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Okaloosa Health Department Wins National Award For HIV Prevention Best Practices

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Okaloosa County Health Department received a national award for best practices in working to prevent HIV infections.

The National Association of County and City Officials, or NACCHO, gave Okaloosa County health officials the 2017 Model Practice Award. It’s for developing programs that demonstrate best practices in response to a critical local public health need.

In Okaloosa county, their award winning program is called “Integrating Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP, Services into a Clinical Work Environment for HIV Prevention” program. By taking a pill every day, health officials say PrEP is proven to help prevent HIV among those at significant risk.

Out of more than 100 applicants, 41 local health department programs—including Okaloosa’s—won the national award.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.