Arizona Department of Transportation: ADOT’s Office of Communications and Public Involvement won top honors at the annual meeting of TransComm, the communications committee for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Receiving the Spirit of TransComm honor was ADOT Community Information Officer Rusty Crerand. The award recognizes the importance of state department of transportation staff members who aren’t in leadership or supervisory positions, a news release said.
ADOT also took home the Best Blog award, which the office uses to create consistent content that goes beyond traffic alerts, news alerts and media events. Check it out at azdot.gov/blog.
Pima County Health Department: The Pima County Health Department won the Dr. William J. Moore Community Impact Award from Affirm: Sexual and Reproductive Health for All.
The Moore Award honors individuals and organizations in Arizona that have made significant contributions to expanding access to sexual and reproductive health care for communities that have been systematically excluded from receiving care.
The Pima County Health Department offers reproductive health and family planning services for women, men and teens, according to a news release. Fees are on a sliding scale based on income, but no one is refused service because of inability to pay.
Dr. Francisco Garcia, deputy county administrator, accepted the award last month on behalf of the department.
“They chose Dr. Garcia because of his continued support of women’s reproductive health in Pima County and the nation,” said Health Department Deputy Director Andrew Rowe.
Local First Arizona: Local First Arizona’s leadership in transforming agricultural policy, food resiliency and financial investments in the Southwest was recognized by senior leaders from the White House, including USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small.
“Local First Arizona’s work on food security is groundbreaking and will build more resilient local food systems throughout the state,” said Torres Small in a news release.
Local First recently won a nearly $5 million federal grant to lead Arizona’s participation in the USDA’s new Southwest Regional Food Business Center, which aims to attract new loan and grant opportunities to support regenerative and desert-adapted farming; help food producers expand their operations; and rebuild the infrastructure needed to grow local markets.
