Sixteen individuals and organizations were honored by the County today for their achievements in improving the health and well-being of San Diego residents and communities.
The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency hands out the honors during its annual Live Well San Diego Public Health Champion Awards Ceremony, the County’s primary event in recognition of National Public Health Week.
Established in 2002, the awards recognize the role of public/private collaboration in advancing health and wellness in the county’s diverse communities and populations.
The 2016 Live Well San Diego Public Health Champions Awards categories and recipients are:
THEME
Safe Kids San Diego
Safe Kids San Diego is devoted to the study and prevention of unintentional injuries to children, birth to 18 years old. It is the local affiliate of Safe Kids World Wide, based in Washington, D.C. Safe Kids is a coalition of likeminded organizations, governmental agencies and parent champions. The coalition meets bimonthly to provide education on best practices, share resources and convenes task forces on the most prevalent injuries.
INDIVIDUAL
Rebecca Cornille, D.D.S.
Dr. Cornille is an exemplary dentist and a true champion of public health. For more than a decade, she has dedicated her time to underserved communities and populations, as well as charitable efforts in the community. Dr. Cornille sees patients herself and supervises teams of dentists, registered dental hygienists and dental assistants that provide services at three clinic locations. Last year, her teams provided dental care to 12,309 patients during 28,300 visits.
ORGANIZATION
San Diego Postpartum Health Alliance
Postpartum Health Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about perinatal mood and anxiety symptoms and disorders and providing support and treatment referrals to women and their families. It has been operating in San Diego since 1998 and was founded by Dr. Leslie W. Craig, Dr. Kelly Boyd-Bragadeste, Dr. Martha Diamond, Dr. Janet Jaffee, Dr. Adele Josepho and Dr. Robert Hickman.
REGIONS
AGING AND INDEPENDENCE SERVICES—Chesney Hoagland-Fuchs
Aging and Independence Services, in partnership with Public Health, have collaborated with Ms. Hoagland-Fuchs to bring awareness of prediabetes and diabetes to residents of San Diego County. For 20 years, Ms. Hoagland-Fuchs has worked tirelessly to stop diabetes in the region.
CENTRAL REGION—Jackie Robinson YMCA
Michael Brunker has served as the Executive Director of San Diego’s inner-city YMCA since October 1997. The Jackie Robinson Family YMCA operates a 25,000-square-foot facility in a community facing critical challenges. Since 1997, he has increased the branch staff from 8 to 108, the board of managers from 12 to 60, and the budget from $450,000 to $2.3 million this past fiscal year.
EAST REGION—Community Action Service & Advocacy
CASA is a non-profit community coalition that addresses the root causes of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drug use and abuse using science-based prevention strategies. CASA’s work has reached nearly 15,000 youth in East Region, including youth from the communities of Santee, Julian and Spring Valley.
NORTH CENTRAL REGION—SAY San Diego
Social Advocates for Youth San Diego is a dynamic, countywide non-profit organization that benefits more than 80,000 people each year by enriching youth, empowering families, and engaging communities to achieve well-being for all. In their life-enhancing programs, SAY San Diego teaches children to make life-long healthy choices.
NORTH INLAND REGION—Martina Portillo and Arthur Calvo
Martina Portillo and Arthur Calvo both have over 15 years of experience working in the public health field for Indian Health Council, Inc. Ms. Portillo and Mr. Calvo are both part of the Community Health Services team at IHC where they are responsible for organizing several events throughout the year, promoting health and wellness through a Native American lens.
NORTH COASTAL REGION—Dr. Devin Vodicka
Devin Vodicka is the leadership table chair for the Vista Partnership for Children, a collective impact project that brings together schools, city and county governments, nonprofits, business and community leaders and parents to ensure that every child in Vista is surrounded by the tools they need to succeed in life. He was honored in 2015 as the “Supertinendent of the Year” by both Pepperdine University and the Association of California School Administrators.
SOUTH REGION—San Ysidro School District
The San Ysidro School District is composed of seven schools and a preschool and serves more than 5,230 students. Last year, it opened a new community association collaborating for strong district schools where students can learn and grow. It also opened a new family resource center in the district for parents.
HHSA DIRECTOR’S AWARD-NICK MACCHIONE
The Director’s Award honors individuals or organizations for their outstanding contributions to public health, by collaborating with HHSA via a common agenda, shared performance outcomes, mutual mission and goals, and with open and transparent communications. This year, the Director’s Award recognizes the work being done by the six regional Communities of Excellence in Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Prevention (CX3) programs.
They are:
Central Region-Project New Village
Project New Village supports local residents in implementing policy, systems, and environmental changes in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of southeastern San Diego. In 2012, the Central Region CX3 project trained community residents to conduct community assessments of access to healthy food and walkability.
East Region-El Cajon Collaborative
El Cajon Collaborative, the East Region CX3 project, began its efforts in the summer of 2012 in the El Cajon community. Since its inception, the East Region CX3 project has engaged three resident groups in implementing CX3 activities. These groups have spearheaded the following community improvement projects:
- Enhancing safe routes to healthy places in El Cajon, including improving the environment through public art
- Improving mass transit and bus stops
- Providing support and training for refugees and immigrants to increase community involvement
- Increasing awareness and action around healthier living activities in El Cajon
North Central Region-Bayside Community Center
In partnership with Bayside Community Center, the North Central Region CX3 project is focused on community engagement efforts in the Linda Vista neighborhood. Along with County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency staff and other community partners, this team has identified projects in their neighborhood related to walkability, safety in and near community parks, and expanding access to fresh, pesticide-free produce in the community.
North Coastal Region-Vista Community Clinic
The Vista Community Clinic, the North Coastal Region CX3 project, began its efforts in the spring of 2012 in the Bobier neighborhood of Vista. The North Coastal CX3 project is unique in that it is the only CX3 project in the County to engage only monolingual Spanish-speaking residents. The group of residents, referred to as Poder Popular (which translates to “people power”), assessed the nutrition environment of the Bobier neighborhood of Vista by surveying the local fast food restaurants, food stores and the ease of walkability to these food stores.
North Inland Region-Escondido Education COMPACT
The Escondido Education COMPACT, the North Inland Region CX3 project, began its efforts in the spring of 2012 in the Mission Park neighborhood of Escondido. This project is unique because it was the first CX3 project in the county to engage only youth residents. At the start of the project, the youth assessed the nutrition environment of the Mission Park neighborhood by surveying the local fast food restaurants and food stores, and the ease of walkability to these food stores.
South Region-Olivewood Gardens
Olivewood Gardens, the South Region CX3 project, also began its efforts in 2012 with a focus on the Old Town neighborhood of National City. The South Region CX3 team has initiated and implemented a number of successful projects to improve nutrition, physical activity and obesity prevention in the community.
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