The Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH) was honored with the Dr. Sarah Taylor Morrow Health Department of the Year award by the North Carolina Public Health Association (NCPHA) at the 2024 NCPHA Fall Educational Conference. This award is given to health departments for outstanding programs and efforts. DCoDPH was awarded this honor of Health Department of the Year for its achievements in measuring and improving the health of the Durham community through the work of the Partnership for a Healthy Durham. 

The Partnership, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, consists of several hundred members of the community and organizational representatives from sectors including healthcare, housing, transportation, food, government, education and non-profit agencies. Partners share common values such as commitments to collaboration and equity and an agenda to build opportunities for better health and equity for all Durham County residents. 

The Partnership is also responsible for publishing the annual State of the County Health report and the Community Health Assessment (CHA), occurring every three years, which each serve to highlight Durham’s health needs and help guide policy decisions. DCoDPH has received Awards of Excellence from the North Carolina Division of Public Health for the quality and collaborative methods of its 2017 and 2020 reports and will receive an award for the 2023 CHA this year. 

In 2022, the Partnership was awarded a five-year $750,000 grant from The Duke Endowment, which is being used to implement evidence-based initiatives to improve chronic conditions, physical activity opportunities, and food access, all with the priority of enhancing racial equity.

“We couldn’t be more proud for NCPHA to have recognized our collaborative work in the community through the Partnership for a Healthy Durham and beyond,” said Health Director Dr. Rod Jenkins. “This award is representative of the outstanding work being done here at the Durham County Department of Public Health, through the Partnership for a Healthy Durham and with several agencies we work with throughout Durham. We know that we could not fully serve our community without our partnerships with these agencies and organizations, so we are proud to be honored as Health Department of the Year, highlighting the achievements of this essential collaborative work.”