photo from right to left: Lt. Melinda Logan (Michigan State Police), Peg Kohring (Berrien County Board of Health Chair), Sheriff Paul Bailey (Berrien County Sheriff’s Department), Chief Dan Unruh (Berrien County Police Services Council, First Lt. Michael Dawson (Michigan State Police), Nicki Britten (Berrien County Health Department Health Officer).
5-2-18 – (Berrien County, MI) – The Berrien County Board of Health, staff from the Berrien County Health Department, Berrien County Commissioners, other elected officials, and dozens of community partners honored law enforcement agencies serving Berrien County as the recipient of the 2018 Friend of Public Health Award at a ceremony today.
The Berrien County Health Department has a long-standing tradition of honoring worthy recipients, either an individual or organization, for their outstanding contributions to the health of the community while reflecting the spirit of the Berrien County Health Department’s mission and its population based approach to health status enhancement.
Margaret Kohring, Berrien County Board of Health Chair, said:
“it was the unanimous feeling and vote of the entire Board of Health that no other entity in the Berrien County community more deserved to receive this year’s Friend of Public Health Award.”
Law enforcement agencies serving Berrien County have been long-standing partners of public health, but in recent years have taken more actions to display their commitment toward advancing community health and wellness through their policing approach. They have focused on proactive efforts to protect the safety of the community, coordinated with organizations across the community for a larger impact, and started to look upstream at root causes of public safety issues in order to approach problems from a new angle.
Nicki Britten, Berrien County Health Department Health Officer said:
“both law enforcement agencies and public health are concerned about the well-being of the community. With shared values and goals, there is a strong foundation for productive partnerships in preventing disease, protecting health, and promoting an optimal quality of life for all.”
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