Politics & Government

Oakland County Wins at Least 11 National Awards

Programs that expand access to healthy foods among low-income residents, train nursing students in teaching parents how to prevent infant deaths and curb gun violence are among those honored with National Association of Counties Achievement Awards.

Oakland County has garnered at least 11 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards for innovative programs that help improve access to healthy food for low-income residents, train nursing students how to teach parents about preventing infant deaths, curb gun violence, improve law enforcement capability, and broaden local governments’ abilities to collect fees over the counter.

“NACo consistently recognizes Oakland County’s excellence in government service thanks to the dedication of our employees,” Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. “It is ingrained in our culture to deliver services at a level worthy of national recognition.”

NACo said its annual Achievement Award Program is a non-competitive awards program that recognizes innovative county government programs. Each application is judged on its own merits. Awards are given in 21 different categories including children and youth, criminal justice, county administration, environmental protection, information technology, health, and many more.

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Achievement Awards for the Department of Health & Human Services:

Achievement Award in the Health Category for Healthy Oakland Partnership - Farmers Market program: Healthy Oakland Partnership, a health coalition initiated by the Oakland County Health Division, launched the Farmers Market program to improve the availability of fresh food to low-income residents by increasing acceptance of food assistance programs at farmers markets.  In a period of eight months, the program increased fruit and vegetable intake and access to healthy, safe food among Oakland County residents.

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Achievement Award in the Health Category for Safe Sleep Train-the-Trainer program:  Oakland County Health Division developed a Safe Sleep Train-the-Trainer program to help educate nursing students and other community partners on how to train parents to prevent infant deaths caused by positional asphyxiation. Health Division created and provided training materials to support the educational efforts.

Achievement Award in the Health Category for Social Media Messaging Team program: In August 2012, Oakland County Health Division organized a social media team consisting of 20 public health employees to implement a strategic social media plan under the brand Public Health Oakland. Ongoing team training utilizes Centers for Disease Control best practices on writing for social media, including writing effective social media posts and engaging the target audience. The social media team has successfully engaged social media users by disseminating a diverse amount of information.

Achievement Award in the Children and Youth Category for Transitions Academy for Girls –TAG: The Transitions Academy for Girls –TAG program is designed to provide services to females at Oakland County’s Children’s Village that strengthen self-esteem, reduce risk factors that lead to re-offending, and provide pro social skills for girls transitioning to young adulthood.  Unique to TAG is the concept designed around a developmental stage system of individual personal growth and moral development. Youth participating in the TAG program also receive intensive aftercare or re-entry services for up to three months following release from the program.

Achievement award for the Board of Commissioners:

Achievement Award in the Civic Education and Public Information Category for the bipartisan Prevent Gun Violence in Oakland County and Public Awareness program: After the Sandy Hook massacre and other mass shootings, the Board of Commissioners launched its Prevent Gun Violence in Oakland County and Public Awareness program. It focused on public engagement, public awareness and public information with the objective to help prevent such tragedies from occurring in our region. The “Gun Violence in Oakland County” informational report was created. As a result of the committee’s study group, a series of bipartisan resolutions calling for action at the state and federal level were issued.  

Achievement awards for CLEMIS (Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information System) in the Department of Information Technology. CLEMS serves more than 100 public safety agencies in Southeast Michigan:

Achievement Award in Information Technology Category for CLEMIS CLEAR (Consolidated Law Enforcement Advanced Records): CLEMIS CLEAR is a web-based system designed to have the same look and feel from a desktop or a mobile device. It provides all the tools a law enforcement agency needs to properly record, store, and retrieve departmental and criminal records.

Achievement Award in Information Technology Category for CLEMIS CRASH: A web-based automobile crash report system designed to have the same look and feel from a desktop or a mobile device, CLEMIS CRASH interfaces with existing CLEMIS software. It provides all the tools law enforcement needs to properly create, store and retrieve crash report information.

Achievement Award in Information Technology Category for CLEMIS CITATION: A web-based driving infraction system designed to have the same look and feel from a desktop or a mobile device, CLEMS CITATION interfaces with existing CLEMIS software to provide all the tools law enforcement needs to properly create, store and retrieve citation information.

Additional achievement awards for the IT Department:

Achievement Award in Information Technology Category for G2G Cloud Solutions Over the Counter Payments: Oakland County’s G2G Cloud Solutions Over the Counter Payments system allows government agencies to take credit card payments in person at government offices and service centers. It transforms workflow and business processes associated with in-office, point-of-sale payment collection and processing.

Achievement Award in Information Technology Category for Virtual Collaboration: Oakland County’s IT and Economic Development & Community Affairs (EDCA) departments implemented Microsoft SharePoint collaboration tools. The software enables EDCA employees, whose responsibilities often take them out of the office, to have access to the most update information within the department.

Achievement Award in Information Technology Category for Cyber Incident Response Plan: Oakland County’s Cyber Incident Response Plan brings needed resources together in an organized manner to deal with any adverse event related to the safety and security of Oakland County information system resources. Adverse events may include a malicious code attack, unauthorized use of Oakland County services, denial-of-service attacks, general misuse of systems, and accidental loss or hoaxes.


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