JCPH recognizes the 2016 Public Health Champions of the Year

Each year during National Public Health Week, April 3-9, 2017, Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) honors some of the people who work to prevent illness and promote health in our communities.

While they may not have made public health their profession, the work they do, partnerships they provide and their enthusiasm for making health a priority in Jefferson County makes them the 2016 Public Health Champions. 

This year, all the honorees share a common trait: heroism. They are everyday superheroes, like police and firefighters. They provide childcare for low-income families, believe housing should be affordable and healthy and make food safety a top priority. They are business owners that believe in providing a Thanksgiving meal to those in need. 

An award ceremony hosted by JCPH, the Jefferson County Board of Health and the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners was held for these heroes — these champions — 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursday, March 30, 2017 in the Lookout Mountain Room of the Jefferson County Courts and Administration site, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80419.

JCPH is pleased to announce the following 2016 Public Health Champions:

Ensuring Safe and Healthy Childcare for Homeless and Low-Income Families 
Susan Dunn — Director, Renaissance Children’s Center 

Renaissance Children’s Center (RCC) in Lakewood is one of the few childcare centers in Jefferson County that primarily serves low-income and homeless families. Susan Dunn, director of RCC, is a Public Health Champion for her work to create a safe, stable and healthy environment for children who may otherwise not have one. 

Research shows that chronic exposure to stressors like food and housing insecurities can have a profoundly negative impact on a child’s overall growth and development. Under Dunn’s leadership, RCC strives to buffer these troubles. Dunn and her staff recognize that sound, appropriate nutrition and opportunities for physical activity in early childhood are key factors in determining lifelong health outcomes. 

Staff and parents converted the grassy area in front of the center into a community garden, which supplies produce for the children’s snack and lunch. The children can take extra produce to share with family. The community-wide “5210 Jeffco” posters — which recommend five fruits and vegetables daily, two or fewer hours of screen time, at least one hour of physical activity and zero sugary beverages— are hung at RCC to educate both parents and children. 

The RCC staff also teaches life skills, manners and problem solving, as these children are more susceptible to learning disabilities, mental illness and other health issues. RCC works in partnership with public health organizations throughout the metro area, including JCPH, Culture of Wellness in Preschools and Go Farm.

Assuring the Safe Dispensing of Medication in a Public Health Emergency and Increasing Access to Immunizations for Children and Teens 
Arvada Fire Protection District’s EMS Chief Dave Mitchell, EMS Captain Robert Putfark and Firefighter/Paramedic Andrew Higgins 

Arvada Fire Protection District partnered with JCPH on two important projects in 2016. 

Emergency Medical Services Chief Dave Mitchell worked with the JCPH Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) program to ensure the county is prepared to address and provide medication dispensing in a disaster. Arvada Fire became a dispensing partner and volunteered to test a new process by the EPR program. In just six weeks, Arvada Fire met with JCPH EPR many times, found resources to staff an internal dispensing site and offered to become a site for the community to receive medications in an emergency. These plans were tested during an exercise called Operation Bubble Blast. Without Arvada Fire, this important emergency preparedness activity could not have happened. 

In addition to becoming a partner in preparedness, the Fire Protection District partnered with JCPH for a Shots for Tots and Teens program. Firefighter and paramedic Andrew Higgins approached JCPH with the idea in late 2015. 

Emergency Medical Services Captain Robert Putfark, along with Mitchell and Higgins, engaged in more than six months of planning for the clinics. Along with public health nurses, they provided immunization training to all paramedics, several of whom were at each clinic. Arvada Fire also contributed funds for equipment and prizes for children. 

The firefighters’ and paramedics’ interactions with families were amazing to watch. Anxious children going into the immunization area came out smiling. They made getting immunized a fun and rewarding experience for children, all while supporting their preventive health care. In four clinics held in 2016, nearly 80 clients received about 200 immunizations. 

Throughout both projects, Arvada Fire and these Public Health Champions demonstrated superb attitude, flexibility and community spirit.

Learn more about Operation Bubble Blast here:

Reducing the Toll of Tobacco in Our Communities through Smoke-Free Housing Policies 
Jefferson County Housing Authority’s Henry Wehrdt, Senior Asset Manager, and Leslie Ross, Housing Program Specialist 

On February 1, 2016, subsidized housing property Green Ridge Meadows became smoke and vapor-free. On November 1, 2016, seven more Jefferson County Housing Authority (JCHA) properties did the same. Henry Wehrdt, senior asset manager at JCHA, and Leslie Ross, JCHA housing program specialist, are Public Health Champions for their work to protect the more than 1,200 residents at these properties from the dangers of secondhand smoke and aerosolized emissions from vaporizing devices, like e-cigarettes. 

Wehrdt and Ross worked closely with JCPH’s Tobacco Prevention Initiative to design a resident-engaged process to transition properties to being smoke and vapor-free. Their commitment to supporting all residents in having smoke-free environments is matched by their compassion for the challenges these policies create for people who have smoked for many years and for whom housing insecurity is already a concern. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that prohibiting smoking in subsidized housing can yield annual cost savings of nearly $500 million, with the greatest majority of the savings going toward reducing health care expenses related to smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. This data has helped many housing providers make their buildings and properties smoke-free, many without much concern that residents who can’t or don’t comply will be evicted. 

This wasn’t the case with Wehrdt and Ross at the Jefferson County Housing Authority. They are very familiar with the impact of homelessness, as they serve some of our county’s poorest. They understand the conflicting dilemmas of residents with limited mobility or serious mental illness who have smoked for many years in their apartments, just as they understand the struggles of a family with an asthmatic child or parent with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who suffers because of a neighbor’s smoking. Their primary goal was to find a way to implement a smoke-free policy that supports the people who smoke, helps protect everyone’s health and improves community cohesion and housing stability — and make eviction a last resort. 

Ross and Wehrdt recently attended a resident celebration event, where both residents who do and don’t smoke spoke about the successes of the process and identified opportunities for improvement. According to a post-policy survey, more than 13 percent of the residents who smoke or vape (and took the survey) have quit since the policy went into effect November 1.

Advocating for the Health and Safety of People who Inject Drugs in the County 
Lakewood Police Department — Chief of Police Daniel McCasky, Commander Pat Heffner, Commander Rob Buchan, Sergeant Marc DiRezza, Agent Aaron Lowe, Division Chief Steve Rickels, Commander Randy McNitt and Commander Mike Maestas 

In an effort to decrease HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C transmission and to better address the needs of people who inject drugs, JCPH started the Points West Syringe Access Program in February 2016.

The program allows people who inject drugs to exchange used syringes for new, sterile ones, and provides new injection equipment, low-cost HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C testing and education, as well as referrals to other services and more. 

The Lakewood Police Department’s Chief of Police Daniel McCasky, Commander Pat Heffner, Commander Rob Buchan, Sergeant Marc DiRezza, Agent Aaron Lowe, Division Chief Steve Rickels, Commander Randy McNitt and Commander Mike Maestas are 2016 Public Health Champions for embracing this important cause from the beginning and always being the first to volunteer to help. 

Lakewood Police was the first Jefferson County law enforcement agency to carry Points West cards to hand out to those in need of services and the first to train officers on responding to a suspected opiod overdose and equip officers with naloxone, a life-saving medication that can reverse an opiod overdose. In late 2016, officers were able to reverse several overdoses in the field. 

These champions also helped to create three educational videos — two for officer training and one as a Public Service Annoucement for Points West. Chief McCasky and officers helped design and star in the videos, which are now being widely shared and used among law enforcement and public health agencies in the metro area. 

The Lakewood Police Department is a strong advocate for Points West and continues to find ways to partner with JCPH in addressing the complex needs of people who inject drugs and promoting public health.

Supporting Local Food Access and Increasing Food Security 
GoFarm — award accepted by Eileen Regan, founder and CEO, Kim Massey, program manager of GoFarm to Seniors, and Anna Schott, program manager of GoFarm to Families 

GoFarm is a 2016 Public Health Champion for its work to increase the supply of healthy food available from local sources at an affordable price. 

GoFarm, based in Golden, operates a Local Food Share program. The organization provides assistance to beginning local farmers and connects them to a local market of consumers. Community members can purchase local produce and egg shares for weekly pick-up and know their food was grown locally and sustainably. 

The Local Food Share program supports GoFarm’s grant-funded outreach programs, GoFarm to Families and GoFarm to Seniors, both implemented in 2016. GoFarm to Families supports healthy eating for young children and their families through education and by increasing access and affordability of fresh produce. During the growing season, families at participating preschools can purchase low-cost produce boxes filled with fresh, local fruits and vegetables. The boxes also include family-friendly recipes and information about where the produce was grown. 

GoFarm to Seniors focuses on increasing access to healthy food by providing one-on-one, mobile application assistance for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) enrollment. GoFarm to Seniors also partners with community organizations to increase SNAP eligibility awareness, and promotes healthy eating through cooking demonstrations and food distribution events.

In 2016, GoFarm’s second year of operation, the Local Food Share program supplied more than 150 shareholders local produce. More than 1,100 produce boxes were sold to families at four Jefferson County preschools and more than 100 produce boxes were distributed and eight cooking demonstrations were provided to the residents of two affordable senior housing complexes in Golden. In addition, more than 80 Jeffco seniors were screened for SNAP eligibility in 2016. 

GoFarm accepts SNAP benefits for all of its programs and is a Double Up Food Bucks partner, meaning SNAP customers benefits go twice as far. GoFarm works with community partners such as: Centura Health, Colorado School of Mines, Hunger Free Golden, the Healthy Jeffco Food Policy Council, Health in Early Childhood Collaborative, Jeffco Conservation District and, Jeffco CSU Extension Office.

Assuring Food Safety 
Casa Bonita’s General Manager Mike Mason, Assistant General Manager Peer Osby and Store Manager Rob Hall 

Casa Bonita has a dedicated staff of employees that are innovative, conscientious and diligent in assuring they serve food that is safe for public consumption. The managers have been there for many years and continually think of new ways to promote safe food and solve issues that arise.

Management ensures that every two years, every employee in the establishment takes the Online Food Safety Course from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment website. This includes the food handlers, servers, maintenance staff, office employees and management.

They have also developed an internal communication system using cell phones that informs all of the employees of observed violations and an efficient system for correcting the violation immediately. They have shared this system with other restaurants so they can also be more compliant with the Colorado Retail Food Service Regulation. This has led to collaboration with other restaurants to problem solve food safety issues that arise on a day-to-day basis.
 Casa Bonita has been active in attending the JCPH Food Safety Forum for the last five years to learn more about food safety and to share ideas with other attendees. They also participated on the Advisory Committee that helped JCPH launch the Jefferson County Excellence in Food Safety Course, which has has been offered by JCPH’s Environmental Health Services for the last 23 years.

Casa Bonita is a progressive restaurant that is proud to promote food safety and give guests the most pleasant experience possible. They care about their staff and the public, and it shows in how well they perform on their food safety inspections.

Providing Happiness and Thanksgiving for Jefferson County WIC Families 
White Fence Farm’s Volunteer, Liz Breuer, and Owners, Craig Caldwell and Tom Piercy

Approximately 24 percent of households with children in Colorado struggle to afford enough food for themselves and their families.
White Fence Farm, a homestyle-cooking family restaurant, farmhouse and entertainment facility, generously fed more than 100 of the Jefferson County Women, Infants and Children (WIC) participants for free on Thanksgiving Day in 2016.

Owners Craig Caldwell and Tom Piercy jumped on the opportunity to help families in need when Liz Breuer, avolunteer, suggested the gift of a free Thanksgiving meal for WIC participants.
Liz knew that the WIC Program serves families who sometimes struggle to have enough food in their homes, especially during the holidays. She contacted JCPH’s WIC clinics and made it happen. WIC participants were very grateful for White Fence Farm’s kindness and for the delicious meal they received.

Health Starts Here . . . Public Health Week April 4-10, 2016

During the first full week of April each year, the American Public Health Association (APHA) brings together communities across the United States to observe National Public Health Week as a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation. Did you know Americans are living 20 years longer than their grandparents’ generation, thanks largely to the work of public health? Still, people in many other high income countries live longer and suffer fewer health issues than we do.  This is the defining challenge of our generation – a challenge that we, the public health community, are uniquely positioned to help overcome. That’s why, National Public Health Week 2016, is rallying around a goal of making the U.S. the Healthiest Nation in One Generation — by 2030. This week highlights the changes that must be made within our health system to realize this goal. Changing our health means ensuring conditions that give everyone the opportunity to be healthy.

Build a nation of safe, healthy communities

Health must be a priority in designing our communities, from healthy housing to parks and playgrounds. Walking and biking must coexist with cars and public transportation. We need lower levels of violence and crime so everyone can safely live, work, learn and play. Support farmers markets and local businesses that value health, such as retailers that don't sell tobacco. 

 Help all young people graduate from high school

Education is the leading indicator of good health, giving people access to better jobs, incomes and neighborhoods. Call for policies that start with early school success and lead to higher on-time high school graduation rates. Be a champion for school-based health centers in your local schools. Become a mentor — you can make a difference!

The relationship between increased economic mobility and better health

The science is clear: Poverty and poor health go hand-in-hand. It’s time to fix our country’s growing income inequality and the unhealthy stresses it puts on adults and children. Support policies that ensure a living wage and remove barriers that make it harder to advance to higher incomes.

Social justice and health

Everyone has the right to good health. We must remove barriers so everyone has the same opportunity to improve their lives and their health. Speak out against racism and an unequal criminal justice system. Demand a fair allocation of community resources. Fight against the trend of growing voter restrictions. Everyone needs a voice in improving our communities.

Give everyone a choice of healthy food

Our food system should provide affordable food with nutritious ingredients, free from harmful contaminants. For many families, eating healthy is a daily challenge. Call for policies that help eliminate food deserts and bring healthy food to all neighborhoods and schools. Support measures like menu labeling that help people make healthier choices. Start a community garden. Volunteer for a local food bank!

Preparing for the health effects of climate change

Our health is connected to our environments. What happens upstream to our environments at work, school and home affects our health downstream. Support policies that protect the air we breathe indoors and outdoors and the clean water we drink as well as those that help protect our health from natural and manmade weather events and disasters. 

Provide quality health care for everyone

Health reform was just a start. To fulfill its potential, we must continue to pursue options for expanded access to quality care at the federal, state and local levels. But we also need to shift the main focus of our health system from one that treats illness to one that equally emphasizes prevention. 

Strengthen public health infrastructure and capacity

Strong and consistent funding levels are necessary for the public health system to respond to both everyday health threats and also unexpected health emergencies. Support more funding for key public health agencies like the CDC and HRSA. These agencies strengthen the public health workforce and are a major source of funding for state and local programs.

Immunizations can Save your Child’s Life . . .

National Infant Immunization Week (April 16-23, 2016) is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and celebrate the achievements of immunization programs and their partners in promoting healthy communities.

Thanks to immunizations, children can be protected against more diseases than ever before. In fact, some diseases that once injured or killed thousands of children, have been eliminated completely and others are close to extinction– primarily due to safe and effective vaccines. Take polio for example, this was once the most-feared disease in America, causing death and paralysis across the country, yet today, thanks to vaccination, there are no reports of polio in the U.S.

Despite advances in immunizations, too many children in Jefferson County, Colorado and in the U.S. still get vaccine-preventable diseases. View the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Immunization Rates and Data web page. JCPH urges everyone to be sure their children have the vaccinations they need.

Please call 303-239-7078 to schedule an immunization clinic visit at our Lakewood clinic.
For more information about the importance of infant immunization, visit http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines

Health Starts Here . . . Public Health Week April 7-13, 2014

During the first full week of April each year, the American Public Health Association (APHA) brings together communities across the United States to observe National Public Health Week (NPHW) as a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation. This year, the theme is, “Public Health: Start Here.”  Each day of the week highlights a different aspect of public health and portrays just how important public health programs and services are in creating healthier communities.

 Daily Themes

·         Monday, April 7- Be healthy from the start:
From maternal health, breastfeeding support, family nutrition to emergency preparedness, public health starts at home. Did you know that prenatal care helps keep mothers and their babies healthy. Babies of mothers who do not get prenatal care are three times more likely to have a low birth weight and five times more likely to die than those born to mothers who do get care. (Womenshealth.gov Prenatal Health Fact Sheet, http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/prenatal-care.html)

·         Tuesday, April 8: Don't panic:
Public health professionals help communities withstand the impact of a natural or man-made disaster by planning ahead, acting as a source of information during the crisis and helping to mitigate the long- and short-term effects.  The JCPH Emergency Preparedness Program is here to help you weather the unexpected.

·         Wednesday, April 9: Get out ahead:
Prevention is now a nationwide priority. Today, seven in 10 deaths in the U.S. are related to preventable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer.  A striking fact is that 75 percent of our health care dollars are spent treating such diseases, while only 3 percent of our health care dollars go toward prevention. (Public Health & Prevention Fund Fact Sheet, APHA, http://www.apha.org/advocacy/Health+Reform/PH+Fund/)
Consider that more than half of all cancer deaths could be prevented by making healthy choices such as not smoking, staying at a healthy weight, eating right, keeping active and getting recommended screening tests. (American Cancer Society- http://www.cancer.org/healthy/index)  View the JCPH 2013 health assessment and preliminary health improvement plan: http://healthypeoplehealthyplacesjeffco.com to learn more about JCPH and its many programs dedicated to prevention.

·         Thursday, April 10: Eat well.
The system that keeps our nation's food safe and healthy is complex. Public health is here to help you guide through the choices. The JCPH Food Safety Program helps to assure that foodborne illness stays off the menu at Jefferson County food service establishments. Other JCPH programs work to encourage healthier eating and active living. Did you know, that in total, we are now eating 31 percent more calories than we were 40 years ago — including 56 percent more fats and oils and 14 percent more sugars and sweeteners? The average American now eats 15 more pounds of sugar a year than in 1970. (Let’s Move, http://www.letsmove.gov/learn-facts/epidemic-childhood-obesity)

·         Friday, April 11: Be the healthiest nation in one generation.
For the first time in decades, the current generation isn’t as healthy as the one that came before.  It is time for communities to come together to take a stance against this disturbing trend to make sure that children and young adults have bright, healthy futures. Get involved in creating a healthier Jefferson County by learning more about what your city or community is doing to improve health for all. Consider attending city council meetings and other opportunities for your voice to be heard.  The League of Women Voters of Jefferson County provides useful links to government information and web sites as a public service to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government. 

2013 Public Health Champions of the Year

Jefferson County Public Health recognizes community members

Public Health is what we as a society do collectively to prevent illness and premature death and promote health in our communities. Each year, during National Public Health Week,  April 7-13, 2014, Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) honors some of the many people it works with throughout the year that help to make our county healthy.  While they may not have made public health their profession, the work they do, the partnerships they provide and their enthusiasm for protecting the health of Jefferson County residents makes them the 2013 Public Health Champions of the Year. An award ceremony hosted by JCPH, the Jefferson County Board of Health and the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners is scheduled for Thursday, April 3, 2014 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Jefferson County Administration and Courts Building, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, in the Lookout Mountain Room.  JCPH is pleased to announce the following 2013 Public Health Champions of the Year:

·         Supporting Healthy Eating and Active Living in our Communities  
Cynthia Vitale, Nancy Murray, Michael McLoughlin, Wilma Jones and Dr. Lorrie Odom

Jefferson County Public Health has been deeply involved in its first ever Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) process for the past two years. Planning for healthier communities is a huge undertaking, involving the sharing of data, plans and resources with multiple community partners and other agencies; identifying evidenced-based strategies that all partners agree to work on; and, implementing strategies and measuring progress over several years.  It also involves reaching out to our residents and workforce and engaging them on health topics that impact their neighborhoods, schools and families.  This grassroots community involvement  makes Cynthia Vitale, Nancy Murray, Michael McLoughlin, Wilma Jones and Dr. Lorrie Odom public health champions of the year for their support of healthy eating and active living. These five resident members first got involved in the CHIP process by attending one of the community engagement meetings held to prioritize health issues.  However, their involvement didn’t stop there. Once improving access to healthy food and physical activity while also reducing psychosocial stressors were selected as health priorities to work on, these public health champions  took it upon themselves to volunteer their time and energy by joining the Access to Healthy Food and Physical Activity work groups.   Their neighborhood-level perspectives and lived experiences brought an important addition to the technical expertise of other work group members.  Moreover, their passion for health – and for helping to improve the health of their neighbors – added a focused energy to the groups. All five have also committed to continuing to serve on these work groups to help select the strategies to implement.   In addition to their significant health improvement plan work these champions are also true to the public health message.  For example, Wilma Jones and Michael McLoughlin are both active members of BikeDenver, and commuted to almost all of our meetings by bicycle.  Dr. Lorrie Odom is a retired physician and is also active in Jeffco’s smoke-free initiatives and the Colorado PTA.  Nancy Murray is a certified nutrition educator and is active with the Rose Roots Community Garden, and Cynthia Vitale is an active member of the Two Creeks Neighborhood Association and participant in the 20-Minute Neighborhood planning process for the Sheridan Rail Station.  We are grateful to honor these five Jefferson County residents  for their passion for improving access to healthy eating and active living in Jefferson County.

·         Promoting Health and Wellness in Jeffco’s Head Start Families
Victoria Bailey, RN and Lauren Bell, RN

Registered Nurses, Victoria Bailey and Lauren Bell have put  “public health” into Head Start nursing. In addition to their robust program coordination and case management responsibilities, each of these exceptional women has acted as a gatekeeper for collaborations to promote health and wellness for the Head Start families they serve.  Victoria, the City of Lakewood’s Health and Disabilities Coordinator, and Lauren, the Nurse Consultant for Jefferson County Head Start (JCHS), are public health champions for their work assuring JCHS families receive the preventive services they need.  Working with JCPH’s Injury Prevention Program  these two nurses have seen to it that the families they serve receive preventive oral health screenings, child passenger safety checks, healthy weight education as well as, improved access to health care services.  In 2013 alone, over 1,300 no cost oral health screenings were performed at Head Start preschools in Jefferson County. Initial data from the screenings show a much lower rate of untreated decay than national averages; these findings will be verified through participation in an ongoing national study.  Also in 2013, public health led parking lot interventions promoting child passenger and driver safety helped to educate parents and children on the importance of proper safety restraints. The interventions increased compliance with restraint use from  54 percent  to 78 percent.  That is a lot more children being buckled up safely in Jefferson County.  Victoria and Lauren have made a significant contribution to the health of JCH’s families through innovative collaboration agreements -- agreements that all started with these two public health champions,  saying “yes” to wellness.  Congratulations Lauren and Victoria on being 2013 Public Health Champions of the Year.

·         Reducing the toll of Tobacco in our Communities through Youth Engagement and Policy
Skyler Basta, Joey Rubano, Maria Dauphanis, Dan Martinez, Myra Keeble and Laura Keegan

Over the past four years, youth in Jefferson County have become engaged in tobacco prevention efforts by joining local Breathe Easy (BE) Teams. Supported by their high schools and Jefferson County Public Health’s Tobacco Prevention Initiative, BE teams have made significant gains in shaping tobacco-free norms, decreasing youth access to tobacco products and reducing the environmental impact of tobacco in local communities. This year, JCPH would like to recognize four particularly engaged BE Team members from Wheat Ridge High School as Public Health Champions: Skyler Basta, junior; Joey Rubano, junior; Maria Dauphanis, junior; and Dan Martinez, Athletic Director and sponsor of the Wheat Ridge High School BE Team.

During spring 2013, the Wheat Ridge High School BE Team led students from other area schools in an Earth Day Cigarette Butt Pick-Up at Crown Hill and Discovery Park. Together, youth collected 4,996 cigarette butts in 45 minutes, but the work didn’t stop there. These Public Health Champions were so moved to create a healthier, tobacco-free community that they coordinated a second, informal cigarette butt pick-up to help reduce the toll of tobacco in Wheat Ridge parks. Their efforts helped raise awareness about the negative impact tobacco and tobacco litter have on the environment and the benefits of tobacco-free parks and recreation.  Dan Martinez’s willingness to support youth and encourage leadership in community issues is to be commended.

An enormous congratulations to Skyler, Joey, Maria and Dan, for their meaningful contributions to public health and tobacco prevention.

The Edgewater City Council is a public health champion for their work creating an e-cigarette policy in the town of Edgewater that protects its residents from the potentially negative health effects of these products and discourages their use around children.  Edgewater’s City Council saw that the tobacco companies marketing of e-cigarettes on television, radio and billboards stood to do away with years of tobacco advocacy work by once again trying to normalize tobacco use as well as to lure youth to their new products.  The Council voted to prohibit e-cigarette use in smoke-free places, and make it illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase a marijuana vaporizer in their city.  Council women, Myra Keeble and Laura Keegan are accepting the award  on behalf of the entire Edgewater City Council as they were instrumental in addressing e-cigarettes and vaporizers in the Edgewater city code.  In addition, BE Team students will  present  the public health champion award to the Edgewater City Council during the Council’s regular monthly meeting on March 20^th at 7:00 p.m. Thank you Myra Keeble, Laura Keegan and Edgewater City Council for your work reducing the toll of tobacco in our communities.

 

·         Promoting Water Quality and Assuring Safe Drinking Water
Bruce Bevirt, Environmental Investigations, Inc.

Bruce Bevirt is an expert in groundwater quality and safe drinking water.  For more than 20 years,  Bruce has provided his services to the many residents in Jefferson and neighboring counties  who rely on well water for their drinking water supply.  In 2013, Bruce’s expertise was especially sought after due to the flooding that caused severe damage and left many homeowners with significant challenges.  During the flood,  Bruce provided his services to help flood stricken families quickly evaluate the quality of the water in their well and determine what they needed to do to make sure their drinking water was safe. The services he provided included: collecting water samples for water quality testing;  interpretating  water quality test results;  disinfecting wells if needed; and, educating homeowners on ways to protect their well from flooding in the future. Bruce provides the facts and information our citizens need to make good decisions and is a public health champion for his efforts to promote water quality and safe drinking water.

Bruce came to Colorado as an Environmental Scientist for the clean-up at Rocky Flats in 1992.  He started his Environmental Investigations, Inc. in 1994 and with  the motto  “Health Protection Through Scientific Investigation”  continues to improve water quality in Jefferson County and help his Coal Creek community.   As one of his neighbors was quoted as saying, “When I think of Bruce, I think of a person who is always willing to listen and help with any problem. Even if it’s inconvenient.  He always has time for everyone.  He’s very smart, but humble too.“   Congratulations  Public Health Champion, Bruce Bevirt.