Island County’s board of health and its community health advisory board recently presented awards to 12 groups or individuals who they said, “directly or indirectly impacted community health” in 2016.
The 12 each received the Linda Lee Martens Community Health Hero award, named for the late executive secretary of the health department, who “was a hero because she was an ordinary person with an extraordinary love for others.”
The winners, who were selected through a nomination process, are:
Adult category
Francis Bagarell has worked with Impaired Driving Impact Panel of Island County or IDIPIC, served the homeless through St. Augustine church, worked in the Oak Harbor School District food drive and raised funds for the Relay for Life walk. He was recognized for his caring service to others.
Line Goulet instructs patients in the diabetes education program at Whidbey General Hospital’s medical ambulatory-care clinic. She was nominated “for making a human connection while sharing (her) knowledge.”
Joann Hellman directed the Impaired Driving Impact Panel of Island County for 16 years. More than 32,000 people attended the panels. She was recognized for her dedication in striving for youth substance-abuse prevention.
Emmanuel Montenegro works at Sea Mar Behavioral Health, helping those with substance-use disorders and mental health issues. He was recognized for his dedication and helping to build a strong team to meet the needs of community members.
Tina Starks makes home-made quilts and gives them to babies and needy families served by the maternal and child health programs of Island County Public Health. She was recognized for what she has done “to wrap our newest residents with love.”
Agency category
Coupeville Neighborhood Emergency Team is a volunteer group that visits every home in Coupeville to identify vulnerable residents, distribute emergency preparedness information and find those with special skills willing to help in an emergency. It helps neighbors care for themselves and each other when disaster strikes, the award said.
North Whidbey Help House, started in July 1977, provides 535 food baskets, feeding 1,216 people, during an average month, while 4,169 people visit the facility to get baked goods and produce. Funds from the state Department of Agriculture and United Way provide 17 percent of its operating budget. The balance comes from private donations.
Two physicians’ groups — Pediatric Associates of Whidbey Island And Whidbey Island and South Whidbey Pediatrics — were each recognized for championing the early diagnosis of autism and for working to cut delays in getting services for autistic children and their families. The physicians in each group got training outside office hours. Both groups were recognized for “continually seeking ways to promote the health of our youngest residents.”
The State Health Insurance Benefits Advisors Program consists of five volunteer women who gave 2,595 hours in 2015 to help seniors — mainly those in or about to enter Medicare — get access to the care they require. They were recognized for “helping seniors navigate complicated health coverage issues.”
Youth category
Oak Harbor Wildcats Robotics Team was founded in 2009 by Oak Harbor High School teacher Che Edoga. The team’s goal is to inspire students in engineering and technology. This year more than 250 students participated, 30 percent of whom were female. The team also does community service.
South Whidbey Stingrays program, founded in 2007, promotes recreational and competitive swimming among participants aged 6-17. The program “promotes fitness, water safety and leadership among South Whidbey youth,” the award said.
