NACCHO Solicits Model Practices and Innovative Practice Award Applications

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has opened the application process for 2021 Model Practices and Innovative Practice Awards. Each year, NACCHO’s Model Practices Program nationally honors and recognizes outstanding local public health practices and shares them through the Model Practices Database. These practices are rigorously reviewed by a committee of peers, consisting of other local health department professionals, and selected from a competitive pool of applicants.

The Model Practices Program application is strongly recommended to LHDs if a practice demonstrates exemplary and replicable outcomes in response to an identified public health need and it reflects a strong local health department role, collaboration, innovation, sustainability, and a thorough evaluation.

This year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a new Innovative Practice Award application will run concurrently with the Model Practices Program application. The Innovative Practice Award was created to recognize outstanding practices that have been created or significantly adapted in response to COVID-19.

The Innovative Practice Award application is strongly recommended to LHDs if a practice was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic or if a practice was creatively adapted to meet the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and the practice demonstrates remarkable innovation to address COVID-19 but does not yet exhibit the same rigorous program evaluation or long-term sustainability as a Model Practice.

The application period for the 2021 Model Practices Program and 2021 Innovative Practice Award will open November 2, 2020, and close December 31, 2020. NACCHO will hold an informational webinar on the opportunities on Thursday, November 5 at 11:00 am PT.