The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) honored the Miami-Dade County Health Department for implementing a program that demonstrates exemplary and replicable qualities in response to a local public health need. Miami-Dade County Health Departments Healthy Stories is one of 25 local public health programs selected from across the nation to receive NACCHOs Model Practice Award.
Morton Laitner, Esq., Chief Legal Counsel, Miami-Dade County Health Department.
Healthy Stories is a compilation of vignettes concerning the promotion of public health, the protection of our citizenry and prevention of the spread of deadly disease set mostly in an urban health department in South Florida. The subject matter relates to a broad range of public health issues: Chronic disease, cancer, sexually transmitted disease, HIV/AIDS, communicable diseases, tobacco and alcohol cessation, public health preparedness, environmental health and veterinary medicine. But the tales cover such timeless themes as love to mystery, and tragedy to farce. Healthy stories recounts experiences of Health Department employees and, in effect, memorializes the organization’s institutional memory. Healthy Stories further serves to inspire and invigorate the public health workforce by showing that they make a difference everyday in their fields.
