PHD team recognized for excellence in public health

Joanna Adams supervises Panhandle Health District’s Health Promotion Team and knows “how to motivate employees, assist them in their accomplishments, and allow them to do their jobs,” according to PHD Director of Health Promotion Tanya Chesnut.

Adams and fellow team members – Bonnie Held, Brittany Baeumel, and Mary Jo Sauber – were recently recognized by the Idaho Public Health Association with the 2006 “Excellence in Public Health Award.” They have a combined expertise of more than 75 years of service.

Adams began working at PHD in 1985 and recently implemented and expanded the Senior Fit and Fall Prevention and Exercise Program. She is a master fit and fall proof instructor and directs this program that helps senior citizens become physically fit to prevent injury. Under her leadership 18 Fit and Fall Proof sites are offering classes regularly. Adams also manages the tobacco-prevention program.

Adams worked to establish and keep the Child Passenger Restraint program running by helping Kootenai Medical Center obtain a grant. The grant assured that people would still have access to child safety seats.

“Despite ongoing efforts to better protect child passengers in cars, motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under,” says Adams.

Held manages the Millennium Tobacco Contract, Asthma Contract and Child Care Health Trainings and is the only certified asthma educator in the seven Idaho health districts, according to Chesnut.

There have been specially funded asthma programs with the school districts, Kootenai Medical Center and the Dirne Free Clinic. She has also developed health and safety classes for day-care providers.

Last year, Held and Sauber gave smoking-cessation classes to more than 50 percent of the pregnant women in the state of Idaho Smoking Cessation Program and have had overwhelming success by incorporating it into the WIC program.

Baeumel is the Peers Encouraging Abstinent Kids state consultant and also manages the adolescent pregnancy and prevention contract. She started as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer five years ago and helped to write PEAK curriculum that is used throughout the state.

Currently, PHD is the only Idaho health district where all of the school districts use the PEAK curriculum. Chesnut credits this accomplishment to Baeumel, who is also a PEAK trainer for other health district contractors.

“Because of Brittany’s expertise and dedication to PEAK, she was selected to the Idaho Governor’s Coordinating Council for Families and Children,” says Chesnut.

Dental hygienist Sauber manages the oral health contract and has persuaded school districts to participate in the School Mouth Rinse Program. More than 900 schoolchildren “swish” with fluoride at school, which lessens and prevents decay.

“If she sees a child in need, Mary Jo will stay on the phone, contacting dentists, until she finds a dental home for that child. She goes above and beyond for children,” says Chesnut. “She is the Tooth Fairy of northern Idaho.”

Four years ago, Sauber took on the diabetes contract, and developed an educational program for North Idaho that reaches over 150 professionals ranging from pharmacists, dietitians, nurses, and nursing home caregivers.

“This team works together for the good of public health,” says Chesnut. “They are worthy of any award that has excellence tied to it.”