Seven Placer County programs win National Association of Counties awards

Published on May 17, 2017

Seven Placer County programs won awards this year from the National Association of Counties, recognizing innovation in county government.

The environmental engineering division of Placer’s public works and facilities department received an award for the LiveSewerSmart program, an outreach campaign about avoiding drain clogs.

“Using movie theater ads was a new and innovative way for us to educate the public, with a short and fun message about preventing sewer problems,” said Ken Grehm, director of public works and facilities.

The health and human services department also received six awards.

“These programs represent the best of what we strive to do for Placer County residents: Help improve quality of life through creativity, efficiency and collaboration,” said Jeff Brown, the department’s director.

The adult system of care division won an award for its Health 360 program, which integrates mental and physical health services for clients with severe mental illness. Health 360 aims to increase wellness and build a sense of community, with a wide array of activities such as nutrition planning and walking groups.

The human services division walked away with an award for an outreach campaign, conducted with support of the communications and public affairs office, to find housing for homeless veterans by educating landlords about a voucher program that supplements income for qualifying veterans.

Two awards went to the public health division. The first, the new Children’s Oral Health Program, provides dental prevention and education services for low-income children using the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, or WIC, as the entry point for dental care. The program has also established a county-wide oral health community collaborative.

The division received a second award for its Tobacco Prevention Program, an anti- tobacco/vaping multimedia messaging campaign targeted at youth.

The environmental health division was recognized for a program that ensures a safe food source is available for the temporary homeless shelter in North Auburn, which lacks a kitchen, by working collaboratively with nonprofit organizations and local faith-based organizations.

Finally, the county’s animal services division was given an award for its kittens and feral cats program, which involves partnerships with nonprofits to develop life-saving options for at-risk animals like neonatal kittens and feral cats. The overall cat adoption rate has increased 90 percent since the new animal services center opened in 2016.

Learn more about the awards.