FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, July 12, 2012

Albany County Health Program Gets National Award

The Albany County Department of Health has been recognized by peers on a national stage for its Healthy Convenience Store Initiative. Its one of 39 public health programs developed by a local health department selected to receive the National Association of County and City Health Officials Model Practice Award. HCSI, a partnership of the Albany County Strategic Alliance for Health and the Capital District Community Gardens (CDCG), provides the community in the City of Albany with sustainable healthy and affordable food options in convenient neighborhood stores. Local stores get fresh produce from HCSI at the wholesale price to stock in a customized display. Through in-store displays, site-specific marketing, and twice-weekly stocking and rotation of produce, HCSI is increasing the availability of local, culturally appropriate produce, thereby making it easier for families to include fruits and vegetables in their diets, said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy. The numbers are impressive. As of April, HCSI has sold 16,945 pounds of fresh produce this year. Participating convenience store locations include: Ida Yarbrough Convenient Store (106 Ontario Street, Albany, New York 12207) Midway Retail Food Market (57 Central Avenue, Albany, New York 12206) Nas Deli and Grocery (58 Morton Avenue, Albany, New York 12202) SPI Instamart (699 North Pearl Street, Albany, New York 12204) The Corner Store (106 Ontario Street, Albany, New York 12206) The Corner Store (153 South Pearl Street, Albany, New York 12202)

We are proud to receive NACCHOs Model Practice Award. The award is evidence of our commitment to developing responsive and innovative public health programs that improve the health of local residents, said James B. Crucetti, MD, MPH, Albany County Commissioner of Health.

It is a pleasure to see The Albany County Department of Health honored for their efforts to promote wellness through a partnership with CDCGs Healthy Convenience Store Initiative, said Capital District Community Gardens Executive Director Amy Klein. Increasing the availability of fresh, affordable food in urban neighborhoods provides residents with the power to make healthy lifestyle choices that reduce the risk of nutrition related illnesses. This award demonstrates the importance of this initiative and makes us proud to partner with The Albany County Department of Health. Each project receiving the award was peer-reviewed (by other local health department professionals) and selected from a group of 166 applications. Since 2003, NACCHOs Model Practice Awards program has honored initiativesincluding programs, resources, and tools that demonstrate how local health departments and their community partners can effectively collaborate to address local public health concerns. The Healthy Convenience Store Initiative is now part of an online, searchable database of successful public health practices in areas ranging from immunization and maternal and child health to infectious diseases and emergency preparedness. The NACCHO Model Practice database allows users to benefit from colleagues' experiences, to learn what works, and to ensure that resources are used wisely on effective programs that have been implemented with good results. It also enables NACCHO to share information with key stakeholders and media about the good work being done by local health departments across the country.

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Mary Rozak Director of Communications Office of the Albany County Executive 112 State Street, Room 200 Albany, NY 12207 tel 518.447.7040 ext. 7218 fax 518.447.5589 mary.rozak@albanycounty.com www.albanycounty.com