Awards give recognition to community health programmes

Six revolutionary healthcare programmes and strategies from around the world have received recognition at the 2011 International Health Promotion Awards.

The awards have gone to community and work-based programmes which use innovative methods and strategies to improve health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

There were 12 finalists shortlisted for the awards, six for the International Community Healthcare Awards and six for the International Workplace Health Awards.

The community accolade honours organisations whose ideas in health promotion and disease prevention have made significant contributions to improving individuals' lives and well being in local areas, while the workplace award honours health promotion programmes that optimise and maintain overall health and mitigate disease risk in the workplace.

Winners of the International Community Healthcare Awards were:

• The Banyan, Changing the face of Mental Health across India, India
• International Virtual e-Hospital Foundation, Initiate-Build-Operate-Transfer: A Strategy for Establishing Sustainable Tele-Health, United States
• Riders for Health, Building a Healthier Future through Reliable Transportation, Africa

And the three International Workplace Health Awards went to:

• Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS, ALAFA, Lesotho
• State of Rhode Island Office of Employee Benefits, Rewards for Wellness, United States
• Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Telecare to Remote Areas, Brazil

The awards are co-sponsored by URAC and the Care Continuum Alliance and Alan P. Spielman, the President and CEO of URAC, said: “These programmes represent some of the best ideas in community and workplace health promotion.”

He added: “We are honoured to share these outstanding programmes throughout the healthcare community, with the firm belief that the result will be lives saved across the globe.”

Meanwhile, the CEO and President of the Care Continuum Alliance, Tracey Moorhead, commented: “We had 12 outstanding finalists this year and many excellent nominations overall, which underscores the growing recognition globally of the value in wellness and health promotion.

“Their commitment to population health and the experiences they shared at the IHPA will accelerate the spread of best practices and spark continued innovation in health promotion,” she added.