Retired Health Director Earns Lifetime Achievement Award 

LEE COUNTY— Dr. Judith Hartner is the third recipient of the Lee County Injury Prevention Lifetime Achievement Award. The retired 22-year director of the Florida Department of Health in Lee County received the award during today’s meeting of the Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition.

Hartner is credited with committing the health department in 1994 to become the lead agency to address the needs of whatever was identified as the greatest deficit in a Community Health Needs Assessment. Injury prevention received the top mark.

In 1995, representatives of the 31 agencies participating in the Assessment came together and formed a coalition with the health department representative selected as the chair. True to her promise, Hartner funded an injury prevention department for 13 years before handing the program off to the community in 2008.

Most of those originating agencies are still active in the IPC. And while injury prevention work has expanded to include falls prevention, fire safety, gun safety, drug abuse prevention and poison prevention, its primary focus remains in reducing injuries from motor vehicle crashes, on bicycles, as pedestrians and in and around the water from drowning.

The award was presented by the only two prior recipients, Glenda Wolnik, the first recipient and retired health department employee, and David Kainrad, a Lee County Emergency Medical Services retiree.

For more information or to attend meetings go to www.LeeCountyInjuryPrevention.org.

The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.