REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (Oct. 1, 2021) – The Association of California Healthcare Districts (ACHD), which oversees 77 health districts in the state, has named Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) Healthcare District of the Year. The announcement came during ACHD’s 69th annual meeting and 2021 awards ceremony on Sept. 23. The theme of the event was “Recover, Refocus and Adapt” a concept that was cornerstone to BCHD’s COVID-19 response — the campaign that earned BCHD the honor.
BCHD activated its District Operations Center in March 2020 and among other offerings, was able to create a COVID-19 testing site and vaccination site, assist at-risk older adults in the community, offer health and well-being tools to residents and disseminate accurate and timely COVID-19 information to the community.
“We are honored to receive this award—this past year was unprecedented, and we stepped up as an organization to serve our community during this great time of need,” said Beach Cities Health District CEO Tom Bakaly. “I accept this award on behalf of our community, partners, volunteers, Board and staff. It was a collective effort, and we couldn’t have done it without them.”
The Healthcare District of the Year Award honors a healthcare district that implemented one or more initiatives to improve the health and well-being of their community. Honorees were evaluated based on their contributions to the communities they serve including, dedication to both preventive care and crisis response during the COVID-19 pandemic. A panel of outside judges scored all nomination materials.
“Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) exemplifies what it means to put community first,” said Cathy Martin, CEO of the Association of California Healthcare Districts. “From the onset of the pandemic, its comprehensive response to meet the needs of residents and employees is remarkable. During the pandemic, BCHD has and continues to execute a broad strategy that has not only addressed the needs of the most vulnerable populations through safer-at-home programs, but also through providing resources to address the mental health and wellness needs in the communities it serves, all while providing testing and vaccinations. Their dedication is humbling.”
In 2019, BCHD’s CEO Tom Bakaly received ACHD’s CEO of the Year award. In 2014, BCHD also completed ACHD’s Best Practices in Governance certification process. BCHD Board member Vanessa Poster was additionally named ACHD’s 2018 Trustee of the Year and received a distinguished service award for her work on the board from 2002-2008.
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About Beach Cities Health District
Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) is among the leading preventive health agencies in the nation and has served the communities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach since 1955. As a public agency, it offers an extensive range of dynamic health and wellness programs, with innovative partnerships, services and facilities to promote health and prevent diseases in every lifespan. BCHD also operates AdventurePlex, a health and fitness facility where kids play their way to good health, and the Center for Health & Fitness, a comprehensive fitness center that is the only Medical Fitness Association-certified facility in California. Visit www.bchd.org or call (310) 374-3426 for more information.
About the Association of California Healthcare Districts
The Association of California Healthcare Districts (ACHD) represents Healthcare Districts throughout California. ACHD works with numerous state and local entities to promote the profound role Healthcare Districts play in responding to the specialized health needs of tens of millions of Californians while also having direct accountability to the communities that Districts serve. Visit www.achd.org for more information.
