Catawba County News
Community Health Workers recognized
Published: September 30, 2025
PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM RECOGNIZED WITH STATE-LEVEL AWARD
HICKORY, NC – Catawba County Public Health’s Community Health Workers program was recognized as the recipient of the 2025 GlaxoSmithKline Child Health award at the North Carolina Public Health Association’s annual conference on September 17. This highly competitive award honors local health departments, public health staff and individuals for innovative, collaborative programs that improve the lives of North Carolina’s children.
The Catawba County Public Health Community Health Workers program is dedicated to ensuring that all families in Catawba County have the opportunity to live long, healthy lives, regardless of their income, education, neighborhood, or background. The Community Health Workers address the Social Drivers of Health by linking families to essential community services and resources. This includes housing support, utilities, food pantries, and other nutrition programs, transportation, employment and vocational rehabilitation resources, navigation of clinical care systems, insurance and charity care, and assistance in filling out applications and forms required to receive these services. They also provide motivation and support, helping people overcome language and health literacy barriers that stand in the way of accessing these vital services.
“The Community Health Workers improve the health of Catawba County’s families, especially those with children, by linking them to available resources that address fundamental needs that impact health,” said Catawba County Public Health Director Jennifer McCracken. “This helps give all children and families the opportunity to live in a community where they flourish.”
Three local health departments were presented with the 2025 award, which also offers a $10,000 prize from the GlazoSmithKline Foundation.
For more information on the Catawba County Public Health Community Health Workers, go to https://www.catawbacountync.gov/county-services/public-health/service-areas/community-health-workers/.
Catawba County Public Health promotes and protects the health of all Catawba County residents through preventive services, innovative partnerships, and community health improvement initiatives. For more information, please call (828) 695-5800 or visit www.catawbacountync.gov/phealth.