For the first time in several years, the Tooele County Health Department honored individuals and businesses for their contributions to the community’s health.
Green Box Recycling, Beehive Broadband, Harmony Home Health Care and local resident Jim Haggart were all recognized for their contributions to public health at an awards ceremony held last Thursday.
The awards ceremony served as the capstone for the health department’s week-long celebration of National Public Health Week, said Amy Bate, public information officer for the Tooele County Health Department.
The department has hosted Friends of Public Health awards in the past, Bate said, but over time the awards fell by the wayside. This year, she said, the health department hoped to bring the awards back, especially in light of the health department’s newly-achieved accreditation status.
Health department employees made the selections and nominations for the awards, Bate said.
Malaena Toohey, co-chair of the Tooele County Live Fit coalition, nominated Jim Haggart for his award for his volunteerism and for being an example of an active lifestyle. Haggart, a retired PE teacher, took it upon himself to become a volunteer member of the coalition and has helped at several events, Toohey said. She also highlighted his volunteer work with Tooele City, for which he teaches free triathlon workshops.
Kim Clausing, also a co-chair of Tooele County Live Fit, nominated Beehive Broadband for creating a healthy environment for its employees and for standing by the health department’s initiatives as a reliable community partner.
“We appreciate you for being at the forefront of worksite wellness,” Clausing said.
Harmony Home Health was nominated by Bella Colovich, who supervises senior centers in Tooele and Grantsville. Colovich said Harmony Home Health had gone above and beyond the services it provides as a business by helping put on events such as the Senior Health Expo and by sponsoring popular educational activities at the senior centers.
Brian Slade, head of the health department’s environmental health division, recognized another local company, Green Box Recycling. Green Box not only works to promote local recycling, but also helps host Household Hazardous Waste Day at its own expense, Bate said.