ATLANTA (August 15, 2013) – The National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) has named Sen. Renee Unterman (R- Buford) as the recipient of the organization’s annual “Legislator of the Year” award. Sen. Renee Unterman was nominated for her many contributions to public health.
“I am honored to be recognized for my work to advance public health care policy in Georgia,” said Sen. Unterman. “I regret that I was unable to receive this award in person, but I am extremely grateful for the work of organizations like NALBOH for advancing sound, public health policy across the nation.”
Each year, the “Legislator of the Year” award is presented to a state legislator who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in public health care governance. Deborah Riner, president-elect of the Georgia Public Health Association, accepted this award on Sen. Unterman’s behalf at the 2013 National Association of Local Boards of Health annual conference in Salt Lake, Utah on Wednesday, August 14.
As chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Sen. Renee Unterman is one of Georgia’s leading advocates for public health care reform. Her commitment and passion for public health began while serving as Mayor of Loganville, Georgia and throughout her career as a clinical social worker and critical care nurse.
Sen. Unterman devotes a large portion of her time to improving public health by working closely with public health boards, private hospitals, physicians and private health care practitioners. In particular, Sen. Unterman has served on the Georgia Board of Health from 1999 to 1994, and has also played an instrumental role in the streamlining of services at the Georgia Department of Public Health.
For over two decades, Sen. Unterman has focused her efforts on advancing the following public health care issues, among many others:
- Public health secondary education
- Childhood immunizations/childhood obesity
- Cardiovascular disease
- Alzheimer’s and related dementia
Sen. Unterman is also one of the key founders and currently serves as the co-chair of the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) “National Hunger Partnership.” This statewide competition encourages legislators who are participating in the annual NCSL Conference to pack backpacks of food for impoverished children nationwide.
“Georgia is truly fortunate to have strong leadership across its state. Sen. Renee Unterman is the epitome of remarkable leadership. Recognizing that her constituents’ health needs were not independent of our entire state’s citizens’ needs, she rallied to find workable solutions that would benefit all of us. She purposefully led the charge to move the Division of Public Health away from the Department of Human Resources to become its own department, reporting directly to the Governor of Georgia. Today – just three years later – our state’s public health leadership is positively positioned to make a dramatic impact on the health of our citizens,” said Kathryn Martin, President of the Georgia Public Health Association.
The National Association of Local Boards of Health is committed to strengthening local boards of public health through research, leadership and public policy support. To learn more, visit www.nalboh.org.
RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
August 15, 2013
For Information Contact:
Jennifer Yarber, Interim Director
Shawna Mercer, Sr. Communications Specialist
Shawna.Mercer@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028