Outstanding Rural Health Awards Banquet Information
Deadline for Submissions: Noon, Thursday, February 1, 2018
Please consider making your nominations early for the 2018 Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health.
Seven awardees will be honored at the 2018 Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health. The health professional awards are Outstanding Rural Health Provider, Outstanding Rural Health Professional, Outstanding Rural Health Program, Outstanding Rural Educator/Mentor, Outstanding Rural Health Volunteer Award, Emerging Rural Leader, and Legislator of the Year. The purpose of this memo is to encourage you to “toot your own horn” and nominate those who you work with, whom you believe deserving of this statewide recognition.
Awards Categories
- The Outstanding Rural Health Provider Award will be presented to a healthcare provider (e.g., physician, nurse, dentist, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, dietician, etc.), who practice in rural North Dakota, and is unselfishly committed to improving the health of their community and service area.
- The Outstanding Rural Health Professional Award will be presented to a professional (e.g., manager, administrator, director, legislator, etc.) located in rural North Dakota, who has demonstrated leadership in the delivery of rural health services, and is unselfishly committed to making a significant and sustained impact on the health of their community and service area.
- The Outstanding Rural Health Program Award will be presented to a program that delivers services in innovative ways through collaborative partnerships to improve the access and quality of care to rural North Dakota residents. Individual programs and/or overall organizations/facilities are eligible for the award.
- The Outstanding Rural Health Volunteer Award will be presented to a community member who has unselfishly committed their energy, time and skills to improve the health of their rural North Dakota community. Nominees must be volunteers; however if a nominee receives a small stipend or reimbursement for supplies, travel, etc. they are still eligible for this award.
- The Outstanding Rural Educator/Mentor Award will be presented to a professional who has made outstanding contributions to the education, development and placement of new healthcare professionals in rural North Dakota communities. Academic educators, community-based instructors and preceptors are eligible for this award.
- The Emerging Rural Leader Award will be presented to a new professional who has demonstrated tremendous promise for and commitment to improving the health of rural North Dakota residents. Nominees must have five years or less experience serving in a rural community.
- The Legislator of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding North Dakota legislator, congressional representative, or legislative aid for his/her work and support of rural and public health initiatives that address an identified need in his/her district. Criteria used to select this award recipient includes: introduces or supports an existing piece of legislation that addresses an identified rural or public health need or issue; demonstrates leadership in the community; and incorporates community input into the planning process.
If you have nominated an individual or a program in a prior year, and that individual or program did not receive an award, please consider doing so again. Each year many worthy nominations are made but only one award per category can be distributed. It seems a shame that some very worthy nominees are only nominated once. The Nomination Committee strongly encourages re-submissions. Persistence can yield dividends.
Individuals, who nominate a selected awardee will be responsible for coordinating a very brief video that demonstrates why the awardee is deserving of the award and gives them the opportunity to make an acceptance speech. The video also gives the awardee an opportunity to speak to their work; and thank and acknowledge colleagues, family, etc. Video footage, recorded locally, will be sent to the Center for Rural Health (CRH) and staff will edit to create a 3-5 minute video that will be shown at the awards banquet. Please don’t let this deter you from making a nomination - CRH staff will work with you to provide assistance and ideas, as needed, on how to best capture the video footage.
Presentation of Awards
The awards will be presented at the Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health, which will be held June 13-15, 2018 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Deadline for submission of award nominations is noon on Thursday, February 1, 2018. If you do not receive notification within that we have received your application, please call Kylie at (701) 777-5380.