Commissioner of Health Cathleen Bennett announced a call for applications for the department’s first Population Health Heroes Awards to recognize leaders in the state who are making system, policy and environmental changes to improve health.

“The goal of these awards is to discover and showcase the work of an individual, group, business, municipality, county, faith-based or other community organization that has successfully implemented a program or intervention that has made a measureable difference in health outcomes,” Bennett said.

The awards will be given in six categories:

• Individual/Clinician
• Municipal/County Organization/Coalition
• Healthcare Provider Institution
• Community/Faith-based Organization
• Private Sector Institution/Organization, and
• Multi-stakeholder Collaboration.

Applications are due March 8, and winners will be announced at the 2017 Population Health Summit in June.

Judges will consider the following criteria:

• Measurable population health impact or outcome
• Focused on New Jersey residents and active or completed within the past year
• Efforts uniting government and community level constituents
• Demonstrated innovative health education/promotion practices at the community, municipal, county or state level
• Use of evidence-based interventions that improve population health
• Approaches that address diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, health literacy and other communication needs of vulnerable populations, and
• Changes in organizational culture, policies and procedures that enhance or expand access to services.