News Release


*For Immediate Release:*

June 10, 2026

 

*Public Health Receives 17 National Achievement Awards*

"Recognized Programs Showcase Dedication to Building a Safe "

"and Healthy LA County"

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health this year received 17 Achievement Awards from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). Each year, NACCHO recognizes innovative and effective public health programs that support and enhance services for residents. The awards are a testament to the expansive reach of Public Health’s programs and services that support the health and wellbeing of more than 10 million residents in Los Angeles County.

“Despite the significant funding challenges Public Health faces, we remain committed to delivering services and ensuring that our community has access to the resources and support they need to be healthy and thrive. I want to express my appreciation to the colleagues and partners at Public Health for their unwavering commitment to creative, impactful, and inclusive public services,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “We are grateful to the National Association of County and City Health Officials for this recognition and for highlighting the vital work our team does every day to protect and improve public health.”

The 2026 Public Health honorees include recognitions for Model Practices, which are awarded to local health departments implementing programs that demonstrate exemplary and replicable outcomes in response to an identified public health need and for Promising Practices, which are exciting approaches and strategies to local public health issues that are on track to becoming Model Practices. Each awarded practice was reviewed by a committee of peers, made up of other local health department professionals, and selected from a competitive collection of applications.

The Public Health honorees are:

*_Model Practice _*

*LA County’s Collaborative Model for Post-Fire Environmental Monitoring and Communication *

To address resident concerns about environmental contamination and related health risks after the January 2025 wildfires, Public Health formed the Environmental Health Impacts Subcommittee to facilitate coordination and collaboration of interagency efforts. The Subcommittee hosted nine town halls to provide real-time updates to community members and launched the Post-Fire Environmental Data Dashboard. The dashboard serves as a centralized hub integrating environmental data from multiple agencies into interactive maps and summaries. It continues to be actively updated more than a year after the fires. These efforts increased public access to timely, reliable environmental health information and fostered sustained partner collaboration following the wildfire emergency.

*Student Wellbeing Centers *

The Student Wellbeing Centers (SWBCs) are a Public Health initiative that offers middle and high school students, particularly those in underserved communities, opportunities to develop leadership skills and connect with appropriate services. The SWBCs provide youth-focused substance use prevention, mental health support, and sexual health education and services to students aged 11-18 located on 47 high school and middle school campuses across Los Angeles County, offering a safe space where students can learn how to take care of their health and emotional well-being.

*Community Public Health Teams*

Community Public Health Teams (CPHT) is a place-based, multisector initiative that brings together Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Health Care Partners (HCPs), and Public Health regional representatives to collaboratively assess needs, align services, and implement community-informed strategies. CPHT offers a sustainable, replicable framework for delivering neighborhood-level public health services that are equitable, data-informed, and community-centered. The goal is to build a sustainable public health infrastructure that enhances coordination, improves service access, and advances health equity in ten communities where residents experience significantly poor outcomes.

*PharmacyPrEP (PharmPrEP) Partnership*

The Division of HIV and STD Programs partnered with community pharmacies to implement a pharmacy-based program that expands access to HIV testing, linkage to care, and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a proven biomedical prevention strategy. The PharmPrEP program increases same-day PrEP starts, reduces barriers to care, and reaches individuals who may not access traditional clinical settings. By engaging pharmacies as prevention partners, the program helps reduce HIV disparities and supports the County’s Ending the HIV Epidemic goals.

*Code to Case: Automating HIV Electronic Case Reporting (eCR) with Smart Data Pipeline*

This project streamlines HIV surveillance by leveraging advanced coding to convert unstructured data in the Reportable Conditions Knowledge Management System into complete HIV case reports. The smart data pipeline is transforming HIV surveillance in Los Angeles County by improving reporting accuracy and completeness. Faster reporting allows newly diagnosed individuals to be linked to care earlier, reducing the risk of ongoing HIV transmission and improving health outcomes. 

*Plant-Based Food Procurement for Reducing GHG Emissions  *

The County of Los Angeles is transforming public health by implementing sustainable food procurement that prioritizes plant-based menus. Committed to reducing food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030, Public Health—in partnership with World Resources Institute—is providing transparent annual reporting on the County’s carbon footprint. This Board of Supervisors’ initiative ensures that every meal served or sold by the County contributes to a healthier, greener future for all residents.

*Advancing a Smokefree Multi-unit Housing Ordinance via a Policy Adoption and Implementation Model *

Developed by the Los Angeles County Tobacco Control and Prevention Program, the Policy Adoption and Implementation Model (PAIM) is a community engagement framework designed to secure local tobacco ordinances. By bridging the gap between community-based organizations and decision-makers, PAIM uses evidence-based findings and coalition-building to drive policy action. While smoke-free multi-unit housing (MUH) policies are notoriously difficult to pass, the PAIM model recently proved its impact by facilitating the adoption of a comprehensive smoke-free MUH ordinance in Torrance.

*Using Learning Collaboratives to Build Tobacco Cessation Capacity for Priority Populations *

Since the launch in 2021, Public Health’s eight regional learning collaboratives have transformed tobacco cessation across Los Angeles County, delivering 69 best-practice trainings and 455 technical assistance sessions to partners. By leveraging 117 subject matter experts, this initiative has built a sustainable network equipped to provide high-quality treatment to the county's most impacted populations.

*The Emergence of Silicosis Epidemic Among Engineered Stone Fabrication Workers in LA County *

Launched in 2023, The Silicosis Prevention Initiative, led by Public Health’s Office of Worker Health & Safety (OWHS), partners with worker and community-based organizations to reach engineered stone workers across the county and increase their awareness of the disease, prevention, and workplace protections. OWHS also leverages partnerships across stakeholder groups, including with academic programs, California state agencies, county departments, and jurisdictions across the country to address gaps in silicosis screening and healthcare navigation, and to develop prevention strategies and educational resources for workers, employers, consumers, and the design industry.

*Low-Barrier Telemedicine Addiction Medication Treatment in Los Angeles County *

Public Health partnered with LA County’s Department of Health Services (DHS) to expand the delivery of low-threshold addiction medication services through telephone-based substance use navigators who coordinate on-demand telephone medication management visits through which callers can be evaluated and prescribed addiction medications. The goal of this program was to increase the number of LA County residents who receive addiction medications, such as buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, significantly reducing the risk of overdose.    

*_Promising Practice_*

*California Community Reinvestment Grant-funded, Systems Navigation Services*

Since June 2023, the California Community Reinvestment Grant-funded Systems Navigation Services (SNS) provides clients disproportionately affected by past federal and state drug policies, including those that have been justice involved and justice impacted, pathways to resiliency through tailored resource coordination. As of October 31st, 2025, SNS has linked 5,400 unduplicated clients with over 10,300 tailored services, to include housing, food, healthcare, employment, education, utility assistance, legal aid, childcare, elder care, financial services, and more. Six Systems Navigators (SNs) housed within the Wellness Communities at Public Health Centers, deliver 1:1 assistance through information sharing, warm handoffs, service coordination, and follow-up with the goal of improving overall quality of life.

*Regional Healthcare Network Program*

Since November 2024, this project was designed to increase communication, collaboration, shared problem solving and engagement between hospitals, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), dialysis centers and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The 92 licensed hospitals, 350 SNFs and 200 dialysis centers were assigned to one of 17 different regions based on geography and shared patients with the goal of improving transitions between levels of care and different providers.  Through three in-person meetings, almost 600 healthcare workers have learned about other facility types and how to reduce communication barriers between facilities, leading to smoother, safer transitions of care.

*A Human Centered Approach to Bridging Organizational and Field Staff Needs in Disease Surveillance Systems*

Through CDC’s Data Modernization Initiative, nursing staff formed a transformation team to simplify workflows and support the transition to a centralized disease surveillance system. Using human-centered design and Enterprise UX practices—such as user interviews, journey mapping, usability testing, and rapid prototyping—the team developed solutions that reflect real field workflows while meeting organizational requirements. This approach improved usability, data quality, and trust, reducing cognitive burden and allowing nurses to focus on disease investigation rather than navigating fragmented systems.

*The Los Angeles County Medi-Cal Doula Hub: Building a Workforce, Supporting Generations *

The Los Angeles County Medi-Cal Doula Hub (Doula Hub) is an innovative, equity-centered model designed to build a sustainable doula workforce with a commitment to improving birth outcomes. In less than a year, the Doula Hub has demonstrated rapid impact, providing technical assistance to more than 650 new and experienced doulas, funding training for 40 new English-and Spanish-speaking doulas, training 300 health care providers, generating over 400,000 digital engagements, and fostering relationships with all Medi-Cal health plans serving the county.

*Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations *

Adopted by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2024, and launched that same year, The Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKO) Program is a transformative public health initiative designed to advance health equity while creating a safe, legal economic pathway for home-based food entrepreneurs. The program provides a regulated, culturally responsive framework that allows residents to prepare and sell meals from their home kitchens while maintaining strong food safety protections. More than 75% of applicants represent women and minority groups, underscoring its impact on expanding economic opportunity for populations historically excluded from formal entrepreneurship pathways.

*Critical Soil and Blood Lead Testing in the Los Angeles County Wildfire Impacted Communities*

Following the wildfire events in 2025, Public Health rapidly coordinated free blood lead testing through an expanded agreement with Quest Diagnostics and launched a soil lead testing program using a private laboratory. Blood lead testing was offered through community testing events, Quest Diagnostics laboratory locations, or participants’ medical providers. The Soil Lead Testing Program enabled residents to submit self-collected soil samples using standardized protocols, with laboratory analysis conducted to determine lead concentrations. Residents in impacted communities benefited from early detection of exposure and actionable guidance to reduce risk. This model can be adapted by other local health departments responding to wildfires or similar environmental emergencies.

*Raising the Bar on SUD Treatment Quality in Los Angeles County *

In 2021, Substance Abuse and Prevention Control (SAPC) established an independent Quality Improvement (QI) team to increase visibility on substance use treatment quality to address the overdose crisis and to improve the quality of treatment to support patient outcomes and retention. SAPC’s QI branch is comprised of 12 staff who, among other tasks, facilitate beneficiary focus groups and complete clinical chart reviews. These added practices provide valuable insight into the quality and scope of SUD treatment provided within the SAPC network which is then communicated to SAPC’s Contracts and Compliance Division and SAPC’s leadership team. 


facebook [ [link removed] ]twitter [ [link removed] ]instagram [ [link removed] ]youtube [ [link removed] ]

"*The Los Angeles County Departmen**t of Public Health* "

"The Department of Public Health is committed to promoting health equity and ensuring optimal health and well -being for all 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health comprises of more than 5,000 employees and has an annual budget of $1.3 billion."

 

"Los Angeles County Department of Public Health works to protect health, 
prevent disease, and promote health and well-being."

 

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Subscriptions [ [link removed] ]  |  Help [ [link removed] ]

 

Bookmark and Share [ [link removed] ]







________________________________________________________________________

Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page [ [link removed] ]. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com [ [link removed] ].

This service is provided to you at no charge by the County of Los Angeles [ [link removed] ].



________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent using GovDelivery Communications Cloud to [email protected] on behalf of: County of Los Angeles, California · 500 W. Temple St. · Los Angeles 90012  

body .abe-column-block { min-height: 5px; } table.gd_combo_table img {margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px;} table.gd_combo_table div.govd_image_display img, table.gd_combo_table td.gd_combo_image_cell img {margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px;} table.govd_hr {min-width: 100%;} p, li, h1, h2, h3 { overflow-wrap: normal; word-wrap: normal; word-break: keep-all; -moz-hyphens: none; -ms-hyphens: none; -webkit-hyphens: none; hyphens: none; mso-hyphenate: none; }