County well being director honored with award | Native Information

McCracken, together with different well being administrators from throughout North Carolina, was acknowledged for her onerous work and dedication in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ron Levine Legacy Award is a prestigious award named after the previous North Carolina State Chief Well being Officer, Dr. Ron Levine. Since 2004, 28 people have been equally honored for his or her efforts to enhance our public well being system, develop the attain or capability of public well being providers, or create new and enduring partnerships.

“Our public well being administrators served because the spine of the response to COVID-19 and proceed to be the frontline advocates for the well being and well-being of everybody of their communities,” mentioned Beth Lovette, deputy director and part chief, Help to the local people, North Carolina Division of Public Well being. “Everybody deserves this award, and their dedication and dedication to their residents is an instance to all of us.”

McCracken joined the Catawba County Public Well being Division in 1998, serving youngsters and households as a nurse on the Early Childhood Help Workforce. Since then, she has served in varied management roles, together with deputy director of well being. She was named interim well being director in October 2019 and well being director in March 2020, simply as COVID-19 started to have an effect on the group.

“I’m honored to serve Catawba County households all through my profession and receiving this award after a career-defining pandemic that introduced out the perfect in me and the Catawba County Public Well being crew is particularly so. vital,” McCracken mentioned. “The COVID-19 pandemic has been an enormous public well being problem, nevertheless it confirmed how necessary Catawba County’s public well being is to the group.”