One of 19 Local Health Departments Nationwide To Receive Prestigious Model Practice Award
Mineola, NY – Today the Nassau County Department of Health was honored with a Model Practice Award at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) 2016 Annual Conference. A Safe Place to Sleep was one of 19 local health departments’ programs across the nation to receive this prestigious award for implementing a program that demonstrates exemplary qualities in response to a local public health need. Nassau County Department of Health’s Bureau of Environmental Engineering was also honored with a Promising Practice Award for the Environmental Health Toxic Emissions Program.
“I am extremely proud of the Department of Health and I congratulate Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein and his team for being national leaders in public health,” said County Executive Mangano. “The Nassau County Department of Health has consistently been recognized as a national leader for developing responsive and innovative programs that promote and protect the health and safety of the residents of Nassau County.”
A Safe Place to Sleep was implemented as an injury prevention strategy to address infant fatalities resulting from unsafe sleep practices. The Nassau County Department of Health partnered with the National Cribs for Kids Program, an organization that combines education to parents and caregivers on safe sleep practices for infants and provides portable cribs to families who, otherwise, cannot afford a safe place for their babies to sleep. Through this partnership, the Department of Health developed the tools and grants necessary to support a local Cribs for Kids Chapter within Nassau County. This award-winning program recognizes that providing a safe place to sleep saves babies lives.
The Nassau County Department of Health continues to be a national leader in public health, and since 2013 has earned nine Model and Promising Practice Awards. To read more about these award-winning programs visit the NACCHO website at www.naccho.org/topics/modelpractices/.
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 government 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.