photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The Community Health Facility, 200 Maine St. is pictured Tuesday, February 25, 2025.

Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health is seeking nominations from county residents for individuals and organizations who are dedicated to advancing health for all in Douglas County.

Each year, LDCPH recognizes two Douglas County community members in the first week of April during National Public Health Week with the Health Champion award and one local organization with the Healthier Together award. Both awards are to recognize exceptional efforts to model, encourage and promote health in the community, according to a press release from LDCPH.

“Our Health Champion and Healthier Together honorees are proof of what happens when people commit to Health with a capital H. When we say Health with a capital H, we’re talking about more than doctor’s visits or the usual ways we talk about health. We mean the everyday conditions, from housing and transportation to mental health, environmental quality, and the opportunities that people need to truly thrive,” LDCPH Executive Director Jonathan Smith said in the release.

In 2025, the Health Champion award winners were Chrissy Mayer, chief community based services officer at DCCCA, and Misty Bosch-Hastings, director of the homeless solutions division for the City of Lawrence. The nonprofit organization Honor Moon received the Healthier Together award.

The awardees will be celebrated during LDCPH’s National Public Health Week Luncheon in the first week of April. The deadline for people to submit their nominations is noon on March 10. People can access the nomination form at https://bit.ly/3M2yhQv.