HEY Ladies program wins 2011 NC SOPHE Kathy Kerr Outstanding Health Project Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 1, 2011
BURLINGTON – The Alamance County Health Department’s HEY (Health Education for You) Ladies program received top honors at the North Carolina Society for Public Health Education’s (NC SOPHE) annual conference, recently held at the Sheraton Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.
HEY Ladies was the recipient of the 2011 Kathy Kerr Outstanding Health Education Project Award.
The Kathy Kerr Outstanding Health Education Project Award is given by NC SOPHE to recognize organizations in North Carolina which have sponsored outstanding projects in health education. The award honors the late Kathy Kerr, a former project award recipient.
The HEY Ladies program, which functions as a clinical component of the health department’s Women’s Health clinic, was honored for its demonstrated positive outcomes in improving preconceptional health behaviors in women through the use of motivational interviewing. Since this project’s inception in 2007, over 2000 women have been served through HEY Ladies, with approximately 80% of clients successfully making one of more behavior changes, including weight loss and smoking cessation.
“We are very proud of the work done through our HEY Ladies program and it is most gratifying that NC SOPHE has provided the well deserved recognition by bestowing the Kathy Kerr Outstanding Health Education Project Award to HEY Ladies,” said Health Director Barry Bass. “Kudos to our dedicated Women’s Health staff that has worked so hard to make this program a success,” concluded Bass.
The North Carolina Chapter of the Society for Public Health Education, Inc. (NC SOPHE) is a professional organization formed in 1965 to promote, encourage and contribute to the advancement of health of all people. NC SOPHE encourages its professional members to stay informed through continuing education, to strive to improve the practice of health education, and to make a positive contribution toward making health accessible to all people.