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On October 20, 2021, the Minnesota Society for Public Health Education (MN SOPHE) announced the awardee for the “Outstanding Contributions for Public Health Education” award. Cook County’s very own, Andrea Orest, was a top finalist for this honorable award for her significant contributions to public health education.
The Minnesota Society for Public Health Education is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide leadership to the profession of health education and health promotion, and to promote our communities’ health. This year’s award criteria were based off the nominee’s demonstration of leadership to public health education, impact on the health of the “community” they serve (city, town, business, school), innovative program design, implementation or evaluation of public health education, and advocacy for policy change or for the profession. Anyone who has made major contributions to public health education in Minnesota is eligible to receive the award.
Andrea Orest is the Cook County SHIP Coordinator at the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic. She was nominated by Taylour Blakeman of the American Lung Association, Grace Grinager of Cook County, and Hartley Newell-Acero of the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic. Orest is a mover and shaker when it comes to contributing to public health education in Cook County. She led efforts on Safe Routes to School Steering Committee, Active Living Steering Committee, and has been involved in the Mental Health Advisory Council. She also took efforts to raise the tobacco sale age to 21. “I was uplifted when she said, ‘Let’s go for it!’,” said Taylour Blakeman of the American Lung Association when approaching Orest on the topic.
“Andrea has been so flexible and responsive to our community’s needs during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Grace Grinager, Public Health Supervisor in Cook County. “She has been our EOC Volunteer Manager, managing 70 volunteers who did everything from supporting our mass vaccination efforts to driving supplies to people in isolation/ quarantine to helping package groceries for delivery during the stay-at-home era.”
The MN SOPHE Annual Health Education Summit draws nearly one-hundred Minnesota health professionals and aspiring students across the state. The past two years, the Summit has been online to protect the health of attendees. Abby Tricker of Rochester was the recipient of this year’s “Outstanding Contributions to Public Health Education” award.
“This year, we wanted to shine a light on those who have made significant health impacts on the communities they serve whilst navigating the pandemic,” said Liz Heimer, Awards Chair at the Minnesota Society for Public Health Education. “There was stiff competition this year for nominees. Andrea’s commitment to serving Cook
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