienced the highest
drop in teen birth rates between 1991 and 2006 of Colorado’s
ten most populous counties. Positively impacting teen birth
rates requires a concerted, collaborative, and intensive
effort on the part of a community; work being done at
Women’s Health Youth Services has contributed to these
impressive results.
Group to Alleviate Smoking Pollution Executive Director and
creator Pete Bialick has been involved in every local
tobacco-related ordinance since 1981. Bialick was a leader
in the effort to make Boulder one of the first smoke-free
cities in the country in 1995.
“Pete’s work clearly exemplifies this mission of Boulder
County Public Health,” said Jennifer Kovarik, Tobacco
Education and Prevention Partnership Program Coordinator.
After the passage of the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act,
Bialick continued to inspire and support local health
agencies statewide, including Boulder County Public Health
(BCPH), to address smoke intrusion in multi-unit housing.
Pete has become an expert on policy advocacy related to
secondhand smoke, and is well-known nationally for his
expertise.
The final award recipient is the Boulder County Housing
First, a program started in 2006 to provide permanent
housing, with intensive case management, for these
chronically homeless individuals. The group serves
populations who have high incidences of mental illness and
addictions that interfere with an ability to succeed in
traditional homeless transition programs.
“Janet Walker-Ready, Mike Block, and Chris Byrne, key
players in Boulder County Housing First, are exemplary in
the unwavering respect and dignity they provide to
individuals otherwise overlooked and forgotten in our
community,” said Bill Monroe, Intensive Services Program
Coordinator. “They are tireless in their persistence with
individuals to get the necessary steps done to secure
housing.”
Up to three Healthy Community Awards are given annually, and
each recipient must have demonstrated the BCPH mission and
values in an exemplary way and developed and implemented
strategies to improve the health and well-being of the
people and environment in Boulder County.
A BCPH employee must nominate community members or
organizations, and a review committee of public health
leaders selects award recipients.
Staff will present awards from 2 to 4 p.m., April 6, at 3482
Broadway.
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