Health Department staff receives awards

MASON CITY – The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health is pleased to announce staff awards and the Health Department’s Partnership Award. Staff awards and partnership awards were presented at the August Board of Health meeting.

Erik Gustafson, Healthy Homes Coordinator received the Employee of the Year Award. He was presented this award for his enthusiasm and energy for taking on new challenges within the Environmental Health service section. Gustafson lends his education and knowledge in food science to food assessments and inspections. In his role as Healthy Homes Coordinator, he has learned and implemented the program’s standards and requirements. Gustafson provides colleagues assistance if needed and his positive attitude and pleasing personality lends well to the culture of the Health Department.

Terry Allen-Burns, Jail Health Nurse for the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department received the Public Health’s Partnership Award. She is a great asset to HIV and Hepatitis C prevention with jail inmates. Allen-Burns also provides flu and hepatitis B immunization services for the jail employees. She also is willing to help out the Health Department whenever it is needed. The Health Department is very fortunate to have Allen-Burns as a community partner.

Brian Hanft, Environmental Health Service Manager received the 2013 Iowa Public Health Heroes Award from the University of Iowa College of Public Health. Hanft has made significant contributions to improve and protect the health of Iowans including revising the county food inspection program with a focus on risk factors and active managerial control, initiated the first healthy homes program within the state of Iowa, completed two Iowa Department of Public Health/CDC sponsored grants focused on the essential services/core functions of public health, established a comprehensive mosquito surveillance program, developed an internship program for college juniors and seniors and laid the framework to establish a local air quality program for the county.

Hanft was selected as one of 68 Emerging Leaders by the CDC National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) to attend the Emerging Leaders Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in November 2013. He is a graduate of the first Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Environmental Health Emerging Leader program. Hanft has also worked diligently to develop and support community-based approaches to health and prevention. He has served as Vice-President for the Cerro Gordo County Free Health Care Clinic since 2007. His participation has advanced community awareness and environmental health practices as they relate to health. Brian was also a member of the Iowa Environmental Health Emergency Response Team (EHERT) from 2003 to 2008.

For more information about Health Department awards, please call (641) 421-9333 or visit our website at www.cghealth.com.