DAYTON – Better Business Bureau serving Dayton and the Miami Valley announced the recipient of BBB’s 11th annual Community Honor Award. This year, Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County will receive the distinguished honor.
The Community Honor Award was established in 2011 to recognize government, nonprofit or education organizations with proven commitment to improving all aspects of life in the Miami Valley. It spotlights the honorees’ efforts to realize not only their own missions but their roles in making the Miami Valley a thriving community, taking care of its citizens – individuals and organizations.
The honorees enhance the Miami Valley marketplace by offering their own tangible and intangible resources, making a positive impact on the evolution of the Miami Valley and the betterment of its people and industries. They demonstrate a passion for and progress toward improving the quality of life.
This honor is reserved for organizations that have shown stamina, steadfast determination and truly innovative ways of giving back to the community.
The actions of Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County mirror the values of the honor. Every day the staff of this organization strive to improve the quality of life in the community by achieving the goals of public health through prevention, promotion and protection.
The agency’s services are far ranging and comprehensive. It protects many environmental elements, such as air, food and drinking water. It works with schools, hospitals, community organizations and neighborhood groups to help people make healthier choices in their everyday lives. It provides birth and death records, nuisance abatement, disease reporting and control, etc. The team continually evaluates the changing needs of our community and implements new strategies to meet those needs.
In its role as a public health district, it routinely assesses public health threats and investigates health hazards in the community. The pandemic put the team’s talent, expertise, skills and resources to the test, and they rose to the challenge, always keeping the health of Montgomery County residents a top priority.
Staff jumped into action, hosting news conferences to share the latest information, conducting contact tracing, sharing best practices, hosting mass vaccination clinics and much more. Despite the stress of the job and the sometimes unpopular directives, they stood their ground, did what was right for the health of the community and led the charge to protect residents from COVID-19.
“On behalf of the board of health and Public Health staff, I graciously accept the Better Business Bureau’s Community Honor Award,” said Jeff Cooper, health commissioner, Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County. “Although the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all facets of our personal and professional lives, Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County remained steadfast of purpose throughout 2020. We are a workforce of trained individuals all working in unison to prevent the spread of disease, promote healthy behaviors and protect the environment. This purpose will always guide our actions. Public Health’s commitment is to do everything possible to protect the health and lives of the citizens of Montgomery County.”
John North, president and CEO of the BBB serving Dayton and the Miami Valley, said, “The pandemic has made the last year and a half particularly challenging for both businesses and consumers. But, Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County has been there offering advice and care for our community. It’s shared the facts about COVID-19 and dispelled the rumors. It’s been an invaluable resource among the wealth of misinformation about the disease. It’s been a leader in our marketplace, making tough choices in trying times. The agency and its team members are unsung heroes and our organization is thrilled to recognize them for their efforts. It deserves the Community Honor recognition as it’s gone above and beyond in this unprecedented time.
