San Antonio Metro Health Honored for Innovation in Public Health
Published on August 19, 2022
SAN ANTONIO (August 19, 2022) - San Antonio Metro Health’s COVID-19 Community Response and Equity Coalition (CREC) was chosen as a 2022 Innovative Practice Gold Awardee by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for their submission entitled Public Health as a Team Sport: COVID-19 Community Response & Equity Coalition.
The CREC, a group of community advocates, public health experts, clinicians, and educators, was one of only four local health department programs to receive NACCHO’s Gold Innovative Practice Award. The award was presented during the 2022 NACCHO360 Annual Conference in Atlanta on July 20, 2022.
Metro Health Director Claude A. Jacob explained, “This recognition demonstrates that the CREC team achieved the highest level of program innovation and community needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The application went through a rigorous peer-evaluation process by NACCHO’s Workgroup members, and reflects the team’s strong commitment to community partnerships, collaborations and demonstrates the adaptability, resilience, and innovation of the coalition. We are extremely proud of the CREC staff and partners for receiving this national recognition. I especially want to extend my heartfelt thanks to UT Health San Antonio [Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases and the Assistant Dean, Dr. Barbara Taylor],as well as Dr. Anita Kurian [Assistant Director Communicable Disease Division at Metro Health] for helping to anchor this effort since 2020.”
“Local health departments have demonstrated remarkable innovation and resilience to better the health of their communities during the pandemic, and the 2022 Innovative Practice Awards highlight the very best practices,” said NACCHO’s Chief Executive Officer Lori Tremmel Freeman. “Winners excelled at various disciplines including promoting health equity, contact tracing, mobile testing, contactless medication delivery, and many more. NACCHO is very proud to join them in honoring the outstanding work done by local health departments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Watch Award Video Overview
Innovative Practices are exciting approaches and strategies to local public health issues that were developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and were creatively adapted to meet the circumstances of the pandemic. The Innovative Practices honors are awarded to local health departments across the country for implementing programs that can demonstrate exemplary adaptable programs with replicable outcomes. Public Health as a Team Sport: COVID-19 Community Response & Equity Coalition is one of a select group of successful public health practices in areas that range from health equity and face mask distribution programs to contactless delivery methods and drive through testing. Read more about these award-winning practices.
The CREC was recognized for serving an important role in convening a wide variety of partners and stakeholders in supporting San Antonio’s COVID-19 response to collaborate effectively and to improve the health of our community. In the two and one-half years since its creation, the CREC has successfully promoted equity in access to COVID-19 information and resources.
Current CREC membership includes over 300 members representing more than 100 organizations across the public health, healthcare, academia, and community sectors. Metro Health has served as the convener and facilitator of the CREC since its inception and thrives in this ongoing relationship built on mutual respect and a desire to collaborate effectively to improve the health of the community and combat COVID-19.