The Arizona Department of Health Services and
the Governor’s Council on Health, Physical
Fitness and Sports will present awards to
individuals and programs in six Arizona counties
that exemplify the theme of National Public
Health Week – Empowering Americans to Live
Stronger, Longer! – at an event to be held on
April 5, 2005 at the Arizona State Capitol and
the State Department of Health Services.
National Public Health Week is April 4-10, 2005.
The Governor has made an official
proclamation of Public Health Week in Arizona.
On April 5, the Arizona Local Health Officers
Association will present success stories in
public health at the Governor’s cabinet meeting.
Then, at 11:00 a.m., the Governor’s Council on
Health, Physical Fitness and Sports award
recipients will be honored by the State Health
Department at a lunch provided by Phoenix Health
Plan Community Connection.
The award recipients are:
Claudia Reynoso, Physical Activity Program
Coordinator for the Cochise County Health
Department
Reynoso is responsible for increasing
physical activity among seniors by launching a
“Walk Everyday Live Longer” (WELL) program for
seniors.
Marty Eckrem, Program Manager for the
Coconino County Health Department
Eckrem is dedicated to Tobacco Education and
Prevention and has worked on a Smokefree
ordinance for Coconino County and was
instrumental in establishing the city of
Flagstaff’s Smokefree Air Ordinance.
Lee Ann Anderson, Program Coordinator for
La Paz County Health Department
Anderson is the Tobacco Education and
Prevention Program coordinator for La Paz County
and has arranged numerous workplace health fairs
as well as providing 11-week smoking cessation
classes and tobacco cessation mentoring
programs.
Kingman Regional Medical Center in Mohave
County
The Kingman Regional Medical Center opened
its Del E. Webb Wellness and Rehabilitation
Center in Kingman in 1999. Today it has 2,800
members benefit from swimming, aerobics, group
exercise classes and cardiovascular machines
that are integrated with important hospital
services.
Mary Stoute, Program Coordinator for
Coalition for African American Health and
Wellness in Pima County
Stoute acquired funding and initiated a program
including twice a week sessions for education,
socialization and line dancing for African
Americans age 50 years and over in Pima County.
Gheral Brownlow from Yavapai County
As a Yavapai County Supervisor, Brownlow
worked to develop vacant property into walking
and running trails, a new soccer field and a
softball complex. He organizes and participates
in numerous races including the Whiskey Row
Marathon, which he helped establish and the Man
Against Horse race. He is a model for physical
fitness and encourages older adults to be
physically active
The Arizona Governor’s Council on Health,
Physical Fitness and Sports, established in
1980, is administered by the Arizona Department
of Health Services, and encourages Arizona
citizens to be more active so that they can lead
healthier lives through the promotion and
sponsorship of sporting and physical activity
events in which the public participates. This
year the award criteria emphasized programs for
adults and seniors in conjunction with the goals
of Public Health Week.
During the week, the American Public Health
Association, the Arizona Local Health Officers
Association, the Arizona Department of Health
Services and county health departments are
encouraging older adults to prevent, protect and
plan -- prevent many common health problems,
protect themselves through screening, and plan
to stay healthy. More information about Public
Health Week is available at
www.apha.org
. For more information about healthy aging,
visit
www.azdhs.gov ; type in healthy aging and
click “go.”
