September Award Winners

COMMUNITY SERVICES GROUP

Animal Services Volunteer Program Honored

The County’s Department of Animal Services received recognition in June from the University of California, San Diego Volunteer50 program. It also recognized Friends of County Animal Shelters and the Community Recovery Team (www.communityrecoveryteam.org). Each month Volunteer50 features local nonprofit partner agencies that relate to the month’s theme; June’s theme was Animal Welfare. The Volunteer50 committee receives nominations from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. The committee chooses the final agencies based on their willingness to partner with Volunteer50, their capacity to handle large numbers of volunteers, and geographic diversity.   

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY 

Rural Video Interviewing Program Wins National Award

An innovative County program to help rural residents get Medi-Cal and CalFresh (formerly Food Stamps) has been nationally recognized with a Digital Government Achievement Award. The Video Interviewing program makes it easier for some 450,000 residents living in the rural North County and North Inland Regions to access needed County services. Previously, residents would have to travel up to 90 miles roundtrip to be evaluated for eligibility. The success of video interviewing is due to the Health and Human Services Agency’s partnership with multiple community-based organizations. The program has proven so successful; it has been rolled out to other Health and Human Services Agency regions and programs throughout the county. This program is an important step in implementing the County’s Live Well, San Diego! Initiative to better serve rural residents.