With COVID-19 challenging individuals, businesses, and communities across the Algoma region, residents have worked together during these times of change and uncertainty in order to follow and promote public health guidance.
This year, Algoma Public Health’s Public Health Champion awards will honour Algoma residents who have demonstrated exemplary kindness, compassion, and community spirit while helping others overcome the challenges of COVID-19.
“As we navigate this pandemic together, we want to recognize residents and organizations who have courageously helped others during this time,” said Dr. Spruyt, medical officer of health. “Help us shine a light on those making a positive difference in the community.”
Algoma Public Health has expanded the categories and will be awarding four public health champions for 2020. The four categories are:
- Health Protection Champion: Someone who used their time and energy toward health protection and prevention, and helped fellow community members stay safe.
- Mental Health and Wellness Champion: Someone who has combatted isolation or stigma and worked to ensure that community members in all walks of life remained socially connected and cared for.
- Re-Open Safely Champion: Someone who went above and beyond provincial requirements to ensure that a local business or workplace was safe for re-opening.
- Amplifier Champion: Someone who helped spread credible information and amplified preventive messages and actions in their local community to help increase awareness and motivate people to follow public health recommendations.
“Any effort that anybody makes that improves the overall health or makes health more available to many people would be considered a Public Health Champion,” said Dr. Spruyt.
“There are unsung heroes. Most people are talking about our front line providers and how they are heroes because they’re on the front lines, but most of these public health champions are working quietly in the background trying to do things to benefit community members. They’re not always in the spotlight so we want to showcase those individuals who might not get recognized otherwise,” she said.
More information on each category can be found here.
The call for nomination runs until Nov. 20, 2020. Nomination forms are available online or can be filled out and mailed to Algoma Public Health.
