FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 18, 2006
DHEC’s All-Health Team concept wins national award
COLUMBIA – South Carolina’s All-Health Team earned a first place award from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials’ 2006 Vision Awards ceremony in Atlanta, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control announced today.
“This much-appreciated honor was achieved through the combination of a great concept combined with hard work and dedication on the part of our staff and the children who compete for the monthly awards,” said Dr. Lisa Waddell, M.D., deputy commissioner for DHEC’s Health Services. “The All-Health Team program recognizes and rewards youth, their teachers and adult leaders for their efforts to promote preventive health in their schools and communities. The best time to instill good health habits is early and this program not only encourages good health in children, it allows students to reach out and teach good health habits to community members as well as with their own families.”
Dr. Waddell and Joann Moton Minder, All-Health Team’s program manager, accepted the trophy and the $2,500 award given by Glaxo-SmithKline on behalf of DHEC and its inaugural partners, Columbia’s WIS TV and Lexington Medical Center.
The Vision Awards recognize outstanding state health department programs and initiatives that use a creative approach to address public health needs or problems.
“This innovative program serves as an outstanding example to the public health community and will encourage replication of such initiatives in other states,” said Jason Hohl, of ASTHO.
The All-Health Team continues today as a public-private partnership between DHEC and WIS-TV 10 in Columbia. Each month the partnership recognizes and rewards youth in South Carolina for their outstanding efforts to promote preventive health in their schools and communities.
For more information visit the Web site at www.scdhec.gov/allhealth, or contact Joann Moton Minder at (803) 545-4501, or e-mail minderjm@dhec.sc.gov.
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For further information:
Clair Boatwright – (803) 898-4461
E-mail – boatwrc@dhec.sc.gov